istart my life
by shana852963
Summary: The gang starts their senior year of high school, but of course for the icarly gang, it wont be normal. Eventual Seddie! Includes jealousy, confrontations, and more!
1. Chapter 1

_First icarly fic, wish me luck!_

Seventeen- year old Carly Shay cheerfully climbed down the stairs leading to the living room of her older brother's loft.

"Spencer, you up yet?" she yelled.

"Yes!" Spencer yelled back, running out of his room in his boxers and sleep shirt. "Have you seen my giant pompom balls?"

"Your giant pompom balls?" she repeated.

"Yah, I need them for my latest sculpture. It's going to be to be a really big caterpillar!"

"Um, no, sorry," she said, holding back a laugh at his excitement over sculpting an oversized bug. "What've we got for breakfast?"

"Cereal," Spencer replied, walking over to the fridge to pour him some iced tea. "I'll buy some more bacon today at the store."

"Make sure you remember to hide half the package in the mini fridge in your room," she said, getting a bowl. "Sam won't leave you any."

"Noted," Spencer nodded. "Soooooooo, it's little Carly Shay's first day of her last day of high school!"

"Yup," she said, grinning. "This time next year I'll be college bound."

"Wait!" Spencer shouted, jumping up suddenly. "I promised dad I'd take his some digital pictures and send them to him."

"Aw Spencer," Carly said, rolling her eyes. "I really don't want to…"

"Pose!" Spencer exclaimed, pointing his digital camera at his little sister.

"Alright," she said, chuckling. "But just a few!"

Once Spencer had taken as many pictures as Carly would allow, there was a knock on the door. "It's Freddie," Freddie called through the other side."

"It's open!" she cried back. Freddie entered, his new backpack in hand. "Hey," he greeted her.

"Oh my gosh, I can't believe we're seniors now!" Carly shrieked. "High school went by so fast!"

"Yea seems like only yesterday we were all freaking out about our first day of freshmen year."

"Did you print out your schedule?"

"Just did," Freddie said, pulling out a folded piece of paper from his pocket, and handing it to Carly. "What classes do we have together this year?"

"Just European History," she said, giving him back the schedule. "But we have the same lunch!"

"Cool," he responded. "Sam here yet?"

"No, but you know her, she never comes till the last minute."

Freddie shook his head. True to what Carly had said, Sam came bursting through the Shay's door with little time to spare.

"Finally!" Freddie said, checking his watch. "School starts in 15 minutes, Sam!"

"Chill out Fredifer," she said. "It's only a five minute drive."

"Yea, but there could be traffic! I swear Sam, if you make me late for my first day of senior year…"

"Guys!" Carly cut in. "No arguing. Let's go down to my car so we can get going." Carly's car, a gift from her father on her sixteenth birthday, was a small red convertible. It wasn't the best car in the world, but it defiantly was nice enough for Carly's standards. She was the only one of the three who owned their own car. Freddie's mom had given him a three-hour lecture on the statistics of teen deaths due to motor vehicles the one and only time he even suggested possibility of getting a car, and Sam's mom could barely afford her own car payment. So the gang simply got around in Carly's car, which was just as well, as they barely went anywhere in driving distance without each other. "You printed your schedule, right Sam," Carly asked her best friend, buckling up behind the steering wheel.

"Yes mom," Sam said, retrieving a wad of paper from her mess of a backpack. She read her schedules. "Anatomy, European History and lunch!" Carly said happily once she finished the list. "What about you Freddie?"

"Everything except Anatomy," he said. "I took AP physics instead."

"Ew," Carly and Sam said together.

"Anyways Fredpus," she said, turning around to look at the boy in the back seat of the car. "Looks like I won't have to do much homework this year. I'll just be copying yours."

"What, no way Sam!" he exclaimed. "I'm not going to break my back getting good grades on my assignments and then just having you copy them the hour before and getting the same grade!"

"Yea, you said the same thing last year too," Sam said, rolling her eyes. "We all know you have no backbone to stand up for yourself. Now why don't you stop trying to be a tough little boy, and let mamma do what she needs to do?"

"You better watch it, Puckett!"

"You guys!" Carly screamed. "If either one of you says another mean word to each other, I'm going to turn this car around!"

"Er, Carls, if you actually did that, you'd miss school, and you'd get in trouble too."

"It's an expression, Sam!"

Luckily, Carly pulled into the Ridgeway High School parking lot a minute later. "Alright, I have to got to Spanish," Carly said when the three walked into the building. "The first bell rings in a few minutes. I'll see you guys next period in history."

"Bye," Sam and Freddie said together. Once she left, Freddie said, "I guess we'd better get to English."

"I hope we don't get another teacher like Ms. Grady," she said, as her Freddie climbed the main staircase.

"What was wrong with Ms. Grady?" Freddie questioned. "I liked her."

"She made us read like ten books the whole year!"

"Sam, it's an English class! Reading is the whole point of it!"

"Yea, but they were long books," she whined. "That one with the grapes was like 500 pages!"

Freddie couldn't help but give a small smile. The two found there room, and took seats near the middle of the room.

"Ug, I should still be in bed," Sam moaned, putting her head on the desk. "I need summer back!"

"Sam, the class is about the start. Couldn't you just try to stay awake for once in a morning class?"

"I could," she said, with her face still on her desk, covered by her long hair. "But I-"

"Choose not to," Freddie finished for her. "Yea, yea, I know." The last bell rang, and the teacher stepped into the classroom from the hallway.

"Morning seniors," she said. "Welcome to your last English class of high school." A few students cheered unenthusiastically. "My name is Ms. Marks," she said, oblivious to the lack of excitement from her students. "I thought that after a long, restful summer, the thing to get everyone's mind pumping would be a project!" Sam groaned, but thankfully only Freddie heard it.

"The project will be on anything you want," she continued. That sparked a few minds from her students, who were tired of having topics forced on them. "And you will work in pairs. You can present your project on either a poster board of a PowerPoint."

Sam picked up her head and raised her head.

"Yes," Ms. Marks said.

"So, this can seriously be on anything?" she asked.

"Yes it can," the teacher nodded.

"Sooooo, if I were to the project on say, ham, you wouldn't freak out or anything?"

"Absolutely not," Ms. Marks said. "If you feel passionate enough about ham to create an entire project on it, you go right ahead."

"Sweet," she said to herself.

"Alright then," Ms. Marks said, clapping her hands together. "Let me just take role, and hand out the usual beginning of the year forms, and then you guys can choose your partners and get started!"

Freddie looked around the room. Other than Sam, he really didn't know anybody else in his English class.

"Well Benson," Sam said, turning her head over to Freddie. "Looks like we'll be working together."

"You'll do your part of the work?"

"No."

He sighed. "Fine. But only because you're the only person I really talk to in here."

"That's the spirit," Sam smirked. "I'm only working with you is the same reason."

"Fine then," Freddie spat.

"Fine," Sam spat back.

"And we're not doing our report on ham either," he said. Sam opened her mouth. "Or fat cakes," he cut her off.

"Alright, alright," she sighed.

Fortunately, the rest of Sam and Freddie's classes didn't assign any real work. They just gave the students the typical "welcome back from summer" speeches and handed out textbooks.

"These weigh a ton," Carly said after school carrying a hue stack of textbooks, as the trio walked back to her car.

"Tell me about it," Sam grunted. "Another reason to add to my list of why education needs to stop and be replaced with all day lunch."

"Do you think of anything besides food?" Freddie asked.

"I think how much I would like to sell your body to science," she replied smoothly. "I mean, if I got to cut you open with a scalpel, I might just pay attention."

"Carly!" Freddie exclaimed.

"Sam, stop thinking about dissecting Freddie," Carly ordered.

After arriving at Bushwell Plaza, and taking the elevator to the eighth floor, Freddie headed back to his apartment, and Sam and Carly went to the Shay's door.

"I wonder if Ella is over here," Carly said, as she rummaged through her bag looking for her key, still holding a huge pile of books.

"Probably. Ever since Spencer and her have started dating she practically lives here," Sam replied.

"I still can't believe she's your cousin," Carly said. "She's polite, sweet, clean and not in prison."

"I know," Sam nodded, just as Carly pulled out her key and unlocked the door.

"I'm home," Carly called as she walked through the threshold.

Spencer and his girlfriend, Sam's cousin, were sitting on the couch watching T.V., eating low fat Fladoodles.

"Hey, what's up seniors," Spencer greeted them.

"How was your first day?" Ella asked.

"Awful," Sam said. "My English teacher gave us a project."

"That sucks, kido," Spencer said.

"Aw, it wasn't that bad," Carly said. "I mean, European History wasn't any real work."

"Yea, well, try having six classes with Frednub," she said.. "Plus lunch."

Carly laughed. "Can't you improve your attitude?"

"Nope," she said. "I'm starved. You buy more bacon?"

"Yea it's in the fridge," Spencer responded.

Sam rushed over and pulled open the fridge. "What the heck? You ate half the package already."

Spencer winked at Carly.

"Hey Sam," Carly said. "Let's go upstairs okay, we need to start planning the new iCarly."

"We have a whole 5 days for that," Sam said, shoving the remaining bacon into her mouth all at once.

"Oh just come on," she said, grabbing her best friends hand and leading her to the elevator.

"Hey, I'm making spaghetti tacos for dinner," Spencer yelled. "So don't fill up!"

"Eh, mama can't get full," Sam said, just as the elevator reached them. "Can you give me a ride back to my house, Ella?"

"Yea, sure, I guess," she shrugged.

The girls got on the elevator, and got off at the iCarly studio.

"Well, I don't have any ideas for the show," Sam said, plopping down on a nearby beanbag chair. "And don't you always _insist _that Freddie be at these little iCarly meetings?"

"I don't want to talk about iCarly," Carly admitted.

"Okay," Sam said. "What's up?"

"You remember like, three years ago, when Freddie got hit by that taco truck?"

Sam nodded.

"And you remember how we got together, but then we broke it off because he thought it was just because he saved my life?"

"Yea," Sam said. "So?"

"Well, right after we, you know, decided not to go on with the couple thing, we both said that after Freddie recovered from the accident, we'd see if we'd want to try again."

"And…." Sam said.

"Well, obviously we never did," Carly said.

"Then what's the problem?" Sam asked. "Freddie doesn't have that huge cast, and you don't have a nub of a boyfriend. Win-win"

"No, not win-win," Carly said. "I think Freddie might still be in love with me."

"Eh, he's always had a crush on you," Sam said. "As much of a burden it may be for you, you just have to learn to get on with your life."

"Sam, I don't want Freddie to be hurt. That's why I've been putting off telling him that he was right about me only being in love with him because he saved my life."

"Well, he's been putting it off too," Sam pointed out.

"Yes, but you know how shy Freddie is," Carly said.

"Sooo, when _are _you going to tell him this?" Sam asked.

"I don't know," Carly said. "I have to think of how I'm going to do this. Freddie's one of my closest friends, I can't just break his heart right on the spot."

Sam shrugged. "Whatever."

After their little talk, Carly began flipping through her textbooks, while Sam watched a bunch of videos on .

"Spaghetti tacos are done!" Spencer yelled from downstairs.

"Ohh, mama's worked up an appetite," Sam said, jumping up from her beanbag chair.

"All you've been doing is sitting there," Carly pointed out.

"I know, and now I'm starved. Come on!"

After triple helpings of Spencer's most famous dish (five for Sam), Ella and Sam gathered up their things and got ready to leave.

"See you tomorrow baby," Ella said, kissing Spencer goodbye.

"Oi, I just ate over here," Sam said jokingly, as Carly giggled.

Ella rustled Sam's hair. "Bye Carly." And with that, the two cousins left.

"So, how about we watch us a little bit of the nature channel?" Spencer asked his little sister.

"I'll pass," she declined slowly. "I still have nightmares about that documentary about the penguins."

"Alright," Spencer said.

"I'll be up in the studio," Carly told him as she ran up the steps.

"I'll be with the wild!" he yelled back.

Plopping herself down on the beanbag, Carly began to try to formulate a way to tell Freddie that she wasn't in love with him, and that he should move on, but in a nice way. Nothing came to mine.

"Aw man," she said. "Why can't I be mean and just tell him to move on. I hate being the sweet one."


	2. Chapter 2

"There's only one thing worse than the first day of school," Sam complained as she trudged into her and Freddie's fifth period psychology class. "The second day. Today's the day everyone realizes that summer is truly over."

"You know, maybe if you had a positive attitude towards school," Freddie started as Sam slid into her desk adjacent to his. "You'd do better in it."

"And maybe if you imagined you weren't such a nerd, it would actually happen!" she retorted.

The bell rang before Freddie could argue back.

"Whoa," Sam said suddenly. "Who's that dude standing by Mr. Hoffman's desk?" Freddie looked over at the desk. "I don't know, he's probably just a new student."

Sam didn't respond. She just kept staring at the new boy. He was roughly five foot ten, tan skin, dirty blonde hair that was worn in a purposely-messy style. He had a good build, his muscles popping just a little from his red T-shirt.

"Alright class," Mr. Hoffman said. "As you can see, we have a new addition. This is Lucas Miller." Lucas Miller nodded at the class. Freddie looked around the class. Sam wasn't the only girl staring at him…

"Okay Mr. Miller," the teacher said after handing the boy a few papers. "There's an empty seat right in front of Ms. Puckett. Samantha, raise your hand."

Freddie expected Sam to scream at the teacher for calling her Samantha, but instead she simply raised her hand as she was instructed.

"Right then," Mr. Hoffman said as Lucas walked to his assigned seat. "Today we'll begin our unit on the human brain, which is one of the most important units in the course of psychology. Take out a sheet of paper and a pencil for notes. Now the parts of the brain, as many of you know, are the cerebellum, the…"

"Hey," Lucas whispered, turning around to face Sam. "You wouldn't happen to have an extra pencil I could borrow?"

"Oh, um, sure," Sam said, reaching into her bag, pulling out a pencil. "Here you go."

"Thanks," Lucas replied, turning back around.

Freddie glanced over at Sam. Her cheeks were slightly red, as though she was blushing. And also, much to his surprise, she actually had a pencil and sheet of paper out of her own, and was writing down what Mr. Hoffman was saying to the class.

For the first time since anyone could remember, Sam Puckett did not doze off once for the entire lesson. She did not make any rude comments, she did not try to nibble on ham she had saved from lunch, and she didn't even throw one spitball at anyone. Once the bell rang, the class stuffed their notebooks back into their bags, and headed off to their next class.

"Hey, thanks again for the pencil," Lucas said, handing back the writing utensil to Sam.

"No problem," Sam said.

"So, what's your next class?" he asked her.

"Anatomy, you?"

"AP physics," he said sadly. "Bummer, wish we had next period together, what about seventh?"

"Um, French 3."

Lucas smiled. "Me too."

"That's awesome!" Sam exclaimed happily.

"Yah, so I'll see you in about an hour," he said, smiling. "But you wouldn't happen to know where the physics room is? This building is really confusing."

"It's upstairs," she replied. "But Freddie is going there next too," she said, pulling me over. "He'd be happy to show you the way, right Freddie?"

Something told Freddie that if he said no, Sam would make him pay later on. "Um, sure," Freddie said. "Come on, Lucas."

"Thanks man," Lucas said gratefully. "I'll see you in French, Samantha," he said.

"So," Freddie said awkwardly as he and Lucas made their way to AP physics. "You just move to Seattle?"

"Yah, from New York," he said.

"Wow, a cross-country move," Freddie said.

"My dad got a new job here," Lucas said, shrugging. "So, that girl in Psychology, Samantha-"

"It's Sam," Freddie said quickly. "If anyone calls her Samantha, she'll stuff them in a locker. Believe me, I know."

"She didn't seem to mind," Lucas said.

"Well, that's probably because you're new here," Freddie told him. "But believe me, if you keep calling her Samantha, you'll be in for a lot of pain."

"I think you're exaggerating," Lucas said, rolling his eyes. "Anyway, she seems kind of cute."

"Cute?" Freddie repeated. "Um, sure?"

"Yah, do you know if she has a boyfriend?"

"A boyfriend?"

"Yah, you know someone she's like, romantically involved with?"

"I know, I know," Freddie said. "Um, no, she doesn't."

"You sure?"

"Yes I'm sure," Freddie replied back, a little too harshly. "We're friends, I'd think I'd know if she was dating anyone."

"Cool," Lucas said, grinning.

"Well, here we are," Freddie said as the two arrived at the Psychics room.

"Thanks," Lucas said, walking into the room. "Anyways, when you say you and Sam are friends, do you mean just friends, or like, _friends_"

"We've never dated, if that's what you mean," Freddie said, frowning, liking this guy less and less every minute.

"Okay, just checking," Lucas said, taking a seat next to Freddie. "I mean, you wouldn't mind if I were to ask her out, would you?"

"Why would I mind?" Freddie asked, still frowning. "Like I said, we're just friends. And I use the term loosely."

Lucas was about to say something else, but luckily, the teacher, Dr. Romano, walked in, and began the class right away, talking all about motion.

All through the class, Freddie felt angry, and he really couldn't understand why. He kept looking over at Lucas, and the anger grew stronger.

_Let him date Sam,_ he told himself. _I don't care, it's his funeral. _When the bell rang, Freddie stuffed his notebook in his backpack, paying no mind to the papers that he wrinkled, and started quickly out of the classroom.

"Hey, Freddie," Lucas called after him, running to catch up. "Um, I kind of don't know where French 3 is, do you think you could-"

"Just follow me," Freddie said, walking at a faster pace than usual.

When the boys reached the French room, Sam was just arriving.

"Hey Lucas," she said, seeing the two approach.

"Hi, Sam," Lucas greeted her. "Look, I'm sorry about calling you Samantha before. It's just that Mr. Hoffman called you that, so I thought-"

"Oh, don't worry about it," she said, smiling. "It's cool."

"What!" Freddie exclaimed. Lucas and Sam both turned to him. "I called you Samantha _once_ last year, and you threw my backpack out of the third floor window!"

"Anyways," Sam said, giving Freddie a death glare while Lucas looked down at his shoe for a second. "Come on, Lucas, let's get seats before all the ones in the back are taken."

"Why are we sitting in the back?"

"Let's just say Madame Peterson has a spitting problem," she explained, walking into the classroom, Freddie trailing behind.

"Got you," Lucas nodded.

The desks were arranged so that they were in groups of two. Yesterday, the teacher said she did not believe in assigned seats, so they were free to changed their spots everyday if the wanted to.

"Let's sit here," Sam said, quickly sliding into the last set of desks in the back. Lucas took the other desk.

"Where am I supposed to sit?" Freddie demanded.

Sam pointed to the only remaining set of desks. The ones right up front, directly across from where Madame Peterson always stood to teach.

"Aw, man," Freddie moaned, casting Sam and Lucas an angry glare as he dragged his feet to the desks. And as luck would have it, the person who ended up sitting next to Freddie was Jeremy, aka Germy, who still, even after all these years, was yet to get rid of his cold. So on top of Madame Peterson's spit, Freddie had to suffer through getting sneezed and coughed on as well.

"All right, for the last five minutes of class," Madame Peterson said. "I want you and the person in the desk next to you to converse in French as if you were in a restaurant in Paris. Begin"

"So, Germy, I mean Jeremy," Freddie said. "Should I talk first or do you want to?"

"I- Achoo. I-Achoo. I- *cough*"

"Right," Freddie said slowly, seeing that this conversation would never take off between Germy's sneeze attacks. He turned around and looked at Sam and Lucas in the back, both smiling and laughing.

"Who does he think he is?" Freddie mumbled quietly to himself. At long last, the final bell of the day sounded. Freddie couldn't be happier for the day to end. Not to his surprise, Sam and Lucas had shot out of the classroom the second the bell rang, so he hastily made a quick stop at his locker, and then headed out to the parking lot to meet the girls at Carly's car. Much to his demise, however, he spotted Lucas standing next to Carly's car with Sam and Carly.

"Oh, hey Freddie," Carly greeted him as he came over to the vehicle. "Sam just introduced me to Lucas."

"I see that," Freddie said, pulling a fake smile across his face.

"Yah, thanks again for showing me to those last two classes," Lucas said. "I owe you, man. Anyways, I need to jet. I need to pick up my little sister from daycare."

"Aw, that's so nice of you," Sam said, lightly blushing again. "See you tomorrow then?"

"You bet," he said, flashing her a toothy grin. "See you around, Freddie, Carly, nice meeting you."

"Bye!" Carly called after him politely, while Freddie simply gave a half-hearted wave.

"Well?" Sam said once Lucas was out of earshot. "Isn't he amazing?"

"Totally!" Carly agreed. "You really like him, don't you?"

"Kind of," Sam admitted, as they all loaded into the car. "He's really hot and nice and sweet..."

"Ask him out then," Carly encouraged her best friend.

"I don't know," Sam replied reluctantly. "I mean, I just met the guy."

"Well, yah, but he's totally into you."

"You think so?" Sam asked excitedly.

"Defiantly. I could tell in just those few minutes I saw the two of you together. What about you Freddie, you have like three classes with the guy, couldn't you see him and Sam together?"

"I dunno, maybe," Freddie said in a monotone voice, looking out the window.

"Are you okay, Freddie," Carly asked, concerned.

"Yah, I'm fine," Freddie answered. "Just tired. I didn't get much sleep last night; my mom kept waking me up changing the batteries in all our smoke detectors."

"Cool mom," Sam said sarcastically.

The trio reached the apartment buildings, and entered Carly's apartment, only to find it dark.

"I guess Spencer is out with Ella," Carly concluded, flicking on the lights. "You know, she's the longest girlfriend he's ever had?"

"He really likes her," Freddie stated, getting a banana from the fruit bowl on the counter.

"Yah, Ella's all lovey-dovey over him," Sam agreed. "He's all she ever talks about."

"They're really great for each other," Carly said. "Anyways, you guys get a lot of homework today? I only have to translate a few words for Spanish."

"Ug, I have to do like fifty math problems and do this worksheet for Economics," Sam groaned, pulling a can of Peppy Cola from the fridge. "Or rather, Fredwad does, and I'll just copy it."

"Sam, I was serious about not letting you copy this year," Freddie said. "What're you going to do next year at college?"

Sam laughed. "Yah, like I'm going to college."

"Sam, that's not funny," Carly said. "You need to at least go to community college or something. You can't a good job without a college degree of some sort."

Sam just rolled her eyes.

"Besides," Freddie continued. "You and I have to start working on our English project."

"It's not due till the end of the month!"

"We don't even know what we're doing it on." Freddie pointed out.

"Your teacher is letting you pick your own topic?" Carly questioned.

"Yah," Freddie and Sam said in unison.

"Lucky. My English teacher is super strict. She actually made Gibby wear a shirt today."

"Whoa, nobody's ever done that before," Sam said.

"I know!"

There was a knock at the door, and Mrs. Benson appeared a second later.

"Oh, hi Mrs. Benson," Carly said, trying to hide her unhappiness that this insane lady was in her apartment.

"Hello, Carly," she replied. "Freddie, I thought I told you to come right home after school."

"I was just on my way there, mom, I stopped here for a second," Freddie told his mom.

"But that's not what you promised. Here I am, worried sick that you got mugged on the way home, or worse, and you're just sitting across the hall laughing at my misfortune."

"I wasn't laughing at your misfortune, mom," Freddie sighed. "Why do you need me home anyways?"

"Oh, it was supposed to be a surprise, but okay. I bought us a huge blank scrapbook at the mall yesterday! I spent all day today gathering pictures of you when you were just a little baby! I even found a few sonograms from when you were growing in my stomach!"

Carly and Sam exchanged looks, both holding back laughs.

"Mom, I really don't have time for that right now. I have homework, and then I need to start working on a project, plus I have to fix something on the iCarly site…"

"Oh but Freddie, this will be our last year together to do these fun things!" Mrs. Benson exclaimed. "Next year you'll be off at school, leaving me all alone in that apartment!"

"Mom, your guilt trip isn't going to work," Freddie said firmly.

Mrs. Benson straightened herself up. "Fine," she said. "That's just fine, Freddie. I'll start my Freddie scrapbook by myself. Goodbye girls," she said to Carly and Sam, as she marched out of the apartment, closing the door behind her.

"Wow, way to stand up to your mom," Carly said, impressed.

"She's just going to have to accept that I'm not her little baby anymore. I'm all grown up. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to be on my way."

"Her guilt trip got to you?" Carly said, rolling her eyes.

"Maybe," Freddie said. And with that he hurried out of the apartment.

"Man, his mom is something, isn't she?" Sam laughed once the door shut again.

"Yah," Carly laughed. "But it's kind of sweet in its own twisted way."

"Whatever," Sam said. "Can I crash here today? My mom's dating this weird poet guy, and he keeps talking to me in rhymes. It's really creepy."

"_If _you promise to do your homework on your own," Carly negotiated. "Freddie's right, you can't just keep copying his work to get by."

"Fine," she sighed. "Speaking of the nerd, did you ever decide when you're going to tell him to stop being in love with you?"

"I'm not going to say it like that, Sam," Carly replied. "And no, I didn't. I'm still trying to figure out how to say it in a way that wouldn't hurt his feelings."

Sam shook her head. "But if you just crushed the nub, it would be a lot easier."

"Sam," Carly scolded her.

"I'm just kidding," Sam told her.

Like Sam promised Carly, she actually did her homework. It took her a little over two hours, and when she finished, she collapsed onto the couch. "That. Was. Horrible," she moaned.

Carly chuckled. "When was the last time you really did your homework?"

"I dunno, like, three years ago?"

Just then, Spencer unlocked the door and came into the apartment. "Hey, hey, hey!" he said happily.

"Hey," Sam and Carly replied back.

"Where were you?" Carly inquired.

"Ella and I went rock climbing," he answered. "It was so awesome!"

"And how many times did you fall?" Sam asked him.

"Um, like twelve," Spencer said, less enthusiastically.

"So, what's for dinner?" Carly questioned. "It's almost seven."

"You guys just wanna order a pizza or something? I'm too beat to cook."

The girls both agreed.

"So," Carly said to Sam once Spencer went to pick up the pizzas. "I still think you should ask this Lucas to go out or something."

Sam shook her head. "I kind of want him to ask me."

"Why?" Carly asked. "You were going to ask Shane out in ninth grade."

"Yah, but Lucas is different," Sam admitted. "He's like, really special."

"Aw, that's sweet," Carly smiled. "Are him and Freddie friends?"

"I guess, Freddie showed him to a few classes and stuff. Why?"

Carly shifted. "It's just, when we were talking about him in the car, he seemed a little upset."

"So what?"

"I dunno, it's just weird," Carly said. "But I'm sure it's nothing."


	3. Chapter 3

"Sam, come on, we need to decide on a topic!" Freddie said exasperatedly to Sam. The two were sitting at a table in the Ridgeway library. It had been a week since they had been assigned the English project. Sam had managed to elude Freddie's attempts to make her work so far, but he had brought a large baggie full of bacon to school, vowing not to give it to her until _after_ a decent amount of progress had been made on the project. Sam, powerless against such a large amount of meat, finally agreed. However, it had been two hours since school ended, and her had Freddie had entered the library, and all she had done so far was doodle a very elaborate sketch of Freddie being swarmed by hive of killer bees.

"Tell me what topic _you _would want to do," Sam said. "And then I'll tell you if I think it's completely stupid of not."

Freddie sighed. "Fine. I was thinking that we could do something along the lines of the history of the Internet. You know, when it was invented, how it became so wide-spread and the impact it has on our daily lives."

Sam stared at him blankly. "Wow," she said. "You've really out-dorked yourself on that one."

"Alright then," Freddie continued, ignoring Sam's comment. "How about we do it on the founder of the Pear company: Bill Stevens?"

"Let me just be blunt here, Fredicini; I refuse to put my name on anything techy-related."

"Well then tell me what you had in mind," Freddie shot back, crossing his arms.

"Something fun," Sam said. "We have the chance to actually do the project on _anything_, and you want to waste it on something boring. Why don't we do something like, I dunno, fairy tales?"

"Fairy tales?" Freddie repeated.

"Yes," Sam nodded. "They're really easy to understand and, most importantly, are not school related."

"Actually," Freddie said thoughtfully. "Fairy tales could be a good idea. They're universally popular, and their roots can be traced back into past history…"

"Ick," Sam sneered. "You can do that, Benson."

"Okay, okay," Freddie acceded. "You can do the artsy stuff, then, and give a summary of each of the basic fairy tales."

"We'll see," Sam said. "Are we done then?"

"For now," Freddie said, packing up his laptop. "Meet here tomorrow after school again? We need to start on the PowerPoint."

"You mean work two days in a row? You're crazy, Benson!"

Freddie smirked. He knew he was pushing his luck trying to get Sam to exert that much energy twice in two days; he would just start the PowerPoint by himself, he figured.

"Well, I'm out of here," Sam said. "My mom just texted me saying she's just pulled into the parking lot. See you, Fredbag."

"At least start working on your half!" he called after her as she slammed the library door shut. Freddie shook his head. "Yah, that's not going to happen…"

The iCarly trio was sitting at their usual spot in the cafeteria. Carly watched, slightly entertained as Sam tried to wrestle some Fat Cakes from Freddie's possession.

"Sam, OW! Let go! Get your own Fat Cakes!"

"I ate mine," Sam insisted, still trying to pry the snake cakes from Freddie's clutches.

"Then too bad!"

"Hey, Sam?" Carly said suddenly.

"Yah?" Sam asked, not letting go her hold on the Fat Cakes.

"I thought you said Lucas had second lunch."

"He does," Sam replied.

"Well, he's coming this way."

Sam immediately let go of the Fat Cakes and whirled around. Sure enough, Lucas was walking to their table.

"What's he doing here?" Sam asked urgently.

"Maybe he switched into our lunch," Carly suggested.

"Hey guys," Lucas said when he reached the table. "Mind if I sit here?"

"No," Sam said, scooting over to make room for him. "But I thought you had the next lunch."

"I did," Lucas nodded. "But see, the school put me in trig fourth period, which I took at my old school last year. I requested a change the first day of school, and I guess they finally got around to rearranging my schedule."

"Cool," Sam nodded.

Freddie was silent the remainder of the lunch period; simply fooling around on his pear phone. When the bell rang, Carly headed off to English, while Sam, Lucas and Freddie went to their Psychology class, Sam and Lucas walking a little bit ahead of Freddie, talking to each other the whole way.

_This guy is really starting to bug me,_ Freddie thought to himself, but he couldn't really place just what it was about Lucas that made him feel that way.

…

"So basically," Ms. Marks said to her half-awake class. "Jane Austin's portrayal of her characters is one of her greatest assets as a writer. Would anyone like to give me an example?"

A few students shifted sleepily in their seats, but no hands went up.

"Okay then," the teacher said. "Freddie, we'll go to you."

"Um," Freddie started uncertainly. "Well, the character of Elizabeth is-" Just then the bell sounded, and the students woke up from their daze and began packing up.

"Oh well," Ms. Marks said. "We'll get to that tomorrow. Remember, everyone, your projects are due in a week from Friday. I look forward to seeing what you all have put together!"

Sam and Freddie were making significant progress in their project. True, Freddie still had difficulty persuading Sam to actually work, but once that was done, usually with the help of some sort of meat, she actually did a decent job. She had written overviews and feedback of some of the most well known fairy tales, and had drawn several images from each, which Freddie had scanned into the PowerPoint.

"So, we should be able to finish up the project this weekend," Freddie said to Sam as they left the classroom. "We just need to add a few more slides, and then I'll add some cool effects and-"

"Hey you guys," said Lucas, coming up behind the two.

"Hey!" Sam said, perking up from her previously exhausted state.

"Hi," Freddie said, less enthusiastic.

"Um, Sam," Lucas said. "Can I talk to you? Like, alone?"

"Sure," Sam nodded, turning to Freddie and giving him a look that he knew meant "Beat it."

"Alright, alright," Freddie said. And with that, he trudged along to European History. Carly was already there.

"Hey, where's Sam?" Carly asked as Freddie took his seat in front of her.

"She's talking to Lucas," Freddie said.

"Ohhhh," Carly said, nodding knowingly.

"Anyways," Freddie said, wanting to change the subject. "We're shooting that clip for iCarly after school, right?"

"Oh yah, Extreme Spit Takes."

"I was thinking you and Sam could do it in front of the green screen, and I could make some cool backgrounds appear."

"Awesome," Carly said cheerfully. "Make it even more extreme."

Sam came rushing into the classroom just as the bell rang. The teacher gave her a warning look, but said nothing as Sam quickly took her seat next to Carly.

"Oh my gosh, Carly guess what!" Sam whispered as the teacher began to pass out copies of a blank map for the class to work on.

"What?" Carly whispered back.

"Lucas just asked me out!"

"What?" Carly whispered, very loudly though, for many heads turned, and the teacher gave her and Sam another warning look.

"So, you said yes?" Carly whispered excitedly.

"Shoosh yah!" Sam nodded.

"Oh! You have a boyfriend!" Carly exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear. "I _knew_ he liked you, it was so obvious, right Freddie?"

"What?" Freddie said. "Uh, yah."

Freddie was still trying to process what Sam was saying. _Her and Lucas were a couple?_ The feeling of distaste towards Lucas surfaced again. Thankfully for him, the girls couldn't discuss the subject anymore during the period, since they were required to finish their maps in silence by the teacher. But as soon as the class was released, Carly began pressing Sam for every detail.

"It was actually pretty spontaneous," Sam told her, still grinning. "And he was really nervous when he asked me."

"Awww!" Carly cooed. "That's sweet!"

Carly and Sam continued to chatter about Lucas until they reached their classrooms, which were next door to each other. Carly went into the door on the right, and Sam and Freddie entered the door on the left, which was their Economics class. Right when the two got in the room, Wendy flew out of her seat and rushed up to Sam.

"Oh my gosh, Sam, is it true? Are you and that new guy, Lucas, really going out?"

"Yup," Sam nodded.

"You are so lucky," Wendy said, smiling though. "He is so cute!"

"How'd you find out already?" Freddie asked. "I thought this just happened like, last period."

"Me and Tareen over heard him telling his friend A.J. while we walking to second period," Wendy explained. "Well, I'm really happy for you Sam, you and Lucas make such a cute couple!"

All that day, the news that Sam Puckett, the most abrasive and fearless girl at Ridgeway was currently dating the hot new boy spread around the school like wildfire. When the bell rang at the end of the day, Freddie was relieved to be able to get away from all the gossip. He didn't even look for Sam after French class, knowing that she would be with Lucas. He was surprised, however, when he didn't see her by Carly's car in the parking lot.

"Where's Sam?" he questioned Carly.

"She's getting a ride with Lucas," Carly replied.

"But I thought we were going to shoot that take for iCarly after school?"

"Oh, don't worry, Sam's coming by my place later tonight, we can just shoot it then."

"But-"

"Come on, Freddie," Carly said, starting her car. "Let Sam have some time with her new boyfriend. She hasn't gone out with anyone since that Carter Dobis, and that was just so she could take advantage of his personal chef."

" Whatever," Freddie said. "I guess it'll still work tonight. I can just set everything up with the green screen as soon as we get to your place, because I have to be home by nine or my mom will start on her whole 'you never spend time with me' rant again."

"I thought she got home at eleven on Wednesdays."

"No, that's when she _says_ she gets home. She never gets home when she says she will; she thinks I'm being "unruly" when I'm by myself, so she always tries to catch me off guard."

"Oh," Carly said, trying to keep a straight face. "Your mom's really-"

"Insane. I know," he nodded. "Man, I can't wait until I go to college next year and can finally be free from her."

"You sent in your applications then?"

"Last weekend. MIT, Stanford, and Notre Dame. Plus the University of Washington, you know, as a fall back."

"Hey, it's a good school," Carly said defensively. It was her first choice. "I'm sending mine out this weekend. I just have to proofread my essays. And then I'm going to have to force Sam to send out some of her applications."

"Good luck with that."

"Her grades aren't that bad," Carly continued. "It's just, well, when a college sees you've been arrested so many times, it sort of gives them the wrong impression."

"Yah, but iCarly should give her a boost," Freddie pointed out. "I mean, how many students can say they starred in one of the most popular web shows on the web?"

"True," Carly nodded.

When Carly and Freddie arrived back at the Shay's apartment, Freddie headed straight up to the iCarly studio to begin setting up for the girls' video clip, and Carly started on her homework. Sam arrived close to seven.

"Hey," Carly greeted her best friend. "So, have fun with Lucas?"

"Yah," Sam replied happily. "We went to that donut shop, you know, Amazing Glaze, and we just sat there talking for hours! He's such an amazing guy!"

"I'm so happy for you!" Carly said. "You ready to do the spit take thing? Freddie's upstairs getting set up."

"Let's do it!"

The girls took the elevator up to the studio. Freddie was straightening the green screen, which he had hung on the wooden plank that ran across the ceiling of the studio.

"You ready?" Carly asked Freddie.

"Yup. You and Sam just stand in front of the screen while you do the bit, and then I'll be able to set up any background we want. Let me just turn my camera on and we can start."

He walked over to his cart and picked up his video camera. "Alright, in five, four, three, two…"

Carly and Sam both hopped in front of the camera.

"As you probably know," Carly began.

"One of the most popular things we do here at is Spit Takes," Sam said.

"But we feel that our spit takes could be a bit more-"

"EXTREME!" both girls finished.

"Okay, here's what's going to happen," Sam explained. "Carly and I are going to drink a mixture of five different types of sodas and juices. Then, we're going to enjoy some 'random dancing' and spit the drinks all over each other!"

"It's really gross," Carly said to the camera.

"Yup!" Sam exclaimed.

"And to make this even cooler," Carly continued. "Our technical producer, Freddie, set up our green screen, so we can have all sorts of wacky backgrounds!"

"Ready Carls?" Sam asked her co-host, picking up her glass of soda-juice mix.

"Ready Sam!"

And with that, Carly and Sam both chugged their drinks, but didn't swallow them. Then Sam clicked her remote, and the lights and music for 'random dancing' sounded throughout the studio. Both girls began dancing crazily, as they sprayed the other with their drink.

"And, we're clear," Freddie said after about a minute."

"Eh, I'm all sticky," Carly commented, drying off her face.

"I know," Sam agreed, shaking her hair out.

"Okay, so I'll edit the backgrounds in tonight, and it'll be ready to show on our next show," Freddie said, setting his camera. "Oh, and Sam, remember to send me your information for that sixth slide for our English project sometime this week."

"Fine, fine," Sam said. "I'm gonna go rinse my face."

"You see," Carly said once Sam had left the studio. "We still got our clip shot, and you have an hour to spare before your mom might burst in."

Freddie nodded. "So, where's Spencer? He's hasn't been home all day."

"Oh, he was craving Canadian bacon this morning, so him Ella and Socko drove up there. They should be home by ten."

"Isn't Canadian bacon just ham?"

"Yes, but apparently it's more special than American ham or something."

"Are we talking about ham?" Sam asked, coming back into the studio.

"Canadian bacon, or American ham, yes," Carly nodded. "Spencer's bringing some back, if you want to hang around here for a couple more hours."

"Nah, my mom just had surgery to get this thing removed from her shoulder, and she's probably still loopy on the anesthesia, so I should get home; you know, make sure she didn't burn the house down or anything. I'll have the bacon in the morning."

"Okay," Carly said.

"See you, Carly, Freddie."

Freddie did a double take. _Did Sam just call me Freddie?_ He thought to himself. _No Fredward of Fredicini of Nub?_ _What's going on?_

He shook his head. Why complain. It's not like he actually enjoyed having his name slandered by Sam in so many ways. But still, the lack of one of her infamous nicknames made him feel off.


	4. Chapter 4

Freddie was just putting the finishing touches on his and Sam's PowerPoint for their English assignment, which they would turn in the following day. It looked pretty good he thought to himself as he previewed the PowerPoint. He was just about to send a copy to Sam, when he remembered that Sam checked her email about once every three months, so she most likely wouldn't see it before they had to present the next day.

_She'll probably be at Carly's, _he figured, as he picked up his laptop and headed out of his room.

"Where are you going?" his mother asked him as he was just about to exit their apartment.

"Um, over to Carly's," Freddie replied.

"Did you remember to apply your anti-bacterial ointment I got you yesterday?"

"Yes, mom," he muttered. He had actually tossed the whole tube as soon as she gave it to him.

"Oh, alright then, but be back here no later than nine thirty."

"Okay, okay. Bye mom."

He rolled his eyes once he shut the door behind him. _Just a few more months…_

"Hey," he said as he walked into the Shay's apartment.

"Hey!" Spencer greeted him happily. He stood in the middle of the living room, next to what looked like a giant furry bug's head.

"What is that?" Freddie asked skeptically.

"Oh, it's the head to my enormous caterpillar," Spencer explained nonchalantly. "I'm making it for that exterminator down in apartment 2A.

"Why would an exterminator want a giant bug sculpture?"

"Dunno," Spencer shrugged. "But he's paying me _a lot_ to do it, so who cares?"

"Cool," Freddie said. "Hey, is Sam here? I need to make sure she knows what's on our PowerPoint for our presentation tomorrow."

"Yah, she's upstairs with Carly in her room."

"Thanks." And with that, he climbed the stairs up to Carly's room. To his surprise, Carly was sitting outside her shut door.

"Um, hello," he said, staring at her questionably.

"Oh, hi," she said. "Sam's just trying on one of my dresses for tonight."

"What's tonight?"

"Her and Lucas are going to the Cheesecake Warehouse, didn't they tell you?"

"Oh, yah, they might have said something," Freddie quickly lied. "Is she almost done? I really need to make sure she's prepared for our presentation tomorrow, and she hasn't seen the finished PowerPoint yet."

"So why don't you just email it to her?"

Freddie raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, right…" Carly nodded. "Well, she'll probably be out any minute now if you want to wait, or you could just put the PowerPoint on my laptop and I'll show-"

Just then, Carly's door opened and Sam appeared. "Carly, do you still have that red necklace you wore at Tasha's birthday?"

"Yah, it's on my nightstand," Carly replied. "Oh, you can show her now, Freddie."

"Show me what?" Sam asked.

"Oh, um, I-I just finished our PowerPoint," Freddie said, trying to act normal. But in reality, it was all he could do to keep from full-out gawking at Sam. She was wearing a light blue simple dress that fell just below her knees. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail, and she was wearing just a hint of make-up. Although, keeping up with her reputation, she had a bag of pork rinds in her hand.

"Alright, let's see it," Sam said, putting a few more pork rinds in her mouth. "Make it quick, though, Lucas should be here in like ten minutes."

"That's enough time," Freddie said as he set the laptop up on Carly's coffee table. "Just make sure you know when your slides come up, so you know when you need to start talking." He pressed the play button, and he clicked through the colorful slides.

"Wow, it looks good, you guys," Carly said once the final slide played.

"Yah, not bad," Sam agreed, nodding. Sam's phone then dinged, and she flipped it open.

"Oh! Lucas is down in the lobby!" she exclaimed happily.

"Well go, have fun!" Carly urged. "And remember to call me tonight and tell me everything."

"Sure thing," she assured her, as she pulled on one of Carly's coats and picked up her purse. "Thanks for the clothes!"

"She's so happy," Carly commented as Sam hurried down the stairs. "I haven't seen her like this since Pete back in freshmen year!"

"But she dumped him when she found out he was sneaking into the gym after school to watch the cheerleaders," Freddie reminded her as he shut down his laptop.

"Well, true, but for the first half of the relationship she was really happy, right?"

"I guess," he shrugged.

"Anyways, you want to work on our European History homework? I'm really confused on this whole Plague thing."

"Actually, I finished it already," Freddie said. "I'll still help you out, though."

"Nah, don't worry about it," Carly said, taking a seat on her couch. "I'll just re-read the chapter."

"Alright," Freddie said. "Hey, mind if I watch T.V. downstairs? My mom locked a bunch of the channels again."

"I thought she promised to stop doing that," Carly said, opening her textbook.

"Yah, but then she caught me watching that one program on the Nature Channel."

"The one with the jackals?

"Yup."

"You can watch," Carly said, slightly amused.

Freddie went downstairs and flicked on the T.V. Spencer had finished up his bug head, and had retired to his bedroom. Freddie was watching a new episode of Girly Cow, when he started to feel his eyelids grow heavy. He decided to take a short nap. He flicked off the T.V., leaned back against the pillow, and closed his eyes. His 'short' nap must have lasted longer than he had planned, for he awoke three hours later to Sam opening up the Shay's door.

"You're mom's in the hallway going crazy," she said to Freddie, taking off her coat and throwing it on the chair. "She was saying something about you being late for curfew?"

"What?" Freddie said, looking at his phone. It was nine thirty eight. "I'm only eight minutes late, _and_ she knows I'm over here! Why doesn't she just come over here if she needs me so bad?"

"Don't ask me," Sam said, picking up and apple from the fruit bowl on the counter. "Where's Carly anyways?"

"I think she's upstairs doing homework," Freddie replied, getting up off the couch. "So, did-did you're date with Lucas go well?"

"Yah," Sam nodded. "I think I left my house key at the restaurant, though, and my mom's in Hollywood getting some sort of plastic surgery, so I guess I'm staying here tonight."

Before Freddie could say anything else, his mother burst into the apartment.

"Oh, Freddie!" she cried, pulling her son into a tight embrace. "I was so worried, you didn't come home when you were supposed to-"

"I fell asleep!" Freddie exclaimed, freeing himself from his mother's grasp. "And I'm only late by a few minutes!"

"There will be enough of that back talk, mister," Mrs. Benson said sternly. "Now you march yourself home and take a hot, moisturizing bubble bath!"

"Mom!" Freddie hissed. He looked over at Sam, expecting some sort of snide remark, but she didn't seem to be hearing the conversation, for she was busily texting someone on her phone.

"Now," his mother said, pointing out the Shay's open apartment door and across the hall to their own door.

Knowing that his mother was impossible to argue with, Freddie grabbed his laptop and followed his mother back to their apartment. He looked back at Sam, who was smiling to herself as she continued texting. Freddie felt anger bubble inside him, knowing who was on the other end of that conversation.

…..

"And that's why it's a bad idea to wear platform sandals in a tub of Gravy," Carly said to the Internet viewers. Her and Sam were in the middle of doing their weekly web cast, and had just finished doing a new segment called 'Big Pools of Liquids!'.

"So until next time," Sam said.

"Eat plenty of calcium," Carly said happily.

"Stare at the sun!"

"And sleep with a fish!"

"And, we're clear," Freddie said, turning off his camera. "Great show tonight."

"Thanks," Sam and Carly both replied, stepping out of the tub of gravy.

"Aw, my pore sandals," Carly said sadly, trying to clean off as much gravy from them as she could with a small dishrag. "I bet they feel like potatoes."

"You're such a priss," Sam said, laughing.

"They were cute shoes, Sam!"

"Then why'd you used them? I just took the pair my mom wears to work." She pointed down to her eight-inch high platforms. "Anyways, you can just lick the gravy off."

"That's disgusting!"

Sam shrugged, and picked up her own shoe, but Carly grabbed it from her. "Sam, that's full of germs!"

"And gravy!"

"Give me your shoes!" Carly demanded. "I'll go rinse both pairs off in my bathtub."

Reluctantly, Sam handed over her sandals.

"And stay away from the gravy tub too!" Carly said as she headed out of the studio.

"Hey, how many views did we get?" Sam asked Freddie, drying off her feet.

"Let's see…" Freddie started fiddling around with his laptop. "One million eight thousand and forty nine!"

"Holly chiz!" she exclaimed, rushing over to look at the laptop as well. "That's way more than last week!"

"I know! We got more hits tonight than Neville got on his site in the last month!"

"Ha! I bet that nub's fuming!"

"What's going on?" Carly asked, returning from downstairs.

"Look how many hits we got!" Sam cheered. "Over one million!"

"No way!"

"Yes way!" Freddie nodded, grinning.

"Wow, that's amazing! We should celebrate or something… I know, how about the three of us go out to that new Mexican restaurant tomorrow night?"

"Yah, that place is amazing," Sam nodded eagerly. "Lucas took me there a couple of nights ago. They have this salsa...made me want to move to Mexico."

"Cool," Carly nodded. "Right, so we'll go there tomorrow. You want to hang out here tonight and just watch a movie or something?"

"Sure," Freddie said, but Sam checked her watch.

"Actually, I promised Lucas I'd watch the first Galaxy Wars movie with him," Sam said.

Carly nodded knowingly, but Freddie sputtered, "what? You hate Galaxy Wars! You always say it's for hopeless nubs!"

"Eh," she shrugged. "Thought I'd give it another shot. See you guys tomorrow."

Freddie waited until Sam had closed the studio door and turned down the hall before he turned to Carly. "Did you see that?"

"See what?"

"She said 'see you guys tomorrow'!" Freddie exclaimed.

"Um, how could she?" Carly said, confused.

"In the like, our six years of friendship, how many times has Sam ever left a room without insulting me in someway?"

"Oh, I don't know-"

"Never," Freddie said. "For the past three weeks she hasn't physically assaulted me, she hasn't called me any names, the other night, when she got back from the Cheesecake Warehouse, my mom came over here and gave her great mocking material to use, and nothing! Not even a rude eye roll!"

"Okay, why are you freaking out over this?" Carly asked. "Every time Sam _did_ insult you or hit you or something you would get upset."

"I'm not freaking out," Freddie said, placing his hands in his pockets and tried to put on his normal face. "I'm-I'm just making…an observation."

"Right," Carly nodded, giving him a weird look. "Well, what movie should we watch? Spencer just rented-"

"And she's going to watch Galaxy Wars?" Freddie started again. "She HATES that film!"

"Well, maybe it will be different with Lucas around," Carly told him, startled at his sudden exclamation.

"No it won't," Freddie continued on, pacing back and forth now. "It's still the same movie, is it not? The only difference is that she'll probably be smacking all over Lucas during the Star Cruiser chase scene!"

"All right, what is with you?" Carly cut in. "You-you're being all, I dunno, yelley."

"Yelley?" Freddie repeated.

"Okay, fine, so it's not a word, but why are you making such a big deal over Sam not insulting you and her watching some movie?"

"It's not a big deal," Freddie said. "I don't care."

"But you-"

"Hey, do you have that movie with the whale in it?" Freddie said. "I haven't seen that one in ages."

"Yah, it's downstairs," Carly replied. "But-but what was with the whole 'Sam's not insulting me!' deal and-"

But Freddie had quickly left the studio and headed down into the Shay's living room, leaving a very baffled Carly behind.

"What just happened?" she said to no one. Shaking her head, she headed down after Freddie to watch the movie.


	5. Chapter 5

"Sam, can't you help me?" Carly desperately asked her best friend, as she pulled out a try of cupcakes from the oven. "I need to bake eight more batches of cupcakes for the Student Government fundraiser, plus ice them all."

"I will, I will," Sam replied from the couch. "Just after this infomercial for the talking coffeemaker."

"Ugh!" Carly grunted in frustration. Just then, Freddie walked into the apartment.

"Oh good," Carly said. "Can you help me, Freddie?"

"With what? The cupcakes?"

"No, with my hovercraft, yes with the cupcakes!"

"She's gets grouchy when she bakes," Sam stated.

"I do not! I just get angry when I'm forced to bake in such large amounts! I mean, one hundred forty-four cupcakes? Ms. Daniels is insane!"

"You want me to ice?" Freddie asked, walking over to the counter.

"Yes, neatly," Carly answered, shoving a rubber spatula and bowl of icing at Freddie. "Sam! Forget about the talking coffee maker and get over here!"

"Alright, alright," Sam sighed, turning off the T.V. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Start a chocolate batch," she instructed, thrusting and empty bowl and recipe into Sam's hands. "And _do not_, under any circumstance, lick ANY of the batter!"

"Aw, come on! Not even a tiny-"

"I said none!"

"Wow Carly, you are grouchy," Freddie said, applying icing to the many cupcakes.

"Oh, I know," Carly said, mixing away at her batch of cupcakes. "I'm sorry, it's just that Ms. Daniels emailed me about this at like, eleven last night, and I had planned on finishing up my Spanish project today, so I'll have to rush to do it tomorrow…"

"I smell cupcakes!" Spencer yelled, suddenly sprinting out of his room. "Oooo, is this one vanilla-" He picked up an iced cupcake and was about to take a bite of it, only to be slapped with Carly's rubber spatula.

"Those are for Student Government!" she exclaimed.

"Well then!" Spencer said, offended. "Oh but hey, granddad sent me an email last night saying he wanted to borrow that old record player in our storage unit, think you could come down and get it with me?"

"Why can't you get it yourself?" Carly asked, now poring her batter into the lined cupcake tray.

"Because I'm scared I'll get locked in there again."

"Spencer," Carly sighed. "Chuck's almost thirteen now, I think he's grown out of tormenting you."

"No he hasn't! Last week he snuck in here and filled my shoes with creamy green goo!"

"But I have to bake all these cupcakes-"

"Go on, Carls," Sam laughed. "We'll take over here while you go protect your thirty year old brother. We'd hate for you to lose a whole five minutes off your cupcake schedule."

Carly and Spencer both stuck their tongues out at Sam, and the siblings headed out their apartment door.

"Man, I hate being around all these cupcakes I can't eat," Sam complained, cracking two eggs into her bowl. "It's torture!"

"Hey," Freddie said, getting an idea. "How about a quick game of Cupcake Slam?"

Sam looked over at the door. "Think we could do it before Carly gets back?"

"I think we can. Here," he tossed her a fully iced cupcake, and took one for himself. "We'll just re-ice these afterwards."

"So, loser drinks pickle juice?" Sam asked, getting ready to fling her cupcake.

"No way, you actually like that. Loser has to…give Lewbert a hug."

"Oh, you're on," Sam said. "There's no way I'm doing that."

"Okay," Freddie started. "In five, four, three, two…SLAM!"

Freddie and Sam both flung their cupcakes against the door next to kitchen, and began cheering for their own cupcakes. After about fifteen seconds, both cupcakes slid off door simultaneously.

"I win!" Sam cheered. "You have to hug Lewbert!"

"You did not win! Your cupcake fell a whole second before mine did!"

"Please, my cupcake _clearly_ won that round."

"Maybe in your dreams."

"In your dreams!"

"Okay," Freddie said, picking up his fallen cupcake. And with one quick motion he smeared the icing from the cupcake on Sam's face.

At first, Freddie expected Sam to return to her old ways, and break every bone in her body. But instead, she licked the icing off her face, swiped up her own cupcake, and smeared its icing all over Freddie's forehead with a satisfied grin.

"Oh yah," Freddie challenged playfully, picking up another one of the iced cupcakes. He pushed onto Sam's cheek.

"Take this!" Sam laughed, plunging a cupcake onto Freddie nose.

Freddie grinned, and was about to grab yet another cupcake when Carly and Spencer returned.

Carly took one glance at Sam and Freddie's icing covered faces, and rolled her eyes. She didn't get mad, but simply said; "_you guys_ are making the extra cupcakes.".

Sam shrugged, and grabbed the cupcake she had smeared on Freddie's cheek, and stuffed it in her mouth.

"Wait, so who has to hug Lewbert?" Freddie asked, taking a bite of the first cupcake he had used on Sam.

"What, was that the bet this time?" Carly asked, picking up her bowl again.

Freddie and Sam nodded.

"Well, actually, none of you can, Lewbert left for the Bahamas last night, he said he was visiting his sister or something."

"Poor sister," Sam said.

…

Freddie watched in disgust as Lucas took Sam's hand on the way back from their lunch. He still couldn't figure out why he hated Lucas so much; everybody else seemed to like him. In the few weeks since he had started Ridgeway, he had become friends with a large proportion of their grade, joined the Business Club and French Club, and even become a favorite of a few of the teachers. Yet Freddie could hardly stand to be around him. Even in their AP physics class, where they were assigned to be lab partners, Freddie avoided talking to him as much as he possibly could.

The three walked into their Psychology class, where Sam and Lucas continued their conversation. Freddie took his pear phone out, and started scrolling through his email until the bell rang. Mr. Hoffman began right away, discussing the class's fist project of the year, which would be on the functions of the human brain.

"You'll work in pairs," he explained, passing out the assignment sheet. "That _I _will assign." He began calling out partners.

Freddie glanced at Sam. For some reason, he felt slightly hopeful that Mr. Hoffman would assign him and Sam to work together. He was amazed at this thought; as long as he could remember, he had dreaded working with Sam, as she constantly picked on him and slacked off. Maybe it was because the two had done such a good job on the English project… Yes, he decided, that must be it.

"Samantha Puckett," Mr. Hoffman called out. "You will be working with Gibby Gibson." Gibby eyes widened as he looked fearfully at Sam, who didn't look too happy about the arrangements either.

"Freddie Benson," Mr. Hoffman continued. "You're with Lucas Miller."

Freddie slumped in his desk. Lucas was the last person he'd want to work with.

"The due date for the project is on the paper," Mr. Hoffman said once he finished calling out names. "Now, let's get back to our notes from yesterday…"

…

"Pretty good luck that we got put together, huh?" Lucas said to Freddie as the boys walked to AP Psychics.

"Yah, good luck," Freddie echoed hollowly.

"Looks like a tough assignment, though," Lucas continued, oblivious to Freddie's tone. "And it's due in a week. That doesn't give us much time."

"Nope."

"Hey, I know, how about you come over to my place tomorrow so we can start working on it. I can't do it today, I have to take my car into the shop for an oil change."

"That's fine," Freddie replied. He figured the sooner they got this project done, the less time he would have to spend around Lucas.


	6. Chapter 6

Freddie moodily slammed his locker door shut, and zipped up his backpack. He would be going over to Lucas's today, and he was not thrilled about it. He still did not know why, but he wanted absolutely nothing to do with Lucas. He leaned back against the lockers, trying to figure out why he hated the kid so much.

_I know!_ He suddenly figured. _It's because he thought Sam and me were a couple! That's it! Of course I would be mad at him for thinking something like that, Sam's the LAST person I would want as a girlfriend!_

"Hey man," Lucas said, coming over to Freddie. "You ready to go?"

"Yah," Freddie nodded. He frowned. He thought that maybe since he figured out why he didn't like Lucas, the intense hating feeling that surfaced every time he came around would disappear, but it didn't; in fact, it seemed stronger.

"You okay? You look kind of weird."

"I'm fine," Freddie said quickly. "Just trying to think about how we'll do the project."

"We can figure that out at my place," Lucas assured him. The two boys walked out to the parking lot, and over to Lucas's 1960's convertible. It was banged up; with scratches and rust stains everywhere.

"It used to belong to my dad," Lucas explained, noticing Freddie staring at the car. "It's really old, don't think it's."

"So why don't you trade it in? Get something, I don't know, less rusty?"

"Are you kidding? This baby is worth a fortune!"

"Really?" Freddie asked, highly doubting the idea.

"You bet," Lucas said, grinning as he started the engine, which sputtered a few times before getting going. "There are guys on the Internet who are willing to pay over a hundred grand for this baby."

"In this condition?"

"Oh sure," he nodded, turning onto the road. "There are only a couple models left in the world. With just a little touching up, she'd look good as new, and the guys who bid on her wouldn't be driving her; they just set her up in their driveways for the world to admire."

Freddie nodded, trying to imagine what sort of idiot would pay money for this hunk of metal.

Lucas lived about twenty minutes from the school. Freddie was relived when he pulled into a simple looking house, as to be spared anymore talk of his car.

"You want anything?" Lucas asked, throwing his keys on the counter. "Soda, snack?"

"I'm good," Freddie replied. He looked around the house. "Nice place."

"Thanks," Lucas said.

"So…should we get started on the project? I have the assignment sheet in my backpack.

"Alright," Lucas said, grabbing a root beer from the fridge. "What should we do first?"

"Well, I was thinking we'd first-"

Lucas's cell phone suddenly rang

"Hold on a sec," he said, retrieving his phone from his pocket. "Hello?" he answered.

Having his mother clean out his ears every month for the past seventeen years had given Freddie pretty acute hearing. He was able to faintly make out the voice on the other end of the call.

"Hi," the voice said. It was a girl's voice.

"Oh, hey," Lucas replied, leaning back in his seat.

"I just wanted to tell you left your jacket in my car last night."

"Oh, thanks, I was looking for that."

"You can come pick it up whenever you want," the voice said seductively. "By the way, I had a really great time last night, thanks for dinner."

"No problem, so I'll pick up my jacket tonight then? I'm working on a project right now."

"Alright," the voice said. "Can't wait to see you again, Lucas."

"Me either. Bye."

And with that he clicked off his phone, and threw it beside him on the couch. "Anyways, what were you saying?"

"Um," Freddie started, frowning. "Who-who was that?"

"Oh, that?" Lucas asked. "Oh, just, well, alright, it's a girl I've kind been seeing."

"Seeing?" Freddie repeated. "As in, you know, dating?"

"Sure," Lucas nodded.

Freddie stared amazed at Lucas, astounded that he had just so carelessly admitted that he was seeing another girl besides Sam.

"But-but what about you and Sam?" he stuttered. "Aren't you guys an item?"

"Oh yah," Lucas nodded again. "But come on Freddie, you know how it is."

"How what is?"

"Oh don't tell me you just stick to one girl," Lucas said, smiling. "We're men, Freddie, we need to have options."

"But-but-"

"Don't tell me you've never had more than one," Lucas said, playfully punching Freddie in the shoulder.

"Well, um, actually-"

"Just don't mention this to Sam, alright?" Lucas said, nonchalantly taking a sip of his drink. "Girls don't get the whole 'playing the field thing'. They actually expect us to just pick one of them, can you believe that? Pfft, women."

"Yah, women," Freddie repeated distantly. That hatred he had felt towards Lucas for so long now was firing up inside him.

"Anyways," Lucas continued. "It's not like you and Sam are really friends anyways."

"Huh?" Freddie repeated. "What do you mean? We're friends."

"Well sure you hang out with her," he said. "But you told me on my first day of school that you and her were barely friends."

"I didn't-I didn't-"

"You hang around her so you can be close to Carly, right?"

"What?"

"Oh, don't worry," Lucas said, grinning. "Sam told me. You have a huge crush on her."

"Well, I kind of _used_ to but-"

"Hey, she's hot. In fact, if she wasn't Sam's best friend… But believe me, I _wont_ make that mistake again."

Freddie didn't know he was capable of feeling such distaste towards a person.

"So, back to the project?"

"Right, right." Freddie said, snapping back to reality. "Hey, look, Lucas," he said, grabbing his own phone from his pocket. "I, um, just got a text from my mom; she kind of needs me home right now."

"Is everything okay?"

"Oh yah, everything's great," he said. "She just, um, locked herself out of our apartment, and has a bunch of groceries… I need to go let her in."

"Okay, you want to work over here again tomorrow?"

"Actually, I have a better idea," Freddie said, gathering up his book. "How about I do the written part of the project, and you just worry about the visual aid."

"Are you sure? That seems like an awful lot of work for you."

"I like work," Freddie said quickly. "Yup, the more work I have the happier I am."

"Whatever," Lucas said, frowning. "Do you need a ride back to your place?"

"No, no I'll take the bus. See you at school tomorrow."

"See you."

Freddie hurried out of Lucas's house, and walked to the nearby bus stop.

_What a jerk!_ He thought angrily to himself. _I can't believe he's dating two girls at once and thinks it's no big deal!_

On the bus ride back to Bushwell Plaza, Freddie had finally decided that he had to tell Carly about Lucas. He hoped that she would know how to handle this, because he had no clue what to do.

When he arrived at his apartment building, he raced straight up to Carly's door, and didn't even bother knocking before he burst in.

"Carly!" he called out. He looked around the room, and saw only Sam sitting on the couch, eating a bag of chips.

"She's upstairs taking a shower," Sam said, slightly startled by his sudden entrance. "What's up with you?"

"Oh, I-I just had to tell her that I, um, fixed that the white balance on my camera. Yup, know everything comes up in perfect coloring."

"Yah, I'm sure she'll be thrilled about that," Sam said, going back to the television. Freddie looked at her, and felt a pang of sympaphy run through him. He wondered how she would react when she discovered that Lucas was cheating on her. He realized that she had never actually had a decent, honest boyfriend. Jonah had tried to kiss her best friend, and though she didn't act hurt, Freddie knew that she was crushed inside. Her relationship with Pete didn't end well, since he had been going around gawking at the cheerleading squad at their practices for a month before she finally caught him. And now Lucas was seeing who knew how many girls behind her back.

"What?" Sam said, noticing Freddie staring at her.

"Nothing," Freddie said. "So-so I'll come back later then, when Carly's out of the shower."

"Okay," Sam nodded, not taking her eyes of the screen.

Freddie unlocked the door to his apartment, thankful for the fact that his mom wasn't home yet. He didn't feel like dealing with her badgering at the moment.

He sat down on the couch. Something else was bothering him as well. Why had Sam told Lucas he had a huge crush on Carly? Sure, in the eighth grade he had a thing for her, but for years now that had fizzled away. He thought of Carly more as a sister. That once week where they had been a couple after he saved her life was actually one of the most awkward weeks of his life. He didn't want to hurt Carly's feelings by saying he didn't like her after she kissed him, so he just went along with the whole thing. Truthfully, that kiss they shared in his bedroom had absolutely no spark to it. That was why when he got out of his cast, he didn't say anything to Carly about trying their relationship out again like they agreed.

He busied himself for about an hour working on him homework, and decided to go back across the hall to see if Sam had left, so he could talk to Carly privately. He knocked this time, and Carly answered.

"Hey Freddie," she greeted him. "What are you doing here so soon? I thought you were going over to Lucas's to work on a project."

"I did. Is Sam here?"

"Nah, she left a few minutes ago. Her cat got into her neighbor's yard again, and they're threatening to call Animal Control."

"Good."

"Well, not so good for the cat-"

"No, I mean I have to tell you something, it's about Lucas," Freddie said seriously.

"Lucas?" Carly repeated, frowning.

"He's cheating on Sam."

"What?" Carly said. "Freddie, are you sure?"

"Yes I'm sure!"

"Maybe you misunderstood something or-"

"He admitted it to me."

"Oh."

"He thinks it's no big deal! He was like _'Oh, we're guys, we have to play the_ _field!'_"

"That jerk!" Carly exclaimed.

"What are we going to do?" Freddie asked. "We've got to do something."

"I don't know," Carly said "She's going to be crushed. It seems every guy she goes out with does this to her. I thought maybe Lucas would be different."

"Yah," Freddie agreed.

"I'll talk to her," Carly finally said. "She's spending the night Friday, I'll tell her then."

"Friday? That's three days away!"

"Well I have to make sure I say the right thing, Freddie, it'll be a huge shock for her."

"Okay," Freddie sighed. "I'd better get going, I still have a lot of homework to do.  
"Well, thanks for letting me know about this," Carly said. "I'll see you later."

Freddie quickly maneuvered out of the Shay's place, and back to his own. Once he had locked the door behind him, he leaned against the door, deep in thought.

_Three days is too long to wait_, Freddie decided. _I've got to get Sam to see the truth about Lucas NOW! _


	7. Chapter 7

Freddie smiled as he walked into first period the next morning. He had been up all night, figuring out some way of to solve the issue with Sam and Lucas, and after hours of planning, he was confident he had come up with a foolproof plan.

"What are you grinning about?" Sam asked, as she walked into the class right after him.

"Hm?" Freddie asked.

"You have a huge grin on your face. You do realize we're at school, right? There's nothing to smile about here."

"Oh, well, um, the first AV club meeting of the year is today," he quickly lied. "I'm pretty excited about that."

The first bell rang before Sam could question him any further.

Freddie hardly paid any attention in English that morning. He kept going over his plan in his head, making sure that there was no possible way it could fail. When the period ended, he raced out of class, and rushed over to Lucas's locker.

"Hey, Lucas," Freddie greeted Lucas as he came to a stop in front of him. He plastered a fake smile on his face.

"What's up?" Lucas replied, shoving a binder into his bag.

"Oh, nothing, just wanted to say hi," Freddie shrugged nonchalantly.

"Oh, hi. Anyways, I actually finished about half of my part of the project last night, after you left. I mean, it's not that much, since you have the biggest part, but-"

"Yah, that's great," Freddie nodded. "Oh hey, look at that kid!" He pointed at a random student about ten feet from them.

"What about him?" Lucas asked, turning to look at the boy Freddie pointed to. Freddie took this opportunity to swiftly slam Lucas's locker door shut, creating a loud, echoing _CLACK_ throughout the hall.

Lucas was about to say something to Freddie, when Ms. Briggs stuck her head out of her classroom, which just happened to be right next to his locker.

"Who slammed that locker?" she barked at the two boys.

"I didn't," Lucas stammered.

"Me neither," Freddie echoed.

"So," Ms. Briggs said slowly, walking over. "You two expect me to believe that the locked door just _magically_ slammed close all on its own? Well, both of you can just tell that story to Principal Franklin. Lets go!"

She grabbed Freddie and Lucas by their arms, and pulled them through the sea of students to Principal Franklin's office. Freddie grinned. So far, his plan was going perfectly…

Principal Franklin wasn't in his office. He was just finishing up with his weekly conference with the office administration.

"Wait here," Ms. Briggs ordered the boys, as she led them to the empty office. "Principal Franklin will be here any minute. Maybe _he_ can teach you two miscreants not to damage school property!"

"Did that crazy lady really just drag us in here for slamming a locker?" Lucas questioned as soon as Ms. Briggs was out of sight.

"Yah, she hates students," Freddie nodded. He leaned against Principal Franklin's desk. "Hey man, I'm really sorry about slamming your locker door, I was just trying to close it for you."

"Don't worry about it; I just hope we don't get in too much trouble."

"Eh, Franklin's really cool. Anyways," said Freddie. "I was thinking about what you said yesterday, you know, about 'playing the field'. I was wondering if you could give me some pointers because I really want to ask this one girl out, but I also really like this other girl too, and I just can't seem to pick which one to date."

"No problem," Lucas replied. "I've been doing this for years. What do you want to know?"

"Well, how do you make sure that the girls never find out? That must be really hard." Freddie inched his left hand slowly over to Principal Franklin's intercom speaker, and fiddled around until he found the on switch. He pressed the switch, and the small red light blinked to life…

"It's easier than it sounds; like right now, I'm seeing two other girls besides Sam. All you have to do is make sure the girls don't really talk with each other, and make sure your excuses are top-notch. You know how I always tell Sam that I have to go pick up my little sister? I'm really going to see this girl in the next town; I don't even have a little sister. And when you're on a- Wait, Freddie, what are you doing? You turned the intercom on!"

Lucas quickly jerked Freddie's hand away from the switch, but the damage was already done. Freddie's plan had succeeded.

"Oh my gosh, Freddie, everybody heard what I just said, including Sam!"

"Yah she did," Freddie nodded proudly.

"Wait," Lucas said slowly, starting to frown. "You did that _on purpose?_"

"You bet. Now Sam and all the other girls at the school know what a jerk you really are."

Lucas clenched his fist, and just as Principal Franklin walked through the door, he took a swing at Freddie, hitting him straight in the eye.

"Enough!" Principal Franklin yelled. "Mr. Miller, I have a strict school policy against fighting. You're in a lot of trouble, young man." He walked over to Freddie and helped him up. Despite the showing of a back-eye forming, Freddie was still grinning ear to ear. "Freddie, go over to the nurse and get some ice for that. You're going to have a shiner, I'm afraid."

Freddie walked out of the office, closing the door behind him, dreaming of what kind of punishment Franklin would give Lucas.

The nurse gave Freddie an ice bag to put over his throbbing eye. She offered to call his mother, but Freddie knew that she would come bursting into the school if she was notified, so he told her not to worry about it. He was leaving the nurse just as the bell rang, ending second period. He scanned the hallways for Sam, but she was nowhere to be seen.

"Freddie!"

He turned around to see Carly coming over to him.

"Oh, hey Carly. Did you hear-"

"Everyone heard it!" she exclaimed. "What were you thinking!"

"What do you mean? Sam finally knows about Lucas. That's a good thing!"

"Good thing? Freddie, you humiliated her! The entire student body now knows that her boyfriend didn't care about her enough to be faithful!"

Freddie blinked. He didn't expect this… "Well, where is she?"

"I don't know," said Carly. "After the intercom went off, she just ran out of class. She's probably wherever she goes when she ditches school. Freddie, I _told_ you, let me talk to her."

"I-I'm really sorry," Freddie stammered.

"Don't tell _me_ that, talk to Sam."

"Did she seem mad at me?"

"I don't know. After the intercom went off, she just left. No one even tried to stop her."

For the remainder of the day, Freddie felt worse than he had ever felt. He had tried to help Sam, and yet, he had only embarrassed her. After school, he dragged his feet to Carly's car.

"Good news," Carly said when he slid into the passenger side of her car. "Sam texted me fifth period. She's coming over in about an hour, you can talk to her then."

"She's going to kill me," Freddie sighed. "She is going to rip every limb from my body."

"I thought you said she was being nicer to you."

"Yah, when she was dating Lucas. I'm guessing that's over now."

"Freddie, I don't think she's in the mood to rip anything from your body. She's really sad."

The two remained silent for the remainder of the ride, and as they headed up to their separate apartments.

"I'll text you when Sam gets here," Carly told Freddie, as she took her key from her pocket.

"Alright," Freddie agreed. He opened the door to his own apartment.

"Oh good, Freddie, you're home," his mom called out from the kitchen. "I bought you some new anti-fungal orthopedic shoes from the health store today; they're in your room. Come and help me put these nutless-peanut butter clusters in the oven first, though, before you run off an look at them."

Freddie sighed. "Alright, alright."

"Be very, very careful," his mother instructed as he entered. "I don't have the oven on yet, of course, but it's still-Freddie!" she let out a huge gasp. "What happened to your face!"

Freddie had completely forgotten about his black eye.

"Oh, um, well-"

"Who did this to you? Who? Oh, that's not important now, you're broken! I'll have to get out my extra-strength boo-boo spray for this!"

"I'm fine, mom," Freddie said, as his mom rushed to his side. "Really, it doesn't even hurt anymore. I accidentally ran into a pole at school, it's no big deal."

"No big deal? Fredward Benson this probably happened because you were walking too fast! How many times have I told you not to walk at a pace faster than two miles per hour?"

Freddie found it easier to simply allow his mom to make a fuss over his black eye than to argue with her. After she used up about half a can of some lotion she bought on the Internet that was supposed to cleanse bruises, Freddie's phone beeped, signaling that he received a text message. It was from Carly. He opened it up, and it read _come over_.

"Mom, I'm going over to Carly's!"

"What?" Mrs. Benson exclaimed. "In your condition? I don't think so young man!"

"Mom, it's a black eye, not internal bleeding," Freddie said. "I promise, if I feel any pain, I'll run right back over here and you can look at my eye again, okay?"

"Well, alright, but be _please_ be careful, Freddie."

Freddie assured his mother that he would use extreme caution while crossing the hallway to Carly's apartment, and then hurried over.

He guessed that Carly was waiting for him right by the door, for the second after he knocked, the door flew open.

"She just got here," she said, letting Freddie in. "She's upstairs in my room."

"Is she still upset?"

"Well, I think so, but you know Sam; she's trying to act all tough."

Just then, Carly's cell phone began to ring.

"It's Spencer," she said, reading her caller I.D. "Hold on a second. Hello?" she answered. Spencer said something on the other line, to which she replied, "how in the _world_ did you get your head stuck in _that?_" After another few seconds, she sighed and said, "okay, fine, I'll come and get you, but this is the last time." She clicked her phone off. "Okay," she said to Freddie. "I have to drive over to Olympia; Spencer had a little incident with a hot air balloon…"

"Wait, I have to talk to Sam _alone?_"

"Oh, man up," Carly exclaimed, rolling her eyes as she grabbed her jacket. "I should be back in two or three hours." She caught sight of Freddie's worried expression. "You'll be fine," she told him. And with that, she picked up her car keys from the coffee table and disappeared out the door.

Reluctantly, Freddie began the climb up the stairs to Carly's bedroom. When he reached the door, he took a deep breath and knocked.

"What?" Sam yelled through the closed door.

"It's Freddie," he answered. "Can I come in?"

"It's a free country, isn't it?"

He opened the door. Sam was laying on Carly's ice cream sandwich loveseat, eating a bowl of popcorn and watching the television.

"Hey," Freddie said, taking a seat on the bed. "You-you okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be okay?" Sam snapped.

"It's just, you know, today with you and Lucas…"

"I'm over it," she shrugged simply. "He's a jerk, big deal, I'm used to it."

Freddie studied her face. He knew she was lying; he could see that her cheeks were tear stained. "You've been crying," he said.

"No I haven't," Sam said quickly. "I've just been sitting here eating popcorn and watching this movie about some chick who just found out her brother is a space alien."

Freddie moved to the chair adjacent to the loveseat. "Well, aren't you mad at me?"

"Why would I be mad at you?"

"Because-because I'm the one who got him to say everything over the intercom!"

She shrugged again. "I was. But then I figured that you didn't actually do anything on purpose, so I'm going to let you slide this time, Benson, but next time…"

"You sure you're okay?"

"Yes!" she exclaimed. "You're just like Carly! Why won't you guys just believe that I'm fine?"

"Because you're not," Freddie replied softly.

Sam looked at him. "What do you mean I'm not-"

"I know how much you liked Lucas," Freddie said. "He broke your heart, Sam, no one is okay after that."

Sam looked away, but remained silent.

"Same with Jonah and Pete; you acted like you were fine after they cheated on you, but that's just what it was: an act."

"When did you turn into Dr. Phil?" Sam asked, her voice shaky. Then she let out a sigh. "But you might be, in some tiny, insignificant way, right."

Freddie saw a tear trickle down her face, but didn't say anything.

"Honestly," she said. "I figured he was up to something, but I just sort of, you know-"

"Hoped that you were wrong?" Freddie offered.

"Yah. Why does this happen with every guy I date? I know I'm not like Carly or anything but-"

"Those guys are losers," Freddie said. "I mean, you're cool, smart, sweet…"

Sam raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, so you're not exactly sweet, but even with your demon-like qualities, any guy would be real lucky to have you as a girlfriend."

Sam showed a small smile. "Way to be a total sap." She cleared her throat, and then muttered, "but thanks," in a barely audible voice.

"No problem," Freddie answered.

There was a silence.

"Well, this is kind of awkward…" Sam stated, clicking off the T.V.

"Yup," Freddie agreed. A thought then crossed his mind. "Hey," he said, grinning. "I have an idea. You want to help me with it?"

"What's the idea?"

Freddie shook his head. "It's a surprise. You in or not?"

"Eh, I've got nothing better to waste my life with," she said, getting up. "But it had better not be lame, Benson."

"No worries," Freddie promised. "Come on, let's go."

The two started towards Carly's door.

"Oh, and Frednub, if you tell _anyone_ I cried, not that I did, you're dead."

….

"You got the honey?" Freddie whispered to Sam.

"Yup. You got the paint?"

"Yup. Let's go."

The two ran across the dark parking lot of El Taco Guapo, and ducked behind an old dumpster.

"Is the coast clear?" Freddie asked.

Sam peered around the corner. "We're good."

They quietly made their way over to Lucas's 1960 convertible.

"Okay, we should have at least twenty minutes before he comes out," Sam whispered, as she pulled a large tub of honey out of her bag.

"You sure?" Freddie asked.

"Yah I'm sure. He always orders the Grande Nacho Stack, which even _I_ can't eat in less than ten minutes, and I could eat _way_ faster than him."

"Alright. Let Operation: Destroy the Car, begin!"

Sam chuckled. "I'm coming up with the name next time."

She went around to the front of Lucas's car and opened the hood. She took the lid off the honey and poured the entire tub all over the car's engine.

Freddie meanwhile began to spray-paint the back window bright purple, making it impossible to see out of.

"For once I'm glad this place has no street lights out here," Sam commented. "Makes trashing a car so much easier."

"Pick the locks," Freddie instructed. "And then we can unleash the slugs."

In less than ten seconds, Sam had used an old hairclip to open the driver's door. Freddie handed her a shoebox filled with no less than thirty-three slugs, which they had gathered from a lakeside near the apartment building.

"He's terrified of these," Sam said happily as she placed the last slug on the steering wheel. "We saw one by his front door once…the girly-boy couldn't open his door for another half-hour!"

"I think we're just about done," Freddie stated, spraying the last of the spray paint on the passenger-side window. "Now let's beat it!"

The two hurriedly ran from the parking lot, and didn't stop until they reached the front of Bushwell Plaza.

"Man," Sam laughed, slightly out of breath. "I wish I could see his face; he was in love with that car!"

"Not even those insane guys on the Internet would pay more than a quarter for it now!" Freddie added. He looked at his watch. "Oh man, my mom's going to be barging over to Carly's any minute now looking for me; it's almost past my curfew!"

Ignoring Lewbert's incoherent screams, Sam and Freddie hurried up the stairs to the eighth floor, just as Mrs. Benson was coming out of her apartment.

"Freddie!" she exclaimed, marching over to her son. "You said you were going to Carly's apartment, and here I find you funning up from downstairs with this _hooligan_. Where have you been?"

"Um, I've-I've-"

"Lewbert's computer crashed," Sam said quickly. "He opened some virus or something on his email and all of his files got deleted. He knows Freddie's good with computers so he called up to Carly's apartment, since he's always over there. We just got back from the lobby."

"Oh," Mrs. Benson said, embarrassed. "Well, I guess it was very nice of you to help that vile, ill-bred man, Freddie, but it is now two minutes past your curfew. Come inside, I've got a nice tick-bath all made up for you."

"Mom!" Freddie cried, as Sam burst into a loud fit of laughter. His mother grabbed his arm and began pulling him into the apartment, closing the door behind them.

Sam finally finished her laughing, and was just about to begin picking the Shay's lock, when the Benson's door opened again, and Freddie stuck his head out.

"Hey, thanks for that."

"Eh, I just didn't want to see crazy go all berserk," Sam shrugged.

Freddie rolled his eyes. "Later then."

"Whatever," Sam replied.

Freddie smiled, and closed his door again.


	8. Chapter 8

Carly and Spencer had just gotten back from Olympia, where Carly had to help yank Spencer's head out of the inside of a hot air balloon.

"All I'm saying is that next time just keep your head in the basket," Carly told her brother as the two reached the Shay's door.

"Well I wanted to see what was going on in the balloon part," Spencer defended himself. "How was I supposed to know I would get stuck?"

Carly laughed, as she got her key from her pocket. "Remember," she said as she turned the key in the lock. "Sam's probably still here, and she'll be upset, so be sensitive."

"Right," Spencer nodded. "Man, I can't believe what that jerk did. I have half a mind to go down to your school and give him a piece of my mind."

"No, don't do that, you'll just kicked out. Again."

Carly opened her door, and found Sam fast asleep on the couch, the T.V. still on.

"Let her just sleep here tonight," Carly whispered. "She's probably exhausted."

"Alright," Spencer said. "I guess I can watch _Celebrities Underwater _tomorrow night. Good night kiddo."

"Night," Carly replied.

Spencer retreated to his room. Carly clicked off the T.V., grabbed a blanket off the chair, and draped it over Sam. Then she went up to her own room for the night.

…

Carly woke the next morning to the smell of frying bacon. She shuffled downstairs and found Spencer busy cooking in the kitchen, and Sam up and surfing the web.

"Morning," Carly yawned, taking a seat on the stool next to Sam. "You feeling okay."

"I'm hungry," Sam murmured, not taking her eyes off the monitor. "Spencer's taking forever with the bacon."

"Hey, if you want my special bacon then you have to wait!" Spencer barked.

"Sorry I had to leave you last night," Carly continued. "I had to pick up Spencer…long story, but still, I shouldn't have left you in your time of need."

"Time of need?" Sam shook her head. "Dude, I'm fine. I'm totally over the whole Lucas thing."

"Oh," Carly stuttered. "Well, hey, did Freddie come over to talk to you?"

"Yah, the nub stopped by," Sam nodded.

"Did he explain the whole situation to you?"

"What, that he planned the whole thing? Yah, he told me."

"Oh, Sam, please tell me that you didn't duck tape him to the wall again!"

"Relax, Carlotta," Sam rolled her eyes. "Fredifer's still in one piece; I didn't do anything to him."

"Oh," Carly said, slightly surprised. "Well, all right then. You sure you okay?"

"Besides from starving half to death, yes," Sam said. "Yo, Spence! Are you done yet?"

"Yah, here you go," Spencer said, sliding a plate piled high with bacon over to her.

"Mmm, this _is_ special bacon," Sam commented, her mouth filled with meat.

There was a knock at the door.

"Who is it?" Carly called out as she crossed the room to look through the peephole.

"It's me," Freddie answered.

"Hey," Carly greeted him as she opened the door.

"Hola," he replied, walking in with his laptop in hand. "Hey is that bacon I smell?"

"Yah, Spencer's making it, help yourself."

Freddie walked over to the counter and was just about to grab the last strip of bacon, but Sam snatched it at the last second and proceeded to stuff it in her mouth.

"I was going to eat that, Sam!"

"I know, that's why I took it," Sam explained, chewing happily away.

"Don't worry, I'm making more," Spencer said.

"Hey, Gibby texted me last night," Carly said, pouring herself a cup of juice. "He wanted to know whether he could do another Dr. Lobster bit on this weeks show."

"Fine by me," Freddie said, still scowling at Sam for stealing his bacon. "We needed another thing anyway."

"Eh, whatever," Sam shrugged. He phone suddenly beeped.

"Aw man," Sam said, reading her text message. "I've got to go. My mom locked herself out in nothing but a bikini again…"

"What was she doing outside in a bikini? It's almost sixty degrees," Carly asked, smiling.

"Like I know," Sam said, rolling her eyes. "Later."

She grabbed a pear from the fruit bowl on the counter and headed out.

"I thought her mom stopped wearing bikinis after that therapy session last year," Freddie said.

"Just to the grocery store," Carly replied. "She still sports them around the house."

"Here's your bacon," Spencer said, sliding another large plate onto the counter. "You two alright here by yourselves?"

"Yah, but where are you going?" Carly asked, biting into her bacon.

"Junkyard. I need to find supplies for my next sculpture. I'm thinking of making a really big shoe."

"Um, Spence, no offence or anything but who would pay money for a sculpture of a really big shoe?" Freddie inquired.

"People who love shoes!" Spencer retorted. "Anyway, I should be back in a couple hours. See you." And with that he grabbed his bike helmet and headed out the door.

"He's been really busy with sculptures lately," Freddie commented.

"I know," Carly agreed. "He's made over $6000 this month from them."

"Wow," Freddie said, chewing on a piece of bacon.

"Anyway, Freddie, I was kind of hoping I could talk to you about something," Carly said slowly, looking at him.

"Sure," Freddie nodded. "What's up?"

"Well, I've been thinking really hard about how to say this," Carly started. She took a deep breath. "You remember back in freshmen year, when we, you know, dated?"

Freddie shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Um, yah."

"Well, you remember how you said I was only in love with you because you saved my life and thought of you as my hero? And that we would try it again once you were out of the cast and everything?"

Freddie nodded again, still looking uncomfortable.

"The thing is," Carly continued. "I think you were right; I was only in love with you because of what you did. The truth is, once you got that cast off and all your cuts healed, I just want back to thinking of you as one of my best friends."

"Oh," Freddie said, looking down at his shoes. "Well, okay."

"Okay?" Carly repeated. "You're really okay with me telling you that I don't want us to be boyfriend and girlfriend again?"

"You want the truth?" Freddie asked.

Carly nodded.

"The truth is I also realized right after that night that I didn't like you that way anymore. That's why I never brought up the subject of you and me getting back together."

"Wait," Carly said. "But haven't you always been in love with me? I thought you still had this schoolboy's crush on me. I mean, if you don't, then I'm really happy that you've moved on, no offense, but Freddie, you don't have to lie just because I don't feel the same way about you."

"I'm not lying, Carly," Freddie said.

"So, you're not in love?" Carly questioned.

Freddie cleared his throat and avoided eye contact with Carly. "So, how _does_ Spencer make his bacon taste so good? I mean, does he coat the bacon before he fries it? Or is it something in the oil?"

"Don't change the subject," Carly exclaimed. "Are you in love or not?"

Freddie sighed. "Yes."

"But you just said-"

"I didn't say I was in love with you," Freddie cut her off.

"Huh?" Carly said, stunned. "But then who-"

Just then, the front door burst open and Spencer came running back in.

"Has anyone seen my little banjo?" he demanded, catching his breath.

"No," Freddie answered.

"Why do you need your little banjo?" Carly asked.

"Because there's a street fair going on by the Groovy Smoothie, and T-Bo's giving away a months worth of free smoothies for the person who plays the best banjo version of Jingle Bells!"

"Jingle Bells, it's October!" Freddie pointed out. Spencer didn't hear him, though, for he had just spotted his instrument on a cluttered shelf.

"Yes!" he exclaimed happily. "Free smoothies here I come!" He played a few chords of his banjo, and then quickly dashed back out the apartment door. No sooner had her left, though, did Mrs. Benson barge in.

"Freddie Benson!" she said crossly. "Do you know what day it is?"

"Um, Thursday?" Freddie replied, confused. "School doesn't start for another half-hour, though."

"I'm not talking about school, mister," his mother shot back. "How many times do I have to tell you; Thursday is your weekly lice treatment!"

"Mom, I don't have lice," he said, exasperated.

"Then the treatment is working! Come on young man, I have the shampoo all ready. I'll drop you off at school on my way to work afterwards." She grabbed her son's hand and pulled him, protesting all the way, out of the apartment.

Carly frowned. "What just happened?"


	9. Chapter 9

Carly rushed into school that morning, looking for Sam. She spotted her best friend by her locker, warming up a bagel in her mini-toaster oven.

"Hey," Carly said as she came up to Sam. "Is Freddie here yet?"

"I don't know, I haven't seen him," Sam shrugged, taking a bite of her bagel.

"Well, if I tell you something, do you swear to keep it to yourself?"

"Depends on what it is, is it juicy?"

"You have to swear before I tell you," Carly said firmly.

"Oh, fine, whatever, I swear," Sam sighed. "Now, what is it?"

"Okay, I was talking to Freddie this morning, you know, after you left, and he told me he was in love!"

"And this is supposed to be the big news?" Sam asked. "Come on, Carls, we both now the nub's been in love with you since the eighth grade.

"He said it was with some one other than me," Carly continued.

"Really?" Sam asked, her interest peaking. "Who's the poor girl?"

"He wouldn't say," Carly replied. "Spencer and his mom interrupted us before I could figure it out."

"Well, are you going to press him when he gets here? Can I watch?"

"No, I don't think I'm going to bring it up again," she said.

"What? Carly, you're like, the Queen of Gossip! This is your element!" exclaimed Sam.

"It's just, well, it's a private topic," Carly explained. "I mean, I wouldn't tell him who I was in love with if I felt that way about someone; I'd tell you and that would be it. I don't want to make him feel awkward."

"Ugh, you suck the fun out of everything," Sam complained.

"Sorry, that's what I do," Carly replied playfully. "And hey! Since when am I the Queen of Gossip?"

"Well, I'm going to the vending machine for some Wahoo Punch," Sam said quickly, closing her locked. "See you later!"

Carly rolled her eyes.

….

Freddie got to class about two minutes before the bell, since his mother insisted on leaving his lice shampoo in his hair for an extra three minutes. He was thankful, however, that this meant he would be able to avoid Carly, who would probably bombard him with questions the second she saw him.

Freddie really didn't want to talk about what he had just revealed to Carly that morning, in fact, even he didn't want to think about it, for the truth was, when Carly had asked him if he was in love, only one face came to his mind, and he could not, for the life of him figure out why in the world he had thought about Samantha Puckett.

_I don't love her_, he thought to himself as he hurried to his English class. _Heck, we don't even LIKE each other_!

Freddie managed to get to class just as the bell rang. He sat down in his usual seat next to Sam.

"Where were _you?_" Sam questioned.

"Um, nowhere," he lied, not wanting to give Sam the chance to mock his mother's lice-treatments.

"Carly was looking for you this morning," Sam said.

Freddie's stomach dropped; had Carly told her about that morning's conversation?

"Oh, is she?" Freddie replied, trying to keep his manner casual. "Did she say what she wanted?"

"No, nub, she didn't. It wasn't anything important, though. She said never mind."

"Oh," Freddie sighed in relief. "Okay then."

Ms. Marks wasn't there that morning, so the class was left with a substitute, who, after taking attendance, allowed the students to talk amongst themselves, as long as they didn't disturb her.

"So," Freddie said to Sam. "Did you manage to get a look at Lucas's face yet today? I'll bet he'll be pretty torn up about his precious car."

Sam grinned. "We won't be seeing that loser for another week; principal Franklin suspended him for hitting you!"

"Nice," Freddie replied enthusiastically.

"And," Sam continued. "He's getting kicked out of the Business and French clubs."

"He deserves it," Freddie nodded. "I guess I'll be finishing up our psychology project on my own, though."

"Oh yah, I forgot about that," Sam said thoughtfully. "Wonder how Gibby's coming on ours."

"Sam, you're making Gibby do the whole thing?"

"Not all of it," Sam said defenslivly. "Just the parts involved with the brain."

"The entire project is on the brain," Freddie pointed out.

"Oh. Well, then he is doing the whole thing."

Freddie rolled his eyes. "Sam…"

"What? He enjoys doing it! Besides, if _you_ hadn't made me actually do half of the work on _our_ project, I might have some energy left for school work; but I don't, so really, it's your fault."

"My fault? Only you would turn around everything so it would be my fault!"

"Of course, it's what I do," she replied with a grin. Freddie couldn't help but grin back.

…..

AN- Sorry about the long wait. When I heard about istart a fan war, I thought that if anything happened in that movie it would make this story obsolete, but seeing as how that episode went down... Anyway, please review


	10. Chapter 10

Carly was sitting on her couch, casually flipping through her Anatomy book as she tried not to get distracted by the television that she had on.

"Oh, heck," Carly said finally, closing her book. "It's impossible to read about the appendicular skeleton when Girly Cow just discovered the moon alligators."

Suddenly, Sam barged in the door.

"Hey, what's up?" Carly asked her best friend.

"My life sucks," Sam sighed, collapsing onto the couch next to Carly.

"Why? What's wrong?" Carly asked, concerned.

"Guess who's coming home," she replied. "My stupid sister."

"Melanie? Sam, that's great!"

"Yah, sure," Sam rolled her eyes. "Can't I just stay here?"

"She'll only be here a few days," Carly reasoned. "It won't be that bad."

"Actually, she'll be here a _lot_ longer than that," Sam said. "The fancy boarding school she went to got shut down."

"Shut down?" Carly repeated. "Why?"

"The principal got arrested for selling ostrich eggs to Canadians," Sam explained. "And then the police found out that all of the other teachers were in on the scam as well, so the whole school's getting closed."

"So she'll be coming to Ridgeway with us?"

"Unfortunately"

"Sam, Melanie is so sweet; besides, your sisters, deep down you love each other."

"Really deep down."

"Hey, wait a minute, doesn't Freddie still think she doesn't exist?"

"Oh yah," Sam said. "Well, so much for that."

"Are you going to tell him?"

Sam shook her head. "Nah, the nub wouldn't believe me. Let him see for himself when she gets here."

"When _does_ she get here?"

"Day after tomorrow. Hey, you want to come over and help me clean out her side of our room?"

"You guys shared a room? How come I never saw her bed in there?"

"Because I shoved it in our garage," Sam smiled. "I'm all for letting her sleep on the floor, but my mother insists on letting her have her bed back…"

"Yah, I'll come," Carly said. "By the way, when was the last time you cleaned your room?"

"Never. Melanie always cleaned it for us. I've got five years of mess waiting for us."

"Joy," Carly said sarcastically.

…

Carly arrived back to her apartment many hours later, exhausted from helping Sam clean her room. The two had actually managed to make it inhabitable, though not perfect, but Sam said Melanie would fix that when she got there.

She was just about to turn the key and enter the apartment when she heard Freddie behind her.

"Hey," he said. He was coming up the stairs.

"Hey," Carly replied. "Where were you?"

"Hanging with Gibby," he said. "We helped T-bo set up his new juicer."

"Fun," Carly nodded.

"What about you?"

"Oh, I was helping Sam clean out her room."

"Sam's cleaning her room? What, is Father McGarthy coming over?"

"No, her sister," Carly said.

Freddie groaned. "Not this again. Sam already told me you guys just made up _Melanie_."

"Whatever," Carly shrugged. "She's going to Ridgeway with us; you'll see then."

"I'm sure I will," Freddie rolled his eyes. "Anyway, about what I told you the other morning…"

"The whole 'being in love thing,'?" Carly asked. "Don't worry about it, I'm not going to bring it up."

"You're not?" Freddie repeated, surprised. "Well, okay then. Thanks a lot."

"No problem," Carly said. "You'll tell me eventually though, won't you?"

"What makes you think I'll even tell her?"

"What? Freddie, you're not going to tell this secret girl you're in love with her? You have to!"

"This isn't not bringing it up," Freddie pointed out.

Carly sighed, frustrated. "Okay, fine, I'm done."

Freddie nodded in approval.

"Do you want to come in? This viewer sent us a really funny video that I think we should put on the show this week."

"Later," Freddie told her. "My mom wants me to help her sterilize our doorknobs."

"Wow…"

"I know," Freddie said glumly. "Well, see you."

"Bye."

….

"So," Spencer said, pouring himself a bowl of cereal. "Sam's sister gets in today?"

"Yup," Carly replied, buttering herself a piece of toast. "Sam and her mom went to pick her up at the airport a couple of hours ago."

"And she's finishing up her senior year here?"

"Yah, her mom can't afford to send her to another boarding school. Hey is it cool if they sleep over tonight?"

"That's fine," Spencer said. "But I won't be home until late; Socko and I have to run to Olympia with his cousin, Jewel."

"The jewelry salesman? Why?"

"Oh you know, sculpture supplies," he replied. "Well, our train leaves in an hour so I better go pick up Socko. Call me of you need anything."

"Bye, and if you see that Nora chick, watch out. They let her out of juvie last month."

…

At around noon, there was a knock at the Shay's door.

"Who is it?" Carly asked.

"Us," Sam said. "Open up; I'm starved."

Carly unlocked the door.

Sam and Melanie still looked exactly alike, except for the fact that Sam was wearing her usual jeans and converses, while Melanie wore a plaid skirt and heels.

"Hi Melanie!" Carly shrieked excitedly, giving the girl a hug. "Wow, I haven't seen you since the ninth grade!"

"I know, it's been too long," Melanie replied, returning the hug.

Sam rolled her eyes and walked past the two to the fridge.

"So what's new?" Carly asked, shutting the door behind Melanie.

"Oh, nothing much," she said. "Just busy sending out my college applications. How about you?"

"Same. I thought I finished, but then I found all these new schools that seem really good. Speaking of which," she turned to Sam, who had just taken a jar of pickles from the fridge. "Did you send out that State application I filled out with you last week?"

"Yes, mother," Sam said.

"You got Sam to send out a college application?" Melanie asked, shocked.

"Yah, after months of persuasion."

"I've been trying to get her to send them out since last summer! You must be a miracle worker, Carly."

"Well, I do try," Carly laughed.

"Yah, yah," Sam said. "Hey, what happened to that jar of ketchup? I can't eat my pickles plain."

"I think it's in the mini-fridge upstairs," Carly said. "We were going to use it last week, but then Gibby got sick, remember?"

"Oh yah," Sam nodded. She ran upstairs to get it.

"So, you excited to start Ridgeway?" Carly questioned Melanie.

"Yah, it seems like a great school. I-"

There was a knock at the door.

"Hold on," Carly told Melanie. She ran over to the door and looked through the peephole. "Oh, it's Freddie!"

She opened the door.

"Hola," Freddie said, stepping into the apartment.

"Freddie, you remember Melanie, right?" Carly asked.

"Oh, you're actually going to do this," Freddie chortled. "Sure, I remember _Sam_."

"That's really Melanie," Carly said.

"Hi," Melanie waved. "You've gotten taller since the last time I saw you."

"What, from yesterday? _Sam?_"

"Sam's upstairs," Carly told him. "Go look for yourself."

"No, no, no," Freddie said. "I know what you'll do. I'll go up the stairs and you'll take the elevator and change inside it."

"Well, what if I went upstairs _with_ you?" Melanie offered.

"Why?" Freddie asked shrewdly. "So you can push me down them?"

"Freddie!" Carly said, flicking his head.

"What? She did that just last week."

"No, _Sam_ did."

"Okay, what ever you say," Freddie said. "I guess I'll be seeing you around, Carly and _Sam!_"

"Freddie, I'm really Melanie," Melanie explained calmly. But Freddie shook his head. "I'm not that gullible, you guys," and with that, he headed back to his apartment.

"Well, school should be fun," Carly said. "He'll see you and Sam together then."

"Who will see me and Melanie together?" Sam asked, stuffing a ketchup-covered pickle into her mouth.

"You couldn't have come down five seconds ago?" Carly asked, exasperated. "Freddie just stopped by and is still convinced Melanie is you."

"Eh, who cares," Sam shrugged. "His opinion's kind of useless anyway."

"Sam, that's so mean," Melanie exclaimed.

The door swung open again, and Freddie came in. "Oh yah, I forgot to ask you if I could borrow your European History notes I missed Thursday when I-" he stopped suddenly, catching sight of Sam and Melanie standing side by side.

"Wha- Who- Huh?" he sputtered incoherently. "Wha-? She's _real?_"

"No, I just finished my cloning machine, nub," Sam spat. "Yes she's real."

Freddie collapsed onto the couch.

"Are you alright?" Melanie asked.

"Yah, yah," Freddie said distractedly. "I will be. Eventually."

...

AN- So from now on, Melanie will be a regular character. Review please!


	11. Chapter 11

"Oh, look," Melanie said to her sister as the two walked home from Carly's apartment Sunday evening. "The school just emailed me my schedule!" She handed Sam her phone. "Do we have any classes together?"

Sam took the phone. "European History, Psychology and French. You have AP Psychics with Freddie, by the way."

"Good, at least I'll know someone in that class; that was my worst subject back at the boarding school."

"What did you get a B in it?" Sam asked, rolling her eyes.

"Almost," Melanie answered seriously, not sensing the sarcasm in her twin's voice. "But luckily my teacher let me do some extra credit so I got the A."

Sam shook her head in disgust.

The girls arrived at their house a short while later. Their mom, Pam, was just heading out the door as they walked up the driveway.

"Hi, mom," Melanie said pleasantly.

"Hi girls," Pam replied. "You're going to be on your own tonight."

"How's that different from any other night?" Sam muttered, but Pam didn't hear her.

"What are you doing?" Melanie asked.

"I have a date with that pilot again. He's flying us to Oregon for dinner!"

"What's so special about Oregon?" Sam questioned.

Pam shrugged. "I dunno but it'll be the first time I've been on a plane without being handcuffed since I visited your Uncle eight years ago. See ya'!"

Pam headed to her parked van, and with one fleeting wave to her daughters, departed from her house.

"She's a mess," Sam commented as the girls went inside the house.

"Well, at least she told us she was leaving the state this time," Melanie pointed out. "Remember when we were seven and she went to Florida without telling us?"

"Oh yah," Sam laughed. "And she felt so guilty about it when she came back that she gave us each fifty dollars!"

"Which you spent on bacon," Melanie said. "Speaking of which, I wonder if mom left us dinner?"

The two girls looked at each other and laughed.

"Good one, Mel," Sam said between giggles. "She hasn't cooked for us since we were what, four?"

"Well, I guess we can order out," Melanie said. "I'll go look for the phone book so I can call for pizza."

"Don't bother," Sam said. "I've got Vinny's on speed dial. What do you want on your half?"

"Pineapple, please."

"Pineapple? Are you going to eat pizza or a fruit salad?"

"I read an article in my magazine last week that said adding pineapple to your pizza can actually help to boost your metabolism; plus it's a lot healthier."

"I'll stick to my usual Meat Slam, thank you," Sam said.

After the girls had eaten their pizza, they retreated to the couch, where Sam began to watch a show on alligator wrestling and Melanie began to read over her notes from her boarding school. At ten thirty, Melanie insisted that the girls head to bed, since they had school the next morning.

"I'll sleep in first period," Sam insisted as she watched a twelve-foot long alligator snap its jaw scarily close to its trainers' foot. "Wow, almost got him."

"Sam, don't you think it's about time you started taking school seriously? Come on, this is your senior year!"

"Exactly, school's almost done for good!"

"Sam," Melanie said, exasperated.

"Fine, fine," Sam sighed, clicking off the T.V. "But I'm warning you, there's a show about a man who can stuff his hands and feet in his mouth at the same time on tomorrow night and I'm not missing that."

"Whatever."

Melanie changed into her pajamas in the bathroom, while Sam threw on hers in their room.

"I'm so excited for tomorrow," Melanie said when she entered the room. "Hey, does anybody else besides Carly and Freddie know you have a sister?"

"No. You'll probably get called me a lot, so be prepared to get accused of some things. By the way, if you want to be nice and take the fall for putting the peanut butter in Mr. Howard's briefcase, that'd be great."

"You put peanut butter in a teacher's briefcase?"

"Well, I couldn't find any Jell-O…"

Melanie laughed, but then turned serious. "Hey Sam, can I ask you something?"

"If you must." She laid down on her bed, still looking at Melanie.

"Did it bother you that time I went out with Freddie when I came down here three years ago?"

Sam blinked. "What? No, why would it?"

Melanie shrugged. "It's just, well… Please don't hit me for saying this, but… I think Freddie could possibly think of you as more than a friend."

Sam jerked up. "Are you insane!"

"Well, I mean that whole time we were on that date, if you can even call it that, he just seemed so…into it."

"He was trying to get you to say you were me!"

"I know that, but still, he held my hand, complimented me, danced with me, all while thinking I was you."

"Didn't you say he freaked out when you kissed him," Sam pointed out, still frowning at her sister.

"Well, he wasn't so much as freaked out as her was caught off guard," Melanie explained. "But come on, don't you think the whole date thing was a bit extreme for just trying to prove a point?"

"He was just all fired up about everyone thinking her was gullible," Sam said slowly. "That was right after Carly and I embarrassed him by making him think it was clown day at school."

"If you say so," Melanie dismissed. "It's getting late. G'night Sam."

"Night," Sam muttered, turning off the lamp that stood on the dresser next to her bed. The girls lay silent for a few minutes when Melanie suddenly said "Hey, Sam, do _you_ think of Freddie as more than a friend."

"I barely consider him a friend," Sam said through the darkness.

"Sam…"

"What? He's a nerdy tech-nub!"

"Sam…"

"Okay, fine," she sighed. "I guess he's a friend. But nothing more! And maybe he's not so nerdy anymore…but if that leaves this room you're dead!"

"Promise."

…


	12. Chapter 12

Carly absentmindedly spooned oatmeal into her mouth as she flipped through her Spanish textbook, trying to cram a few more vocabulary terms into her brain for her test that morning.

"Hey, Kiddo," Spencer said, walking into the kitchen.

"Hey," Carly replied, looking up from the book. "I didn't here you get in last night."

"Yah, I got back around midnight," he explained. "I was talking with Socko's cousin, Ruby, and I guess I lost track of time."

"Ruby? The jeweler? Why were you talking to her?"

"Oh you know, trying to get a discount on some scrap gold for a sculpture I'm working on," he said, pouring him a glass of orange juice. "Anyway, what's going on with you today?"

"Nothing much, just school," she said. "It's Melanie's first day though, so that should be fun, and I was thinking after school her, Sam and I could drive over to build-a-bra and hang out."

"Sounds fun," Spencer nodded. "Well, except for the whole bra thing…"

There was a knock at the door, and a second later Freddie walked in.

"Hey, Freddie," Carly greeted her friend. "I'll be ready to leave just as soon as I finish my breakfast."

"Aren't we waiting for Sam?" Freddie questioned. "And Melanie?"

"Nah, Melanie had to get to school early to fill out a few things, so she just dragged Sam along with her."

"She got Sam to go to school early? That's crazy!"

"I know," Carly laughed, finishing off the last of her oatmeal. "But then again, Melanie _did _grow up with her; she's probably tougher than she seems."

Carly finished her breakfast within five minutes, and her and Freddie headed to the high school. They spotted Sam and Melanie over by a set of lockers. Melanie was organizing her books into her new locker while Sam ate a bowl of what looked like chicken alfredo.

"Hey guys!" Carly greeted the twins as her and Freddie approached them.

"Hi!" Melanie replied. Sam merely grunted in response, and continued to shovel the past into her mouth.

"So, how do you like Ridgeway so far?" Freddie asked. "Probably doesn't compare with your boarding school, does it?"

"I love it!" Melanie said. "We didn't get lockers at my boarding school, so this is my first one!"

"Real exciting," Sam muttered, rolling her eyes.

"And the principal seems really nice," Melanie continued, ignoring her sister.

"You should've seen his face when he saw the two of us," Sam said. "Thought he was going to have a heart attack…"

"Hey guys," Gibby said, walking up behind Carly and Freddie. "I just wanted to know if you needed me to bring my helium tank to iCarly rehearsal tomo-"

He spotted Melanie standing adjacent to Sam, his eyes widening in fear. "What-wha, NOOOOO!" He began to scream, and ran away in the opposite direction. Sam burst into laughter.

"What just happened?" Melanie asked, concerned.

"Oh, that's just Gibby," Carly explained. "Guess he's a little, er, surprised to see another person who looks exactly like Sam."

"Should we go after him and make sure he's okay?"

"Nah, Gib will be fine," Freddie said, holding back a laugh of his own. "Trust me."

"Well, okay," she replied tentatively.

"So, what's your first class?" Carly asked.

"AP literature," Melanie said, looking down at her schedule. "With Ms. Pompora in room 432."

"That's right next to my Spanish class!" Carly exclaimed. "I can walk you there if you want."

"Thanks, that would be great," Melanie said gratefully.

"See you guys next period," Carly said to Sam and Freddie as she led Melanie off to her class.

"Guess we should probably get going too," Freddie said, looking at his watch. "Bell rings in a few minutes."

"Whatever," Sam said, stuffing her bowl of pasta back into her locker.

"So," Freddie said as the two started up the stairs. "Is it weird having your sister at the same school as you?"

She shrugged. "I dunno. I mean, now I can just copy her work for the classes we have together whenever I need to, but it's just kind of…new. We haven't been to the same school since third grade."

"Well, how was it then?"

"Annoying. The teacher could never tell us apart, and then she always made me look bad with her _perfectness." _

"Um, I don't think 'perfectness' is a word-I'll shut up."

"Good idea," Sam said as they reached their classroom.

Ms. Marks had decided to show a PowerPoint that day, so while she happily talked for the hour about the symbolism in _Pride and Prejudice_, the students took it as an opportunity to catch up on some much needed relaxing time. Sam put her head on her desk right away and within a minute, was unconscious. Freddie smiled at the sight of his blonde-haired friend sprawled out on the desk as if it were her own bed. He watched the way her eyes fluttered every so often, and the way her mouth curled… He shook his head and shifted his attention to the front of the room. Why was he watching Sam sleep? Sam, his sworn enemy! Yet for the remainder of the period her caught himself stealing glances of her; each time getting a desire to do it again.

When the bell finally rang, he shoved his notebook into his bag. Sam, who had awoken at the sound of the bell, was busy stretching.

"Really needed that nap," Sam yawned. "Wonder if I'll be able to sleep in history."

"There's more to school then sleeping, Sam," Freddie insisted as they walked to European History. "You know, like maybe learning."

"Eh, that book stuff's more for nubs like you," Sam shot back.

Freddie remained silent at this remark. The two reached the classroom before Carly and Melanie, since they had to come from the other side of the school. A few minutes later, however, Melanie and Carly came in, smiling and cheerful. Melanie stopped at the teacher's desk for a minute to give her some forms while Carly took her usual seat. The teacher glanced nervously from Sam to Melanie, and with a shaking hand pointed at the empty seat next to Sam for her to sit in.

"Sam, how much trouble do you get in here?" Melanie asked her sister, sitting down at the desk. "I'm getting some really weird looks."

"I warned you," Sam replied simply, absentmindedly scribbling on her binder.

"All right class," their teacher sighed, opening up her lecture book. "Let's get this over with. Ms. Puckett, or er, the new one, had you reached the Industrial Revolution at your old school yet?"

"No ma'm," Melanie politely answered. "We had only reached the Glorious Revolution."

"Right well," the teacher said. "You're behind then. I'd suggest you get the notes from your sister but goodness knows she doesn't take any, so you'll just have to find someone else to get them from. Now then, can anyone tell me what the catalyst of the Industrial Revolution was?"

Nobody made a peep.

"Anybody?" the teacher asked again. "Anybody at all. Come on people, read you blasted text books!"

Cautiously, Melanie raised her hand. "Was it the water frame?"

The teacher blinked. "That's-that's right. But you said you had only gotten to the Glorious Revolution."

"Well, I kind of read ahead."

"Finally. A student who cares!"

Sam rolled her eyes. She could tell that this was going to be a long day.


	13. Chapter 13

Within just a few weeks, Melanie had fully adjusted to life at Ridgeway High School. She had joined the National Honor Society, the Debate team, and the Community Volunteer Organization. And while it was still true that Sam felt that her sister was way to perky and nice to be related to her, she too got used to Melanie's presence at school and home. Meanwhile, Lucas, who the entire school still hated, was given such a hard time by the student body that he transferred to a new school in the next District. Sam was thrilled about this, since she would no longer have to deal with the awkwardness of having him in her classes. Freddie was equally thrilled.

It was now March, and with the school year winding down, the four were now being buried by last minute assignments and tests from their teachers.

Freddie was sitting on the Shay's couch, working on a paper for AP Physics. The apartment was empty; Spencer was on a date with Ella and Carly had gone to get her nails painted with Melanie. He was just typing up his ending paragraph when the front door opened and Sam came in, sipping a Smoothie.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, throwing her bag onto the nearby chair.

"My mom's in one of her cleaning moods," he said simply, continuing to type. "She's convinced that old yogurt she found in our fridge this morning caused some sort of germ outbreak in the whole apartment."

"Think she needs to get checked out by a therapist," Sam said, rolling her eyes as she sat down on the couch, putting her legs up on the coffee table.

"Like you should talk," Freddie said, earning him a punch from Sam.

"Carly and Melanie still at the nail salon?" She asked, clicking on the T.V.

"Yes, and can you turn that off? I'm trying to write my Physics paper!"

"Tough, I'm watching Girly Cow."

"It's a re-run!"

"So? It's still Girly Cow."

Freddie sighed in defeat as he closed his laptop. He would have to work on his paper later. The two watched T.V. in silence for a bit, then Freddie said "Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Whatever."

"Remember when Melanie came down in ninth grade? Why did you admit I was right when you really were?"

Sam shrugged. "I dunno. You were just being a HUGE nub about it, so I figured why not let you have one little victory to put in your book."

Freddie actually laughed at that. "Thanks…I guess. But just so you know, I knew Melanie was real back then."

Sam frowned. "You did not."

"Yes I did. But then you told me I was right so I just went with it."

"How did you know?"

"I-I just had a feeling I guess," he said, clearing his throat.

"A feeling?"

"Um, yeah?"

"Wow, you really are a loser." She picked up Freddie laptop.

"Hey! Don't touch it!"

"Relax," Sam said. "I'm not going to break your precious little laptop. I'm just gonna check my email."

"You could ask first."

"I know."

She pulled up the server, and saw that Freddie had left his account logged on. Grinning, she went into his inbox. The only things in it, however, were various emails from colleges he applied to, all telling him he was accepted.

"Jeez," Sam said, looking at the many universities. "How many schools did you apply to?"

"Why are you in my email?"

"You left it up. Seriously, did you apply to every one in the country?"

"No. Besides, I still haven't heard from MIT, and that's the school that I really want to get into."

Sam nodded. She wouldn't ever admit it, but as the end of senior year was getting closer and closer, she was starting to get worried about college. Carly had already been accepted to two colleges, and Melanie had been accepted, full-ride, to too many to keep track of. The only college she had applied to was the one Carly had forced her to: Washington State University, and she hadn't heard back yet. Carly hadn't heard from the neither; WSU usually sent there acceptance emails towards the end of the month, but still, she was having her doubts about getting in.

Sam's thoughts were interrupted as the lock on the door turned, and Carly and Melanie walked in.

"Hey," Freddie greeted the two girls.

"Hey," Melanie replied cheerfully.

"I can't believe you guys took three hours at the salon," Sam said.

"But look how pretty our nails are now!" Carly said, holding out her cherry red nails.

"It took three hours to paint ten fingers?"

"Plus gloss them," Melanie pointed out.

"Pathetic," Sam said, shaking her head.

"Anyway," Carly said, changing the subject. "While we were there Melanie and I realized that prom is only two months away! Can you believe that?"

Sam just stared blankly at her best friend. "And…?"

"And? Sam, this is prom! It's supposed to be the best nights of our life!"

"Eh, I don't buy into all that hype."

"Hype? It's not hype! Haven't you been dreaming about this night since elementary school? Freddie, back me up here!"

"I'm with Sam on this one," he said, crossing his arms. "I mean, prom's nice and all but it _is_ only just a dance."

"But it's going to be so much fun," Melanie said. "And the theme seems really cool; Jungle Night."

"I know!" Carly agreed excitedly. "And since we only have two moths to go, I think we need to figure out who we're going with."

"Ugh," Sam said. "Why?"

"Because we need time to buy our dresses, book a limo, make dinner reservations, hair appointments…"

"Plus other people are already finding their dates," Carly added. "Gibby's going with Tasha, since she'll be down from college then, Wendy's going with Shane, and Rona is going with that English guy in our Anatomy class."

"Poor English guy," Freddie muttered.

"You have it easy," Carly said, looking at him. "You don't have to wait around to be asked like we do. All you have to do is ask enough girls and eventually one will say yes. Stupid boys."

"Who do you want to go with?" Melanie asked Carly.

"Oh, I dunno, there's this one guy in my English class, Dave. He's really cute and sweet and smart. I was actually trying to hint to him the other day that I wanted to go with him but I don't think he got it. What about you?"

"I'm not sure yet. I mean, there's a super-adorable boy in my literature class, but I don't know if he'll ask me."

"I'm sure he will. Hey, did you get that last issue of _Eighteen_? It had a whole section of prom dresses?"

"Oh yeah! Did you see the light blue one with the silver ribbon?"

"Yes! I want that one so badly!"

"You know what I want so badly?" Sam said. "To stop all this prom jabber!"

"Okay, fine," Carly said. "But lets just all agree to be on the look out for dates. Okay Sam?"

"Fine, yes, whatever. Can we order Chinese now?"

...

AN- Okay so I will be explaining the REAL reasons Sam let Freddie think he was right about Melanie, and how Freddie knew she was real sometime within the next two chapters. And... DID YOU GUYS SEE THE iOMG promo? I think I'm going to DIE waiting until April 9th! I hope the episode lives up to all the hype though...


	14. Chapter 14

Sam, still exhausted from just having gotten out of bed, dragged her feet into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of chocolate milk.

"What's up kid?" he mom asked, coming into the kitchen.

"Since when are you up before noon?" Sam replied.

"Since my stupid tattoo parlor changed its hours. The only time I could get an appointment was at eight."

"What are you getting a tattoo of now?"

"I was thinking of a dragon or something. Where's Mel?"

"Hogging the bathroom. As usual."

"You hungry? How about I make you some eggs?"

"You're going to cook?" Sam blinked. "Do you even remember where the pan is?"

"You want the eggs or not?"

"Sure," Sam shrugged.

She took her phone out of her pocket and logged into her email.

"Morning," Melanie said, joining her sister and mother in the kitchen. "Mom, are you cooking?"

"Yeah, figured I give this 'parenting' thing a try. How many eggs do you girls want?"

"Six," Sam said.

"Two's fine," Melanie answered. "You ready for our psychology test Sam? I was up until eleven studying; I hope I do well."

"Eh, I'll just wing it," Sam muttered, scrolling through her inbox. She had a few splashface messages, a couple of chain emails from Gibby, a bunch of spam and…

Her heart stopped. A message from Washington State University. Holding her breath, she quickly opened up the message.

Samantha J. Puckett,

Washington State University would like to congratulate you on being accepted into our fall semester-

Sam didn't even finish reading the email. Once she read the word 'accepted' she dropped her phone and stood onto of her chair screaming "I got it! I got in!"

"To WSU?" Melanie asked excitedly.

"Yeah baby!"

"Oh my God, Sam, that's amazing!"

"You applied to a college?" her mom asked, bewildered.

"Yes mother, back in the beginning to the year."

"Shows how much I pay attention. Come here and hug me you turd."

Sam and her mother hugged briefly. Her mother then looked at her watch. "Oh chiz, I'm late for my appointment. Here's your eggs." She slid the eggs on to girls' plates, grabbed her purse from the counter and rushed out the door.

"Ugh," Sam said, tasting the eggs. "These are horrible!"

"They've probably been in the fridge for months," Melanie said, cringing at her plate.

"Even I'm not going to eat these," Sam said, dumping her plate into the trash. "Come on, we'll grab a donut from the Groovy Smoothie on the way to Carly's."

…

Freddie and Carly were sitting in the Shay's apartment, watching the Nature Network.

There was a knock at the door, but before either Carly or Freddie could respond, Sam burst in, a donut in one hand and a smoothie in the other, followed by Melanie.

"Sam, you really should knock," Melanie said.

"Eh, I should do a lot of things. We ready to go?"

"Yup," Carly said cheerfully.

"I guess," Freddie yawned. "I was up all night studying for that Psychology test; it counts for 25% of our grade."

"I know," Melanie nodded. "I read the entire chapter twice, and I'm still a little nervous."

"And let me guess, Sam," Freddie said as the blonde took a big bite of her donut. "You didn't even open the book."

"That is absolutely correct," Sam said proudly.

Freddie rolled his eyes.

"But," Sam continued, her smile growing even wider, "it looks like my years of not studying actually paid off. Guess who just got accepted into Washington State University!"

"Oh my God!" Carly shrieked, running over to Sam. "You got in?"

"I got in!"

"Sam, that's amazing!" Carly exclaimed, hugging her best friend. "Oh my God, I need to check my email to see if I got in. We could be roommates!"

Carly rushed over to the computed and went into her email.

"I've got to say I'm impresses," Freddie said, grinning. "Good job, demon."

"Thanks, nub," Sam replied.

The two stared awkwardly at each other, wondering if they should hug or not. Luckily, Carly let out another shriek. "I got in too!"

"Well of course you did if I got in," Sam laughed.

"We should go out and celebrate tonight," Melanie suggested.  
"Definitely, Carly agreed. "Let's go the Cheesecake Warehouse; I'll make the reservations on the way down to the parking lot."

"Sounds good," Sam nodded. "I love that place. They actually have decent portions."

"Sam, that place gives you enough food for an army," said Freddie.

"I know!"

…

Two weeks had passed since Sam had gotten her acceptance letter. A new problem, however, began to surface: prom. Carly and Melanie were getting really excited as the dance continued to approach. They had spent the last two Saturdays driving from store to store in search of the perfect dresses. They tried to drag Sam along, but she had caught one glance at the large NO FOOD ALLOWED sign in the window of the first store and instantly turned away. While she didn't exactly act like it, Sam _did_ want to go to prom. She wasn't obsessed about it like Carly and Melanie were, but she certainly was looking forward to it. The only problem was finding a date. She didn't know any guys that would ask her; she was Sam after all. Carly was asked by Dave a few days ago, and the captain of the boy's soccer team, Riley, asked Melanie right before the weekend.

Freddie too was having trouble with the whole prom situation. He didn't know whom he wanted to ask. Well, actually he did, but couldn't bear to do so. He really wanted to ask Sam to the prom, but doing that would be practically admitting to liking her, something he was not ready to do, not even to himself. He just hoped that whoever did ask Sam to the prom wasn't better looking than he was.

_Wait,_ Freddie thought, shaking the thought out of his head. _Why do I care? It's Sam? I DON'T like her! _


	15. Chapter 15

"I can't believe prom's only a week away!" Carly said happily as her, Sam and Freddie were looking at videos sent in from iCarly. "It's going to be great!"

Freddie and Sam didn't respond. Neither of them had a date yet.

"Freddie, you need to hurry up and ask someone," Carly continued. "There aren't many girls left without dates. Well, girls without facial hair, that is. Sam, you should ask someone too."

"Like who?" she mumbled.

"Like Doug Wielder. I think he's totally into you!"

"Doug Wielder? Carly that guy is a total doof!"

"Isn't he the guy who had a nervous breakdown last year when they canceled _Totally Terri_?" Freddie asked.

"It wasn't a nervous breakdown," Carly said. "It was more of a-a- situation."

"I am not going with Wielder," Sam said firmly. "I'd rather go by myself than with a total dweeb."

"Hey I know!" Carly said happily. "Why don't you two just go together as friends?"

Sam and Freddie looked at her, both frowning.

"Like I said, I'd rather go by myself," Sam sneered.

"And I'd rather go with the girl with the mustache from European History," Freddie retorted.

"Okay, okay," Carly sighed. "Bad idea."

Freddie looked at his phone. "Whoa. Didn't realize it was so late. I'm supposed to help my mom with our taxes."

"I thought you guys had an accountant," said Carly.

"We did. But then he accidentally tracked dirt into our apartment and well, that was the end of him."

"Have fun then," Carly laughed.

Sam rubbed her stomach. "Man I'm starving. I'm going to run and to that new chicken place. Can I take your car?"

"Well," Carly said hesitantly. "As long as you promise you'll wait until you get back here to eat. Last time you borrowed my car I had egg roll crumbs in my seat for weeks."

"You're such a priss," said Sam, taking the keys from her best friend. "See you." And with that she headed out the apartment door.

Carly continued to watch the many videos sent in the fans, trying to find one funny enough to put on the show next week. She had just finished watching a video with two girls duct taping their little brother to the ceiling, when there was a knock at the door. Carly looked through the peephole and saw Melanie.

"Hey," she greeted her friend, opening the door.

"Hi," Melanie replied. "I brought the new issue of _TeenChick_, it has like fifty really pretty prom hairstyles!"

"Cool. I still don't know what I'm doing about that. I was thinking of going with a fancy bun, but that seems really overdone."

"I like that twist thing," Melanie said. "Hey, weren't Sam and Freddie here?"

"Sam took my car to go pick up some fried chicken," Carly answered. "And Freddie had to go home and help his mom. I can't believe those two don't have dates yet. The prom's in a week!"

"I know," Melanie nodded. "They should just go together."

"I suggested them going as friends," Carly sighed. "They both refused."

Melanie grinned. "I didn't mean 'as friends'."

Carly frowned. "What did you mean?"

"Well," Melanie said. "You have to swear not to tell Sam or Freddie, but… I sort of think that they'd make a cute couple."

"Couple?" Carly repeated. "But-But they hate each other."

"No they don't," Melanie laughed. "Believe me, you _know_ when Sam hates someone. I think that they'd actually like to go to prom together, but they're just to stubborn to admit it."

"I've never actually thought of them as a couple before," Carly said thoughtfully. "I mean I know they had their first kiss together and everything but that was years ago."

Melanie shrugged. "I've just always thought that. But like I said, please don't tell Sam or Freddie I said this; I don't want to make it awkward for them."

"No problem," Carly smiled.

"Thanks. I'm going to run up to the bathroom, but after that you want to go through the magazine?"

"Yeah. Oh, and I also have some shoe catalogues, since we're going shopping again tomorrow."

Once Melanie went upstairs, Carly leaned back in her seat and thought about what she had just said. Sam and Freddie were her best friends, if they _did_ start dating, wouldn't it be a little weird for her? Yet the more she thought about, the more she realized that they _would_ actually make a good couple, in a bizarre sort of way. It was just too bad that they were both too stubborn to ever make that happen.


	16. Chapter 16

It was Monday morning, and Freddie was placing a few books into his locker before first period. He was getting extremely nervous about prom. He knew he should've asked a girl weeks ago, but something just kept holding him back. Now it looked like he was going to end up going alone. He was so busy mulling over this, however, that he didn't notice a girl approach him.

"Er, Freddie," she said, causing him to jump.

"Wha-? Oh, hey Natalie," he said. He knew Natalie from his French class. He talked to her once in awhile, but he didn't actually consider himself to be friends with her; more like acquaintances.

"So," Natalie said. "I hear you don't have a date to prom yet. Is that true?"

"Um, sort of," he admitted.

"Oh, well," Natalie continued. "I-I was thinking then, that maybe you and I could go together?"

"Oh," Freddie said slightly taken aback in surprise. He knew that Natalie was his best option. She was nice, cute, and actually wanted to go with him. "Sure," he replied. "That sounds great. Carly rented a limo, so if you want to meet me at Bushwell Plaza at around eight we can all ride together."

"Awesome," Natalie grinned. "See you then." She turned and walked away.

The bell rang then, so Freddie quickly shut his locker and headed to his English class. Sam was already there, copying Melanie's European History homework.

"What's up, Nub?" she asked as he took his seat.

"Guess who just got a date to the prom?" he said, grinning.

"So you finally got some poor lonely girl to go with you, huh?" she asked. "Who is she?"

"Natalie Delenor, from French. And for your information, she asked me."

"Funny, I always thought Natalie had better taste."

"Oh ha ha."

Sam was about to say something else, but before she could, the boy who sat in front of her, Zach North, came in and took his seat. He immediately turned to Sam.

"Um, hey Sam. You-you think I could ask you something."

"Sure," she replied. She thought Zach was a pretty cool guy.

"Well, see, I was kind hoping that you would let me, er, take you to prom?"

Sam blinked. She liked Zach, after all, but in a strictly non-romantic way. Yet so far he was the only guy that asked her, so she wasn't really in a position to say no. Besides, Freddie had gotten a date, and she didn't want to be the only one of her friends going alone.

"Okay," she nodded. "Pick me up at Bushwell Plaza at eight. Carly's going to have a limo there."

"Cool," Zach grinned, turning around.

Freddie frowned. He never had anything against Zach before, but now, for some reason, his blood was beginning to boil just thinking about him.

When first period was finally over, Freddie gave Zach a final hard stare, and then walked with Sam to European History.

As usual, they arrived before Carly and Melanie.

"Well," Freddie said, sitting down. "Guess we've both solved our prom issues."

"At least Carly and Melanie will leave us alone now," Sam said.

"What about us leaving you alone?" Carly asked as her and Melanie took their seats.

"Fredwad and I both got dates for the prom," Sam shrugged. "So now you can get off our cases."

"Ohhh!" Carly squealed. "Who are you going with?"

"Zach North," Sam answered.

"Natalie Delenor," said Freddie.

Carly frowned. "Didn't Zach and Natalie use to go out?"

"I dunno," Sam shrugged.

"Yeah, they did," Melanie recalled. "I think they just broke up last month."

"So what?" said Sam.

"Yeah, it's no big deal," Freddie agreed. "The point is we finally got dates."

After school that day, Melanie decided to head home to start working on a economics project, so Carly, Freddie and Sam headed back to Bushwell Plaza. When the three entered the apartment, they saw Ella sitting on the couch, watching some talk show.

"Hey guys," she greeted them.

"Hey," Carly replied. "Where's Spencer?"

"He's taking a shower. We're going to dinner tonight."

"Aw, that's so sweet."

"Bring me back leftovers," Sam told her cousin. "My mom's still on this cooking kick of hers. We don't have anything edible in our house."

"Aunt Pam cooks?"

"I know, right?"

"Is that why you've been eating more of my food than usual?" laughed Carly.

Just then, Spencer came out of his bedroom, buttoning up the coat of his tuxedo.

"Oh hi you guys, didn't hear you come in," he said to the three teens.

"Don't you look fancy," Carly joked.

"It's the tux," Spencer said suavely. "Ready to go Ella?"

"Heck yeah, I'm starving," she said, getting up. "Are you spending the night here, Sam, or do you want me to take you home when we get back?"

"Eh, I guess you can take me home. I want to watch that wart removal thing I recorded last night."

"That's disgusting," Freddie cringed.

"So is your face."

"Okay let's go!" Spencer exclaimed before of Sam and Freddie's infamous fights started. "We'll be back before nine, there's some leftover chicken stir-fry in the fridge."

"Have fun," Carly called after them. "Okay Sam. Let's get down to business."

"What?"

"Well now that you have a date you have a lot of work to do to get ready for prom."

"I already bought the stupid dress, remember?"

"Sam, the dress is only the tip of the iceberg. We still need to find your shoes, accessories, decide on your hair, and look at make-up. And Freddie you need to-"

"Oh look," Freddie said quickly, pulling out his phone. "A text from my mom. She wants me home for my tick bath. Well, guess I'd better get going; later chicas!"

"Lucky jerk," Sam muttered as she watched Freddie leave the apartment. Carly didn't seem to hear her, though. She was still chatting away about earrings and hairspray.

…

Once Carly had finally stopped attacking Sam with last-minute prom details, the two girls had finished their homework (or rather Carly did; Sam did ten math problems then called it quits), and were now relaxing on the couch watching re-runs of Full House.

"Wonder where Spencer and Ella are?" Carly commented, looking at her phone. "It's almost ten."

As if on cue, the apartment door opened up, and Spencer and Ella both came in.

"Sorry we're late," Spencer said, grinning happily as he hung up his coat. "We sort of lost track of time."

Ella giggled.

"What's up with you two," Sam asked.

"Oh, nothing much," Ella said nonchalantly. "Except, well, WE'RE GETTING MARRIED!"

"What?" Carly and Sam exclaimed in awe.

Ella took her hands out her pocket and showed the girls a glistening diamond engagement ring.

"Holy Chiz, it's huge!" Sam said. "How the heck did you afford that Spence?"

"Well you know how I've been doing a lot of sculptures lately? I've been saving up almost everything I've earned. Plus Socko's cousin gave me a little discount."

"I can't believe this!" Carly said, hugging her brother. "I'm so happy for you guys!"

"Can't believe you finally got our Spencer to settle down," Sam said to Ella playfully. "Man was a mess before he met you."

"I'm in too good a mood to be offended by that," said Spencer.

"So when's the wedding?" Carly asked anxiously.

"Sometime during the summer," Ella replied. "And you're both going to be in it. Freddie and Melanie too."

"You have to call dad right now," Carly told her brother. "And Granddad, and-"

"Carls, it's ten o'clock. I can't call this late; I'll wake everyone up."

"So?"

"So… Eh, who cares? I'm getting married!"

He ran over to Ella and picked her up and twirled her around.

"I can't wait to tell my mom," Ella said once Spencer set her down. "And my dad, and my sister. They all thought she would be the one who got married first, but boy they were wrong!"

"Isn't she a hotel maid?" Carly asked.

"Yup," Ella replied happily. "Well, I guess I should get you home, Sam. See you Spence." She gave her fiancé a long kiss. "Bye Carly."

Her and Sam grabbed their jackets and headed out the door.

Spencer grabber his phone and began dialing numbers; eager to share the news that he was finally getting married.


	17. Chapter 17

Sam sat in her room on her bed, unhappily finishing up her math homework. Even though she had already been accepted to Washington State, she still had to maintain her averages in all of her classes, much to her despair.

"Hey," Melanie said, coming into the room.

Sam grunted her greeting.

"You need any help with your homework?"

"No," Sam muttered. She would never ask Melanie for help with homework, no matter how much she needed it; it was a pride thing.

"Okay," Melanie shrugged. "Oh, I bought you some really cute earrings to go with your dress." She tossed the package to her sister.

Sam opened the package and was surprised to find that she didn't actually hate the earrings, for her and Melanie didn't exactly have the same taste when it came to things like this.

"Guess what?" Melanie said, sitting down on her own bed. "Riley asked me to officially be his girlfriend!"

"Really? So you two are dating?"

"Yeah! I'm so excited, he's really sweet."

"At least you'll be going to prom with someone you actually like," said Sam.

"What do you mean? Don't you like Zach?"

"Well sure, he's cool and everything, but he's not someone I really wanted to go to prom with."

"Who'd you want to go with?"

Sam shrugged. "I dunno. Someone who I could actually have a good time with."

"Someone like Freddie?"

"What? Freddie's a total nub. I wouldn't go to prom with him if you paid me."

"But you just said you'd want to go with someone you have a good time with, and as much as you try to deny it, you and Freddie have fun together."

Sam opened her mouth to argue, but then realized that Melanie was right, so simply shut it, and crossed arms, frowning.

"See, I'm right, aren't I?"

"You are not right. So Freddie and I are _friends_, big deal. Alert the media. Besides, even if I _did_ want to go with him, which I did NOT, he didn't ask me, so it doesn't even matter."

She got off her bed. "I'm going to go order some take out." She shut her math book and left the room, leaving Melanie grinning.

…..

Freddie was heading back to his apartment. He had just picked up his tux for the prom that Saturday. Truthfully, he hated wearing tuxes, he didn't see what Spencer liked about it, but Carly basically told him that if he didn't wear one she'd spend the rest of the school year on his case, so he finally just gave in and rented one.

"Hey Freddie," Carly said, coming up behind him.

"Hey Carls."

"Ohh, you got your tux! Is it the one like David got?"

"Yeah. It was the only one left. Well, besides an all white one, but I think I'd be beaten up if I wore that."

"Has Natalie gotten her dress yet?"

"I'm not sure, I haven't really talked to her since Monday."

"Why not? She's your date, after all."

"I know, it's just, well, I feel a little awkward around her; I don't really know her that well."

Carly nodded. "Well, I know that's true, but you should at least make a little effort to get to know her before the dance."

"I know, I feel really bad about it, she's nice and all, but well, not the sort of girl I imagined going to the prom with."

"Well who did you imagine yourself going with?"

"You know, someone who I could just sort of be myself around, some one who I could laugh with, someone-"

"Like Sam?"

Freddie blinked. "Um, no. Sam's mean, and evil, and vicious-"

"Oh grow up, Freddie," Carly laughed. "You know you would've liked to go to prom with Sam. You were just too scared to ask her."

"That's so not true. Sam's just my friend; besides, even if I _did_ want to ask her, which I did NOT, she would've killed me! I've got to go start my Physics homework. I'll see you tomorrow, Carly." He turned to go into his apartment, leaving Carly shaking her head, smiling behind him.


	18. Chapter 18

At long last, the night of prom finally arrived. Carly, Sam and Melanie all met at the Shay's apartment at noon to begin preparing. Or rather, Carly and Melanie began getting ready; Sam simply sat on the couch eating leftover roast beef from the fridge while Carly and Melanie began to do their nails.

"You guys are insane," Sam said as she watched the two girls fret about what color nail polish to wear. "You're spending more time getting ready for the dance than you'll actually be there."

"Sam, it's a special night," Melanie tried to explain while looking at two bottles of pink nail polish. "We just want to look nice."

"I wish you would let us paint your nails too," said Carly, examining a bottle of blue nail polish.

"Ick. Last time I wore that stuff it made my meat taste funny."

"Well then maybe you shouldn't eat meat with wet nail polish," said Melanie.

Sam rolled her eyes. Close to seven, however, she finally got off the couch, and headed up to Carly's room to start getting ready.

"Finally," Carly said as Sam came in. "We thought you were never coming up. Can you put on my necklace?"

Carly already had on her dress: it was a dark blue, form-fitting dress that came to right above her knees. It had a large black bow in the middle.

"Lookin' good, Carls," said Sam as she fastened her best friend's necklace.

"Thanks. Now will you _please_ start getting ready? The guys will be here in an hour."

"It doesn't take an hour to put on a dress."

"But what about your hair and make-up?" asked Melanie, putting in her earrings. She too was also in her dress: a long pink strapless gown that flowed down to the floor with a glistening silver ribbon in the middle.

"Even with that I won't take all day like you prisses."

"Whatever," Carly laughed. "Just hurry up and get ready. I want to take some pictures of us afterwards."

True to her word, Sam was completely ready within twenty minutes. She had put on little make-up, and had simple added a few more curls to her already wavy hair. She wore a white dress that was form fitting like Carly's and stopped above her knee. The dress was adorned with beautiful gold stitching, which matched her hair perfectly. The only jewelry she wore were the earrings Melanie had bought her and a simple gold necklace.

"You look so pretty!" said Carly once she caught sight of Sam.

"These shoes are killing me," she muttered, adjusting the strap on her gold-heeled sandals.

"But they match your dress so perfectly."

"Yeah, yeah. Can I go get something from the fridge now? I'm starved!"

"After pictures," said Carly firmly, pulling out her digital camera.

After several group and individual shots, Carly finally let Sam go down to the kitchen.

"I just got a text from the limo driver," Carly said as her and Melanie walked down the stairs. "He just pulled up in front of the building. So as soon as everyone else gets here we can leave."

"Don't you three look snazzy?" said Spencer, coming into the room.

"Thank you," Cary grinned. "We'll probably be back sometime around midnight, is that okay?"

"Yeah, just be safe and have fun."

"Will do."

There was a knock at the door, and Carly excitedly ran over to answer it.

"Hi, you guys," she said, opening the door to reveal Dave, Zach and Riley.

"Wow, you look really pretty," said Dave, staring at Carly.

"Aw, you look good yourself," she replied, blushing as Zach and Riley went over their respective dates. Zach and Sam simply smiled at each other in a friendly manner and said the other looked nice, while Melanie and Riley exchanged a quick kiss.

"Alright, now we just need Freddie and Natalie and then we can go!" Carly announced. Before she even shut the front door, however, the Benson's door across the hall flew opened, and Freddie and Natalie came out, followed shortly by Freddie's mother, still trying to snap some pictures.

"Just one more, Freddie!" she insisted as she attempted to focus her camera on her son and his date.

"Mom! Come on, you've already taken about fifty pictures!"

"But I need them for our scrapbook!"

"Mom!"

"Oh, all right," Mrs. Benson sighed in defeat. "But when you go through our scrapbook ten years from now and you have a blank page in it, don't come crying to me!" And with that she turned around and marched back to her apartment.

"Well," Freddie said, watching his mother retreat. "Are we ready to go prom it up?"

"Yeah, the limo's waiting downstairs. Let's go!" Carly grabbed Dave's hand and hurriedly headed out the apartment towards the parking lot, followed by Melanie and Riley. Zach and Natalie looked at one another awkwardly (they _did_ use to go out), before Zach cleared his throat and took Sam's hand to lead her down to the limo, and Freddie did the same for Natalie.

…..

Freddie tried not to look at Sam. She looked absolutely stunning in his opinion. And as much as he tried to convince himself otherwise, he really wished it was her he had his arm entwined with instead of Natalie. Natalie didn't exactly look bad, it was just that Freddie thought she was wearing too much make-up for his liking. Sam had on just a little lip-gloss and eyeliner and she still looked beautiful. Freddie shook his head, trying to get her out of his mind. But no matter how hard he tried, his focus was still on Sam Puckett, and how much he wanted to slug Zach for putting his arm around her.

…..

Sam barely knew Natalie, except for the one or two times they had talked in French class. Yet, when she saw her come into the Shay's apartment with Freddie, she really wanted to punch her in her tiny little face. She tried to convince herself that she was going to have a fun time with Zach tonight, but no matter how hard she attempted that, she kept imagining her self with Freddie instead, and it was driving her absolutely nuts.

…..

The hotel where the prom was being held was only about a twenty-minute drive from Bushwell Plaza. When the party arrived, Cary and Dave and Melanie and Riley immediately headed towards the dance floor, leaving Sam and Zach and Freddie and Natalie standing by the entrance.

"So," Zach said, trying to break the silence. "You want to go get some punch, Sam?"

"Okay," she nodded, and the two headed over to the refreshments table.

"Do-do you want to dance?" Freddie asked Natalie, trying not to stare after Sam.

"Sure. I love this song." She led Freddie to the dance floor. The song was fast paced, so the two didn't have to be pressed up against each other. Freddie glanced over at Sam and Zach. Sam was actually a pretty good dancer... He looked over at Natalie, and noticed she was also watching Sam and Zach.

…..

The prom was beginning to wind down now; it was a little past eleven o'clock. The DJ had just announced that he would be playing slow songs for the next few dances, so couples should get onto the dance floor. Carly and Melanie, neither of whom had left the dance floor except to grab a quick bite to eat the entire night, were thrilled, and headed straight to the center of the dance floor. Freddie reluctantly asked Natalie to dance, and Zach asked Sam.

Sam and Zach were dancing about ten yards away from Freddie and Natalie. Zach kept glancing over at them.

"Are you okay?" Sam asked the fifth time Zach did this.

"Hm? Yeah, I'm fine." Then he shook his head. "Actually, no. I'm not. Look Sam, I'm really sorry. You're a really nice girl and I had a great time with you tonight, but there's something I need to do." And with that, he turned and ran up to the DJ and grabbed the microphone.

"Excuse me, everyone," he said, interrupting the song. "Sorry to cut the song off, but there's something I really need to say. All night, I've been trying to convince myself I didn't love someone anymore. But I couldn't do it; I still love her. Natalie, I don't know why I ever broke up with you. Will you please take me back?"

Natalie, who was standing next to Freddie, smiled, and turned to her date.

"Um, Freddie," she started. "I'm so sorry. But I think I still love Zach too."

"Oh," Freddie blinked. "Well, um, you should go with him, then."

"I feel terrible about this. You must think I'm an awful person."

"No I don't. You and Zach are great together!"

"Thanks," she said. "And thanks for taking me tonight. I really did have fun." She gave him one last smile, and then ran up to Zach, and gave him a long kiss on his lips, earning many _aws_, from the audience. The DJ took the microphone back from Zach, and played a final slow song to end the dance.

Freddie looked over at Sam, who had made her way over to the snack table.

"Hey," he said, approaching her.

"Hey," she replied, taking a sip of punch. "Guess we both got dumped."

"Yup," he sighed. He looked back onto the floor, where the many couples were dancing with their dates. "You know," he said. "We shouldn't spend the last song of our prom just watching everyone. You want to dance?"

Sam shrugged. "I guess I would rather dance with a nub than nobody at all."

Freddie laughed, and led her onto the dance floor. She put her hands on his shoulders and he placed his on her waist.

"Hey," he said, as they danced to the music. "Remember how I said I knew Melanie was real back in ninth grade?"

"Yeah," Sam nodded.

"You want to know how?"

"How?"

"You kiss a lot better than her," he said.

Much to his surprise, Sam blushed. "You want to know why I let you think she didn't exist?"

"Why?"

"Because I didn't want you to start liking her more than me."

Freddie grinned. Then, feeling a surge of courage, he leaned down, and placed a soft kiss on her lips. Sam was surprised by this, but kissed him back.

After nearly a minute, the two pulled away.

"You're going to break my arm now, aren't you?" Freddie said nervously.

"No," Sam replied simply. "Believe it or not, you don't kiss half bad."

"Thank you. You too."

"So," Sam said. "You want to do it again?"

"Shoosh yeah," he replied, feeling a surge of happiness as bent back down to kiss her, this time with more force.

Carly and Melanie, who were dancing nearby, grinned at each other. They had seen the whole thing.

…..

AN- So, just a few more days until iOMG! I really hope we get some seddie in there. I think that if the seddie relationship _did_ happen in this episode it would really make the next icarly episode, iparty with victorious, really interesting, since for all you who don't know, two of the main characters on that show, Jade and Beck, have a sort of similar relationship (Jade's really mean, Beck's really nice *and hot*), and they've been dating for two years, I think.


	19. Chapter 19

When the last dance finally ended, the lights came on, and the ballroom began clearing out. Sam and Freddie went over to Carly and Dave and Melanie and Riley.

"Oh my God! I can't believe this!" Carly shrieked happily, giving both her friends a huge hug. "You guys kissed. Again!"

"So does this mean your like, and official couple?" asked Melanie.

Sam and Freddie looked at each other.

"Well?" Freddie asked Sam uncertainly. He knew _he_ wanted Sam to be his girlfriend. He just hoped that she returned the feeling.

Fortunatley, Sam showed a small smile. "I don't generally kiss boys like that just for the heck of it, Benson."

Carly shrieked again. "You guys! This is so great!"

"I know!" Melanie agreed. "I mean, it took a long time to finally happen, but still!"

The party all headed back to the limo. Zach and Natalie had felt that it would be more appropriate to take a cab home, so there was much more room in the car. The driver dropped Riley and Dave off at their houses, and then took the four back to Bushwell Plaza.

"Hey guys," Spencer greeted them when they went up to Carly's apartment. "How was prom?"

"Amazing!" Carly replied. "It was so much fun. Almost makes me want to go to high school next year just so I can go again."

"Ugh, don't even joke about that," Sam said. "Four years in that place was more than enough."

"Aw, but you had fun at prom, Sam," Melanie said, playfully nudging her twin.

"Yeah she did," Carly laughed. "Guess what, Spencer? Sam and Freddie are boyfriend and girlfriend."

"What!" Spencer exclaimed, hopping up off the couch. "When? Where? How?"

"Easy there," Freddie chuckled. "At prom. Turns out both our dates were still in love with each other, and they ended up getting back together, so me and Sam decided to dance together for the last song and well…we sort of kissed."

"Aw! I knew you guys would eventually get together!" Spencer cried happily, running over to the couple and giving them a giant group hug. "I'm so happy for you!"

"Thanks Spence, but you're kind of squeazing me half to death," Sam said.

"Oh, sorry," he said, releasing them.

"Well, I'm going to go upstairs and change," Carly announced. "I really do love this dress, but it's getting kind of uncomfortable. Is it cool if Sam and Melanie sleep over?"

"Yeah, sure," Spencer nodded.

"I'm going to go change too," Melanie said. "I don't want to risk my dress getting dirty."

"Yeah, and if spend one more minute in these shoes, my toes will start to bleed," Sam said.

"I should probably be heading home," Freddie said, checking his phone. "My mom's probably pacing back and forth wondering where I am."

Sam rolled her eyes.

"Aren't you going to kiss your girlfriend good night first?" Carly asked jokingly.

"You're really asking for it, aren't you, Shay?" Sam said to her best friend. Nevertheless though, she leaned up and gave Freddie a really quick kiss on his cheek. "See you Benson."

"Night, Princess Puckett."

And with that, the girls disappeared upstairs, and Freddie headed back across the hall. Spencer clicked off the T.V. and retreated to his own room, leaving the living room empty.

About five minutes later, Sam came downstairs and opened the door, to find Freddie, just about ready to have knocked on the door.

"What are you doing here?" Sam whispered.

"I could ask you the same thing," Freddie replied.

"If you must know," she shot back. "I was coming over to do this." She leaned up again, but instead of kissing him on the cheek, she kissed him full on the lips, and he returned the favor.

"I was coming over here to do the same thing," he whispered once they pulled apart.

"Beat you to it, did I? As usual."

"There's always next time."

Sam grinned. "Good night, Freddie."

"Night, Sam"

…..

The next morning, Spencer was sitting in the kitchen, looking over some wedding details that Ella had sent over, when there was a knock at the door, and Freddie entered.

"Hey," he said to the young teen.

"Hey. The girls up yet?"

"Nah, they're still crashed. Want some fruit kabobs?"

"Sure."

"Actually, Freddie," Spencer said, handing him the fruit. "I was hoping to talk to you."

"Um, okay. What's up?"

"Well, seeing as you're dating Sam now, I figured you and I should have a talk. Sam's practically another little sister to me. And you and I both know that she's dated a lot of guys that have broken her heart. Now I know you're a good guy, and we're really good friends, but if you ever, ever, do anything to Sam that would hurt her, you'll be in for a world of pain."

"Er, world of pain?"

"What? That didn't sound menacing enough to you? I thought it sounded chilling."

"Oh, no, it was," Freddie said, trying to hold in a laugh.

"Anyway, Freddie, I'm serious. Just treat Sam right, okay?"

"Trust me, you don't have anything to worry about," Freddie told Spencer earnestly.

…..

AN- Sorry it's short! I just really wanted to get another quick seddie kiss in, and I didn't think they'd be the type of couple to just go swaping spit in front of Spencer and Carly and Melanie like that (yet). And as for he Freddie-Spencer talk, I definetly think that in the show, if Seddie happens, Spencer would take the role of Sam's dad in that sense.

On another note, iOMG is just two days away! And for all of you seddiers who saw the new iparty with victorious commercial and felt let down (for those who didn't see it, it showed Carly and Freddie at the Slap looking at a picture of Tori, and Freddie said happily "_Who is she?"_) don't get discouraged, it could mean anything!


	20. Chapter 20

"Hey, kiddo," Spencer said to his little sister as he came into the living room. "Want to do me a favor?"

"Sure," Carly replied, turning off the T.V. "What is it?"

"Can you address these wedding invitations? I kind of told Ella I'd have them done by this afternoon, but I just remembered I have to deliver a sculpture to that preschool downtown."

"No problem. So I'm guessing this means you finally decided on a date?"

"Yeah, July 20th. It's going to be in that little pavilion in the park by beach dad took us to last time he visited."

"Aw, that's going to be so romantic."

"Plus we can all go swimming after the wedding!"

Carly rolled her eyes. "Just go deliver your sculpture."

"Okay. See you." He grabbed his wallet from the table and headed out the door.

Carly began addressing the letters, but she was soon interrupted by Freddie, who then came through the door.

"Hey, can I come in? Great, thanks."

"Hi. You want to help me address Spencer and Ella's wedding invitations?"

"Um, no thanks," he said. "I just finished editing the new idiot farm girl bit for the show next week, so can I use your computer to upload?"

"Yeah, but what happened to your computer?"

"My mom accidentally threw out the charger when she was cleaning my room, so now I have to wait another three weeks for the new one to come."

"Your mom still cleans your room?"

"Are you really surprised?"

"Nope."

"Anyway," Freddie said, plugging his USB into the computer on the kitchen counter. "I was hoping I could ask you about something?"

"Okay. What?"

"Well, I was thinking of taking Sam out this weekend, you know, as kind of our first official date, but I'm not really sure of where to take her."

"It's Sam, Freddie," Carly said. "Just make sure it's a place with lots of food."

"I know that," Freddie said. "But what about after the food? Where should we go? A movie? The mall? I don't want to screw this up."

"Aw," Carly smiled, setting down the wedding invitation she was working on. "You're really nervous, aren't you?"

"A little bit," he admitted. "So what do you think?"

"I think that Sam really likes you, Freddie. During these past three days that you've been together, I've never seen her happier. She'll like whatever you decide to do on your date. Well, provided you don't take her to that Galaxy Wars convention that's coming to town…"

"You really think so?"

"Definitely."

"Thanks, Carls."

"Anytime. Did you hear from MIT yet?"

"No. I'm starting to get really worried," he said, going to the fridge to get a pudding cup. "Shane got his acceptance email two days ago, and another guy from AV club got his email yesterday."

"I'm sure you'll get in," Carly assured him.

The door then opened again, and Sam walked in.

"Hey," Carly greeted her best friend. "Want to help me address wedding envelopes?"

"Why would I want to do that?" Sam asked. "Besides, I just spent the last hour with Ella trying to find the perfect wedding cake. I mean, at first it was fun, because the store manager kept giving us free samples, but then he stopped and I almost died of boredom."

"Where's Melanie?"

"Oh, she took our mom to the clinic to get that wart on her shoulder removed."

"I thought she got that removed last year," Freddie said.

"Nah, that was the one on her back," Sam replied, sitting down on the seat next to him, grabbing his pudding cup.

"Hey, Sam!"

"What? I'm hungry."

"So am I, that's why I had it!"

"Go get another one, then."

Freddie, realizing that his pudding cup was now long gone, reluctantly got up and grabbed another one.

"Wow, even when you're dating, you guys still fight," Carly laughed.

"But she took my pudding!" Freddie exclaimed.

"As your girlfriend, I have rights to all your food," Sam explained reasonably. "That's just how it goes, Benson."

"Fine. Then as your boyfriend, I get rights to all _your_ food."

"What? No! That's just stupid!"

"It is not stupid! It makes perfect sense."

"I'm going to run upstairs to get more stamps," Carly said, interrupting the fight. "Behave yourselves while I'm gone."

"No promises," Sam said simply, spooning up some more pudding as Carly headed up the flight of stairs.

"So," Freddie said. "I was thinking Saturday we could go out for our first date."

"Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise. You in?"

"Eh, I've got nothing better to do."

"Good. I'll pick you up at six. By the way, you have pudding on your lips."

"So do you."

They looked at each other and simultaneously leaned in, kissing the other's pudding stained lips.

After nearly a minute they pulled away.

"Is it gone?" Sam asked.

"Yeah. What about me?"

"You're good."

They shared another glance, and then leaned in again for another kiss.

…

AN- Yeah, kind of short and fluffy, sorry. But tomorrow is iOMG! Can't wait! So anyway, next chapter comes the Seddie date! BTW, thanks so much for all those who have reviews. You guys are the best


	21. Chapter 21

Sam stood in front her half of the closet she and Melanie shared, going through her clothes, trying to find something suitable to wear on her date with Freddie that night. Normally, she didn't put much thought into her outfits; one minute tops, but she actually wanted to look nice tonight.

"What are you doing?" Melanie asked, coming into the room.

"Trying to find something to wear tonight, but I have nothing."

"You can borrow some of my clothes."

"Ick. I want to look good, not like a fruit cocktail."

"My clothes _are _nice."

"Can you just help me find something of mine? Freddie's supposed to be here in half an hour to pick me up."

"He's coming here? I would've thought you would just go to Carly's and leave from there."

"That was the plan. But Carly's granddad wanted to meet Ella before the wedding, so they went to Yakima, and I don't feel like picking the lock to get in there."

Melanie went over to the closet, and carefully went through her sister's wardrobe.

"Here," she said finally, handing Sam a jean skirt and purple blouse. "This is cute."

"When did I even buy this?" Sam asked, holding up the skirt.

"Aunt Maggie gave us each one that Christmas she dyed her hair green, remember?"

"Oh yeah. She really should've left it green; looks better than that blondish red color it is now."

Melanie smiled. "Just go get ready."

As expected, Sam was all dressed in under five minutes. She then headed into the kitchen, and began eating a can of ravioli. She had just finished when there was a knock at the door.

"Hey," she greeted Freddie when she opened her front door. "We ready to go?"

"Yup," he replied. "Wow, you look, just, wow!"

"Thanks," Sam muttered, trying not to blush. "Whoa," she said, looking at the driveway. "Is that Carly's car?"

"Oh yeah. I borrowed it."

"But she told us that neither of us were allowed to use it while she was away."

"Are you going to say anything?"

"Wow, Benson," Sam said, nodding in approval. "Looks like I've finally rubbed off on you."

"Maybe," Freddie laughed. "Now lets go. I made us reservations for six thirty."

"Excellent. Mama's starved."

"When are you not?"

The restaurant Freddie drove them to was known for it's famous steaks, which is why he chose it. He knew that with Sam's appetite, it would be expensive, but he didn't really care.

"Nice place, Freddilupe," Sam told him as they were seated. "But how did you get reservations here? The place is always packed!"

"Eh, the manager has a daughter who's a huge iCarly fan, so all I had to do was promise him we'd send her some autographed old props from the show, and he slipped us in."

"Impressive."

The two continued to chat until their waiter came to take their order. Freddie ordered the typical steak dinner, while Sam ordered a fifteen-ounce steak with the works.

"You know," Freddie said, once the waiter had left. "It's weird. You would think that it would be really awkward between us, seeing as it's our first date, but I feel, I dunno, natural."

"Natural?" Sam laughed. "What? Did you get that out of a book?"

"Ha ha. See, that's what I mean. We just sort of flow together. I like it."

"Well we _have_ known each other for years," Sam reminded him.

"I know. But when I dated Carly for those couple weeks, it felt really uncomfortable and strange. But with you it just feels right."

"You're such a dork," Sam muttered, trying to conceal the huge smile that was threatening to spread across her face. "But it's kind of cute. And if you tell anyone I said that, I'll break your arm."

"Noted," Freddie grinned. "So I'm cute?"

"Don't get all cocky. I just think that your lack of social coolness is appealing at times."

"Okay. And you think I'm cute."

"For a tech-loving mama's boy, that is," Sam retorted.

"So how long have you thought I was cute?" Freddie asked, enjoying milking this for all it was worth.

"None of your business."

"Come on, tell me."

"No."

"Please?"

"Ugh, fine. Since around tenth grade."

"Really? Two whole years, huh?"

"Oh shut up."

"You know," Freddie said. "I've thought you were more than cute for awhile now too."

"Really?" Sam asked. "Well, that's understandable. I am pretty good looking."

"Won't argue with that," Freddie chuckled.

After the couple ate their dinner, Freddie, being the gentleman he was, paid for the meal, and led Sam back to the car.

"I've got to say, Frednub, that was a pretty good date," Sam said as they got into the vehicle. "Don't think I've ever tasted steak that good."

"Dates not over yet," Freddie said, smiling mysteriously.

"Where else are we going?"

"You'll see."

Freddie drove through Seattle, refusing to reveal their destination, even with Sam's persistent begging. Finally, he pulled up to a large building, and Sam let out a gasp.

"The Museum of Butchers!" she said excitedly, reading the sign. "I've wanted to go here since I was eight! But I thought there was only one in Utah."

"They just opened this one about three weeks ago," Freddie replied. "I read on its website that it's supposed to have the meat stained apron from the first chef to cook a ham for the president."

"Well then why the heck are we still sitting in the car? Come on, Fredlinger!"

Freddie followed the eager blonde into the museum. He was actually surprised that a museum dedicated entirely to butchers, and the art of making meat would have so much stuff, but there must have been over a hundred displays to look at. After finally looking at the last one, the bone of the first T-bone steak, it was nearly ten. Even though his mom was working until eleven, Freddie knew that if she found out he was out this late, she'd have a conniption, so he drove Sam home.

"You know," Sam said as he walked her to her front door. "I actually had a good time tonight. Way to go, Fredlump."

"And surprisingly, demon, I had fun with you too."

"So," Sam said when they reached her door. "Guess this is the part where you're supposed to kiss me goodnight, according to those sappy chick flicks, which I hate."

"I hate them too," Freddie nodded. "No special effects or anything."

"Yup."

Freddie grinned, as he leaned down to kiss Sam, realizing how pathetically cliché the whole thing was. He didn't mind at all though; for Sam Puckett was a great kisser.

"I'd better go," he said when they finally pulled away due to lack of oxygen.  
"Crazy mom won't let you out past ten?"

"Ten thirty, for your information."

"Oh, gee, sorry. You sure told me." She smiled. "Bye, dork." She went inside her house.

"Hey, how was your date?" Melanie asked, running to the door the second Sam stepped inside.

"Were you _waiting_ for me?"

"Um, yeah! So how was it? Where'd you go? Did he kiss you?"

"Will you chill? We went to that new steak place and the Butcher's museum, which was amazingly cool."

"And… Did he kiss you?"

"Maybe."

"Sam!"

"Oh, whatever. Yes, he kissed me."

"Aww," Melanie cooed happily.

"You make me sick," Sam said, shaking her head. "I'm going to watch T.V."

"You can't. That guy mom's been dating, the electrician, thought it was broken, so he tried to fix it and ended up putting his arm through the screen."

"What? I knew I hated that guy! Now what am I supposed to do?"

"You could help me with that French project we're supposed to be doing together."

Sam just stared at her sister, and then walked into the kitchen.

"It was worth a try," Melanie muttered.

…..

AN- Well, today's the day. iOMG premiers! Today we'll get to find out if seddie happens! Well, I'll have to wait until tomorrow morning (I have a school function. Believe me. I tried to get out of it, but I couldn't, so I'm recording it), but everyone else finds out tonight! Let's hope seddie prevails!


	22. Chapter 22

"And that's why," Carly laughed into the camera, holding up a pair of Gibby's socks, which were stained with a mysterious blue liquid. "It's not smart to step in a vat of something with your socks on unless you know what's in it."

"You guys told me it was hair again," Gibby said, a little upset over the state of his socks.

"Eh, you should know by now not to listen to us," Sam shrugged.

"Well, it looks like we're out of time for tonight," said Carly.

"So until next time," Sam said. "Pet plenty of sheep."

"Buy a bus," Cary chimed in.

"And run a marathon."

"And we're clear," Freddie said, turning off his camera. "Great show tonight."

"My feet are starting to tingle," Gibby said. He was ignored, however.

"Anyway," Carly said, sitting down in a beanbag chair. "When are you guys going to tell the viewers that you're dating?"

"What?" Sam exclaimed. "Why do we have to say anything?"

"Because, they'll find out eventually. Someone's bound to see you guys, and then before you know it, it'll be all around the web. Don't you guys at least want to be the ones to let everyone know?"

"She does have a point," Freddie said.

"Fine," Sam groaned. "We'll do it next show."

"Cool," Carly smiled. "Oh my God, can you imagine their reactions? Especially those insane Seddie shippers!"

"My feet are burning here!" Gibby said loudly.

"Okay, I'll help you wash off the blue goo," Carly said, getting up to help Gibby. "I'll hose them off on our fire escape."

Gibby, in obvious pain from the goo, limped off with Carly behind him.

"What are you doing?" Sam asked Freddie, who had begun typing into his computer.

"Checking my email," he replied. "I asked the AV club sponsor if we could borrow the green screen again for iCarly, and I want to see if he got back to me yet."

"Why do we need the green screen?"

"For that one bit with the windstorm and- Holy chiz!"

"What?" Sam asked, walking over next to him.

"I got an email from MIT! It says I got in!"

"Seriously? That's awesome!"

"I can't believe this!" Freddie exclaimed, hugging Sam happily. "I got in!"

"And you were all worried," Sam laughed. "Good job, Frednub."

"Is that all I get?" Freddie asked coolly, raising an eyebrow.

"Are you trying to be sexy?"

"Is it working?"

"Definitely not," she said cruelly. The smiled, and stood on her toes to kiss him.

"Whoa, sorry, didn't mean to interrupt," Carly said, coming back into the studio with Gibby.

"It's cool," Sam said, pulling away.

"Guess what!" Freddie said. "I got into MIT!"

"Wow, that's great!" Carly said, giving him a short, friendly hug. "Congratulations, Freddie!"

"MIT? Isn't that down in Florida?" Gibby asked.

The trio stared at him. "Yes," Freddie finally said. "Yes it is."

"Cool you get to go to the Sunshine state!"

"I've got to go tell my mom," Freddie said, grabbing his laptop. "I'll be back later."

"Yeah, I'm going too," Gibby said. "That store across the street was supposed to get a new pudding shipment today."

"I can't believe he got into MIT," Carly said once the boys were gone. "It's one of the top schools in the nation!"

"Yeah," Sam said glumly, falling back into a beanbag chair.

"You okay?" Carly asked her best friend, concerned.

"I'm fine," she replied.

"No you're not. What's up?"

"It's just, well, MIT's really far away."

"Ohhhh," Carly said, knowingly. "You're going to miss him."

"Don't go spreading that around," Sam said warningly. "But, yeah, I am."

"Well then you should tell him that," Carly told her.

"I can't do that! You know how long he's been talking about going there, it's his dream!"

"But maybe he'd feel differently if he knew."

"Well, he's not going to," Sam said firmly. "Because I'm not going to say anything. Neither are you."

"But-"

"We'll just have one of those long distance relationships," Sam said. "You know, with video-chatting and phone call. Plus we'll see each other at holidays and in the summer when we come home."

"Sam-"

"Look, I've got to go," she said heavily, getting up. "I promised Melanie I would help her with our French project that's due tomorrow. Tell Freddie I'll text him later."

"Okay," Carly nodded. "You sure you're okay?"

"Yeah. See you tomorrow."

And with that, she headed out of the studio, her body feeling weighed down by emotion.

….

"Hey, Spencer," Freddie said later that night, as he came back to the apartment as he said he would.

"Oh, hey, Freddie," Spencer greeted the teenager. "Carly just told me you got into MIT. Congrads."

"Thanks," Freddie said. "Um, actually, I kind of wanted to talk to you about that. Um, is Carly here?"

"Nah, she ran out to get some ice cream. What's up?"

"Well, at first I was really excited to get into MIT," Freddie started. "But I just realized that if I go there-"

"You'll be away from Sam," Spencer finished.

"Right. I mean, I've wanted to go to MIT since I was nine, but me and Sam just got together, and I really don't want to mess that up."

"That's a tough one," Spencer said. "When I got accepted into law school, over in California, I had just started dating this girl, Joanne. She was going to medical school in New York, and I really didn't want to leave her."

"So what did you do?"

"Well, actually, the day after I got accepted into law school, she dumped me for a Swedish truck driver, so going to California really wasn't an issue anymore."

"What? So how does that help me?"

"Um, I don't know. But I can tell you this. Those Swedish truck drivers are REALLY big."

"Spencer!"

"Okay," he said seriously. "Look, it all comes down to what you want to do. And even if you do decide to go to MIT, you and Sam can still have a relationship."

"I know," Freddie sighed. "But it won't be the same."

…..

AN- So… iomg? AMAZING! I think I may die waiting for a new episode, because apparently this episode will be continued AFTER ipwv, which doesn't air for 2 months, but other than that, lol. BTW, if you go to , and go under the iomg pics, you'll a little bit of seddie


	23. Chapter 23

Freddie stared at his computer screen. He had to reply back to MIT by today in order to admitted into the fall term, but he was still contemplating about whether or not he still wanted to go. It was basically his dream school vs. his dream girl. If he _didn't_ go to MIT, he could always go to University of Washington, which was only about an hour away from Washington State, meaning he could see Sam on weekends and whenever he had spare time after classes. But turning down MIT… That was hard.

He sighed. He knew what he was going to do.

…..

"Sam, just substitute 26 back in for x!" Melanie tried to explain calmly to her twin. Sam had finally broken down and asked Melanie for help with math, and she had been regretting it ever since.

"But I thought x was equal to pi!"

"That was on the last question."

"Oh. Then what does y equal?"

"If you plug in 26, you'll find out."

"Plug in 26 for what."

"Okay," Melanie sighed. Working with Sam was making her very stressed, which was saying something, since she was normally a mellow person. "Let's take a break. I'm going to go call Riley. In half-an-hour we'll finish with this, okay?"

"Whatever."

Sam flicked on the T.V., which her mom's new boyfriend, some sort of dentist, had bought them. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

Figuring it was probably just one of those door-to-door salespeople, Sam groaned, and walked over to open the door.

"Hey," Freddie said when she opened up.

"Hey. What are you doing here?"

"I turned down MIT."

"What? Freddie, are you insane? Why would you do that? Did you talk to Carly?"

"Um, no. Why?"

"Never mind. Why did you turn down MIT? You've wanted to go there for forever!"

"I know," he said. "It has everything. The fastest network in the country, supercomputers that can crank out calculations in less than a second, the latest software. But it doesn't have you. Sam, I love you. I don't want to go across the country without you. That's why I turned it down. I'll go to Washington University. I just sent them my confirmation reply."

"You seriously turned down MIT for me?"  
"Yup."

"Wow. That's like me turning down ham for you."

"Would you?"

"Hmmm," she said thoughtfully. "I do love ham."

Freddie smirked.  
"But," she said. "I _guess_ I sort of, in a way, love you more."

"Man, never thought I would hear Sam Puckett say she loved anything more than ham."

"Yeah well," Sam laughed, punching him in the shoulder lightly. "Now I'm hungry. Come on, buy me some ham."

"You got it," Freddie grinned.

…

"Wow," Carly said, placing a bowl of popcorn on her coffee table, sitting down next to her two best friends. "You realize we graduate high school in just two more weeks?"

"I know, it's crazy," Freddie agreed.

It was true. The school year was finally coming to a close. Sam and Carly were going to be starting Washington State in the fall, and Freddie Washington University. Melanie would be going to a private university on a scholarship. It was close to home, which she was fine with.

"Hey," Carly said, looking at her phone. "I just go an email from Seattle Community College."

"You signed up for community college?" Sam asked.

"No. Wonder what it says." She opened up the email. "Dear Ms. Carly Shay," she read. "My name is Daniel Hartman, and I am the admissions coordinator for Seattle Community College. Let me begin by saying that my children and I are huge fans of iCarly; we watch the show every week, which is why I am writing to you. My brother is the CEO of the popular teen network, Klasky Splat Inc. He too has seen your web show, and was very impressed with the comedy and technological work on it. He was so impressed, in fact that he thinks that you, and the two other members of iCarly, Sam Puckett and Freddie Benson, would make excellent additions to the staff at Klasky Splat. He is prepared to offer you positions with starting salaries equivalent to that of a five-year employee. He would also be willing to pay for you three to take classes at my school to earn your associate's degree. If you are interested in this offer, please contact me at the number below so we can schedule a meeting. Thank you for your time."

"Holy Chiz," Sam said, once Carly finished reading. "Klasky Splat is the network that airs Girly Cow!"

"I know! It's one of the few teen networks out there that's any good," Freddie nodded.  
"I can't believe they want to offer us jobs there," Carly exclaimed.

"I wonder how much a five-year employee makes anyway," Sam asked.

"Whoa!" Freddie said. "I just looked on pear phone. A five year employee at that place makes 200 grand a year!"

"You've got to be kidding me!" Carly said. "That's insane!

"My mom hasn't even earned that much in her life!" Sam cried happily.

"So, are we going to meet with him? I mean, if we take this deal, we won't be going to our universities."

"It wouldn't hurt to meet with the guy," said Freddie.

"Yeah, and think of the money we could make!" Sam added.

"Okay," Carly said. "I'll call him tonight and set up a meeting."

"Hey, you guys," Spencer said, coming into the apartment, followed by Ella.

"Hey," the trio replied.  
"Okay. So we've booked the band and the reverend for the wedding," Ella said. "And the catering place."

"What are we eating?" Sam asked eagerly.

"Salmon and pork," Ella answered. "And a whole bunch of those mini little appetizer things."

"Sweet."

"Now, all I have to do is try to find my dress."

"Please tell me I don't have to that," Spencer said. "We've been out all day. I need to watch T.V. before my brain explodes."

"Don't worry. You can stay home for this. Sam? Carly? You girls want to come?"

"Of course!" Carly said happily.

"No way!" Sam said. "I've been shopping with you before. You take all day in one store!"

"Fine, fine. Come on, Carly. Melanie's coming too, so we'll pick her up on the way to the mall."

"Have fun!" Spencer yelled as his little sister and fiancé headed out the door.

"You were seriously shopping all day?" Freddie asked Spencer.

"Yes! It was horrible! I'm never going in another store again!"

Sam and Freddie laughed.

"Okay," Spencer yawned. "I'm going to take a nap."

He retreated to his room.

"So," Freddie asked Sam. "What do you want to do?"

"Does Carly still have those cupcakes in the fridge?"

"Yup. You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Cupcake Slam!"

…

"Alright, I guess that's it for this iCarly," Sam said into the camera, putting down her pudding filled balloon.

"Not quite," Carly said, wiping a little bit of pudding from her face. "Give me the camera, Freddie."

Freddie handed his beloved camera over.

"Okay, guys," Carly said to the viewers. "Sam and Freddie have some exciting news that will make about half of you very happy."

"Right," Sam said awkwardly. "Soooo, me and the nub are kind of, well, _technically-_"

"Dating," Freddie finished.

"Yeah," Sam nodded. "Just to let you all know. By the way, Carly's the one who made us do this. All right then, guess we're done here."

"And remember," Carly said, handing the camera back to Freddie and heading back over by Sam. "We only have a few more shows left, so keep tuning in until the end."

Sam clicked the boo button on her remote.

"I know, I know, it sucks," Carly laughed. "But we'll be making our last shows extra amazing!"

"And extra random," Sam added.

"And extra salty," Carly chimed in. "So until next time, keep on washing your flip-flops."

"And we're clear," Freddie declared. "Nice show. I enjoyed the pudding balloons."

"I can't believe we only have a few more shows left," Sam said, licking some pudding from her fingers.

"Me neither," Carly agreed sadly. "We've been doing the show for five years; it's going to be so weird. But we won't be able to do it in college."

"I guess," Sam sighed.

"Whoa. We've gotten over 1000 comments in the last five minutes," Freddie exclaimed from his computer cart.

"About you two going out?" Carly asked.

"Yeah. Look at this; Freakypie19 said "I knew it would be you two in the end", Glitterqueen wrote "Seddie prevails!", and Pinkheart101 wrote "Darn, now I'll never get to date Freddie.""

"Oh, looks like someone's got competition," Carly laughed.  
"Um, look at her picture," Sam pointed out, rolling her eyes. "She looks like she just got sat on by a horse."

"Sam, that's not nice!" Carly scolded. "Even if it is accurate."

" Freddie Benson!" Mrs. Benson came rushing into the studio.

"Mom! What are you doing here?"

"I thought I told you to be home by seven to help me knit your going away sweater! It is now 7:05, mister!"

"Okay, okay, I'm on my way," Freddie muttered, rolling his eyes."

"Oh, and you'll need to fix our computer as well," she continued. "I tried to get online to watch your web show today, but there was something wrong with the wire."

"That's, um, weird," Freddie said quickly. "Well, I'll be home in a couple minutes, mom, I just have something to finish up here."

"Don't be long," she sighed, then reluctantly left.

"Hold on a second," Carly said suddenly. "Freddie, does your mom know you're dating Sam?"

"Um," Freddie started. "No. Not exactly."

"And did you disconnect that wire to your computer so she wouldn't see our show tonight?"

"Um…"

"Freddie! Why don't you want her to know?"

"'Cause the woman's psycho!" Sam exclaimed.

"But still," Carly continued. "She should know."

"I know," Freddie nodded. "I'm just waiting for the right time to tell her."

"How about never," Sam muttered.

"You told your mom, right?" Carly asked Sam.

"I didn't have to. Melanie told her the night after prom; that girl can't keep quiet to save her life."

"I think you should tell her," Carly told Freddie. "How bad could it be?"

Freddie shrugged, and looked at Sam. "She's right."

"Fine, tell her," Sam groaned.

"Right, so how about you come over to our place Saturday around six for dinner?"

"Wait, why do I have to be there?" she exclaimed. "She's not my mom!"

"Sam, she'll take it better if you're there."

"No she won't!"

"Okay fine, I'll be less likely to chicken out if you're there. Come on, I'll tell her to make ham and everything."

"Hmmm," Sam said, considering this. "No tofu or anything?"

"Never."

"Alright," Sam finally agreed. "But you owe me, Fredsauce."

…..

AN- Happy one-week iomg anniversary! Yeah, I'm a complete nub, lol. Oh yeah, I have know clue how much a five year employee at a T.V. studio would make, so I may be completely off on the salary but…


	24. Chapter 24

"Just remember to be nice," Carly told her best friend as Sam got ready to head across the hall to Freddie's. "I'm sure deep down, Mrs. Benson is a really nice lady."

"Yeah, sure," Sam muttered.

"I'm serious, Sam. If you want a good relationship with Freddie, you'll have to get over your hatred for his mom."

"But the lady's a nut job!"

"So is your mom," Carly pointed out. "But she's fine with you and Freddie dating, right?"

"Only because she gets those discounts at the pear store."

"Well, just suck it up for one night, okay?"

"Fine."

"Good. You want to sleep over here afterwards?"

"Well, I already told my mom I am, so I guess."

Carly laughed. "Go. It's six. Remember, best behavior!"

…

"I can't wait to meet the pretty young lady my little Freddikins is dating!" Mrs. Benson said happily as she laid three china plates on the table.

"Well, you sort of already met her, mom," Freddie said.

"I have? Who is she?"

"Um, you'll see. Remember, just be nice. I really like this girl."

"Of course I'll be nice, Freddie! I have the whole evening planned out. First, we'll eat dinner, then we'll gather in the living room to look at your baby pictures, and then we'll end the night with a fun puzzle!"

"Great," Freddie sighed. There was a knock at the door. "That's her. I'll get it, mom."

He hurried over to the door and opened it, revealing Sam.

"Hey," he greeted her, letting the blonde in.

"What's up, Freddifer?"

"Okay, my mom's just taking the ham out of the oven, so we'll be eating in a few minutes. Just please, _please _be nice. I know she's a little, well, insane, but if you give her a chance-"

"Did you let your little girlfriend in, Freddie?" his mom called from the kitchen. "Bring her in here, I want to see her!"

"Let's go," Freddie whispered, leading Sam into the kitchen.

"Mom," he said as they entered the kitchen. "You know Sam."

Mrs. Benson's eyes grew wide. "She- she's-your-?"

"Girlfriend, yes mom," Freddie said. "So, are we ready to eat?"

"Wha-? Oh, yes. I-um, everything is on-on the table," she stammered, still staring at Sam.

She sat down at the head of table; Sam and Freddie sat down next to each other.

"So," she said, finally able to form coherent statements. "How long has…this been going on?"

"Since prom," Freddie answered. "So about three weeks."

"I see," she nodded, beginning to cut the ham. "Well that's-nice."

There was an awkward silence as everyone piled food onto his or her plate.

"So, Samantha," Mrs. Benson said after about five minutes of silence. "What does your mother do for a living?"

"Oh, um," Sam began. "She's-"

"She's between jobs right now, isn't she?" Freddie cut in.

"Um, sure."

"Mmmhmm," Mrs. Benson nodded. "Well, tell me more about yourself."

"Um, I got accepted to Washington State University for the fall," she said. "Um, I have a twin sister, and I like food?"

"Interesting," Mrs. Benson said, clearing her throat. Another silence grew.

"Good dinner, mom," Freddie said.

"Yeah, good ham," Sam nodded.

"Why are you dating my son?" Mrs. Benson exclaimed.

Sam tried to hold back a laugh. She knew this was coming.

"Mom!"

"But Freddie, she's so-so aggressive!"

Sam, still trying not to laugh, looked at Freddie.

"Well, okay, she's a little aggressive," Freddie agreed. "But you know what mom? I like that! Besides, she's also funny, and nice, and creative, and amazing. And, I love her."

"You-you love her?" Mrs. Benson asked, stunned.

"Yes," Freddie nodded.

"And do you-?" she asked Sam.

Sam nodded.

"Oh," she replied, clearly taken aback.

The meal continued, once again, in silence.

"You look very nice tonight, Samantha," Mrs. Benson finally said.

"Oh," Sam said, surprised. "Thanks?"

"Well, since we're all done with dinner," she continued, noticing everyone's cleared plates. "Why don't I take out Freddie's baby album."

"Mom!"

"You load the dishwasher, Freddie," his mom said. "Samantha, come with me to the living room."

"Mom, you can't show her my baby pictures!" he hissed.

"Shush, Freddie, we're bonding," Sam smiled happily, following the woman to the living room.

Freddie rolled his eyes as he began to pick up the plates.  
"Here's some pictures of Freddie from when he was in his princess stage," he heard his mom say.

Freddie groaned. He was never going to hear the end of this…

….


	25. Chapter 25

"Okay," Carly said to Sam and Freddie. "I just called that guy back from Seattle Community College and set up a meeting with him for tomorrow after school."

"Cool," Sam replied.

"Alright, you three," Ella said, coming into the room, followed by Spencer. "Since you're in the wedding, we need to take your measurements for your clothes."

"You decided on our bridesmaids dresses?" Carly asked excitedly.

"Yup," Ella nodded, handing Carly her pear phone, which displayed a picture of a pale pink elegant dress.

"They're so pretty!" Carly exclaimed.

"Freddie's here's the groomsmen's tux," she continued, changing the picture to show a simple black tuxedo with a blue bow tie.

"Looks good," Freddie said.

"Good, now stand still," Ella commanded, pulling a tape measure from her back pocket.

"Ow!" he said as she wrapped the tape measure around his neck.

"Sorry, sorry," she muttered absentmindedly, writing down his measurements. "Okay, Carly, you're next."

"Hey, did dad get leave to come to the wedding yet?" Carly asked her brother as Ella began measuring her waist.

"Yeah, he called last night. He's coming the day before the wedding and leaving a week after. He said he may even be able to make it for your graduation!"

"Wow, that would be so awesome!"

"Done," Ella announced. "Okay Sam, get over here. I'm going to use your measurements for Melanie too."

"Whatever," Sam shrugged.

"And you don't mind sharing your room with Faye Dorfman for a couple days do you?" Spencer asked his sister quickly. "No? Great, thanks."

"What? I have to share with Faye? No way! Spencer, she has that annoying machine for her sinuses at night that'll keep me up!"

"Oh come on, I'll let you borrow my earplugs!"

"First of all, I'm definitely not putting something in my ears that has your gross earwax on it," Carly said. "And second, why can't she just stay in a hotel with her parents and Oswallis?"

"They couldn't get a room," Spencer explained. "So her parents are going to sleep on the pull out bed on the couch, and Oswallis is bunking with me."

"They're all going to be here?"

"Sorry kiddo, but I couldn't say no to them."

"Sam, do you think I could stay at your house for those days? I really don't want to live with the Dorfman's."

"Sure. But my house is going to be jammed with relatives too. My aunt Maggie and Uncle Buzz are staying in our living room, my aunt Peggy is sharing my mom's room, and my cousin Stella is in with me and Melanie, but she's not _too_ weird, so you probably wouldn't mind her."

"She shaved her head and painted her scalp blue," Ella said, finishing up Sam's measurements and putting the tape back in her pocket.

"As an experiment," Sam pointed out.  
"Still beats Faye's sleep machine," Carly said. "Thanks for letting me stay, then."

"No prob."

"Okay, Spence, can you drop these off with Socko's cousin? I have to get to work."

"Sure," Spencer replied, taking the paper. "Socko and I were going over to Taylor's place to start planning my bachelor's party anyway."

"Which I'm invited to, right?" Freddie asked.  
"Would your mom let you?"

"I'm eighteen, my mom doesn't control me anymore!"

Carly and Sam snickered.

"Cool, then you're in," Spencer said. "Well, I guess I'll head over to his place now. You need a ride to work, El?"

"Duh, I'm not going to walk all the way there," she laughed. "Oh, Sam, tell your mom that my mom said one of them is going to have drive down to Texas to get grandma because she's afraid to fly."

"My mom got her license suspended again," Sam said.

"Whatever, just tell her. I'll see you guys later."

"Bye you teenagers," Spencer said, and him and Ella headed out of the apartment.

"Hey, Sam, want to drive to Build-a-Bra? We're going to need strapless bras for the dresses."

"Eh, why not," she said. "Oh, and I want to stop at that new meat on a stick place in the food court too."

"You coming, Freddie?"

"Have I ever wanted to come to Build-a-Bra?"

"Aw, but you could wear it with that pretty tiara you had," Sam laughed.

"I was five!"

"Come on, Sam," Carly said, trying not to laugh. "Bye, Freddie."

"Yeah, later, nub," Sam said, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

…

"Alright," Carly said as she parked her car in the Seattle Community College parking lot. "Here's the plan. We go in, find out more about this offer, and get out. We don't need to make any decisions right now, he said."

"Got it," Sam and Freddie nodded.

The trio exited the car, and walked into the main office of the building.

"Um, hi," Carly greeted the receptionist at the desk. "We're here to see Daniel Hartman."

"Okay, just wait one minute," she replied politely, picking up her phone. "Mr. Hartman, you're 3 o'clock appointment is here." She hung up. "He'll be here in a minute."

"Thanks."

"I've got to say," Freddie said, looking around. "For a community college, this place looks real nice."

"It's one of the best community colleges in the state," the receptionist said. "And we just remodeled our campus last year."

"Ah, here they are!" A man wearing a fancy suit said happily, opening the door next to the front desk. "The iCarly gang! Please, follow me."

Carly, Sam, and Freddie followed Daniel Hartman through the door and into a large office.

"Have a seat," he said, waving to three empty chairs. "So, I understand you're considering my offer?"

"Yes," Carly nodded. "We just wanted to find out a little more about it before we made any decisions."

"No problem, that's a very smart choice," he nodded. "See, my brother is convinced, as am I, that you three are very gifted producers. I mean, you created one of the most popular websites in the country when you were only thirteen, right?"

"Yup," Sam said.

"Well, my brother thinks that you would be perfect for his television studio. Carly, Sam, you two would be working to develop scripts, come up with new show ideas, that sort of thing, and Freddie, you would be working in the technological areas, such as editing, filming and such."

"Wow," Freddie said, impressed.

"Anyway," Daniel Hartman continued. "The way we worked it out is that you three would attend this college, free of charge for two years to get your Associate's Degree, and then after you graduate, you would go straight to work for him, starting, as I said, as the same rank as some of the five-year employees, though I think you would move up the chain rather quickly."

"That-that sounds amazing," Carly said. "But like I said, we still need a little time to decide and all, because we already got accepted into other universities."

"That's fine," he said. "I understand. But I will need an answer by the end of the week, thought, so I can begin all the arrangements."

"Okay, we'll have an answer by then," Carly told him.

"One more thing. I just want to let you know that this offer is to each of you individually. I don't want to put pressure on the three of you to do this as a whole. If only one or two of you want to do this, and the other doesn't that's fine too."

"Thanks," Carly said, standing up. "It was nice meeting you."

"The same to you," he smiled, shaking each of the three's hands.

"So?" Sam asked as they walked back to Carly's car. "Are we going to do it?"

"Well, it does seem like a really good deal," Carly pointed out.

"Yeah, we get to go to school for free and then get jobs that would probably pay five times what a normal starting job would."

"Plus it's doing something we practically already do now," Sam said.

"True," Carly nodded. "Well, he did say that this was also an individual offer. I say we go home and think about it, and meet tomorrow with our decisions."

"Okay," Sam and Freddie nodded.


	26. Chapter 26

"So," Carly asked her best friends, sitting down on a beanbag chair in the iCarly studio. "Have we all reached decision?"

"Yup," Sam nodded.

"Si," Freddie replied.  
"Okay," Carly said. "I'll go first. I decide that…I am going to take the offer and go to community college. I mean, I want to go into T.V. production anyway, and this will get me a definite job, so it seems like the best thing. Alright, Sam, you next."

"Yeah, I'm gonna do the offer too," she said. "Let's face it; what other place is going to offer me a job?"

"Awesome," Carly laughed. "Freddie, you're up."

"Well, I guess I'm making it three for three," he said. "I'm taking the offer. The T.V. studio is known for it's editing software, and like you said, Carly, I want to this anyway, so why not take the job now?"

"This is so great!" Carly exclaimed. "We're all going to the same college _and_ we'll be working in the same place!"

…

Carly had replied to Daniel Hartman the next day about their decisions, and he was overjoyed. Spencer had backed Carly's choice as well, glad his sister was guaranteed a job after college and would be sticking around. Mrs. Benson was ecstatic that her son would not be traveling across the state. Sam's mom was impressed that the daughter that she had once labeled a screw-up like herself was going to be heading to a college and then be making a six-figure salary.

At long last, the last day of school arrived. Unlike every last day of school before, Sam actually felt a pang of sadness as she watched the final minutes of her high school career tick away as her entire French class watched the clock. When the bell finally did ring, cheers erupted, and students ran to the halls, anxious to begin summer vacation.

"I can't believe it's over," Carly said, wiping a stray tear from her eye as she, Sam, Melanie, and Freddie emptied their lockers.

"I know," Freddie agreed, helping Sam take her microwave oven out of her locker. "It went by so quickly."

"Well, we still have the graduation ceremony," Melanie pointed out. "So it's not over just yet."

"Still, it's sad," Carly sighed, shutting her locker for the final time.

"Hey, we all get to stay together, remember," Sam said. "We three are going to same college, and well, I'm stuck with you, aren't I?" She playfully nudged her sister.

"You're right," Carly nodded. "Why don't we grab Gibby and head to the Groovie Smoothie for lunch? My treat."

"Well, I've never said no to food," Sam laughed.

"I'm in," Freddie said, Melanie nodding along.

"Now then," Carly smiled. "Let's find that shirtless freak."

…..

AN-yah, short, I know. I'm still a little bummed about waiting two months for a new episode. I know a lot of people are upset that iPWV isn't going to be a continuation of iOMG, but I'm actually looking forward to it. True, I'm dying to know what happens after the kiss, but guys, this looks like a great episode! Plus, I'm sure there will be _some_ seddie in there. Remember, it takes place BEFORE iomg, so maybe they'd show a little bit of Sam's feelings developing or something. Anyway, until next time


	27. Chapter 27

Sam and Freddie sat on the Benson's couch, watching a movie. Freddie had his arm around Sam, and Sam had her head on his shoulder. They would have never been in that position at Carly's house, but when they were alone, they did enjoy it. Mrs. Benson was out of town at some Aggressive Parenting meeting, so they had the apartment to themselves. She had actually told Freddie he wasn't allowed to have Sam over without her being there, but he decided to go around that rule. Besides, he wasn't planning on doing what she was thinking of.

"Hey," Sam asked Freddie. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," he nodded, absentmindedly running his fingers through her long curls. "What's up?"

"What happened to your dad?"

"My dad?" Freddie repeated. "Oh, he lives down in Georgia."

"Don't you get to see him?"

"I saw him three years ago when I went to Florida for my cousin Amanda's wedding," he said. "And I talk to him once in awhile, just not a lot."

"Do you miss him?"

"Sometimes. I mean, there are times when I kind of wanted a guy to talk to instead of just my mom, but I could always go to Spencer for that. Besides, I was four when him and my mom got divorced, so I'm pretty much used to it."

"Oh," Sam nodded. "Why didn't you ever mention him before?"

He shrugged. "I dunno. It just never came up."

The couple was quiet for a few minutes, and then Freddie asked, "What happened to yours?"

Sam shifted uncomfortably. "I don't know."

"You don't know?"

She shook her head. "He just left when me and Melanie were five. I haven't heard from him since."

"Wow, Sam, I'm sorry," Freddie stammered.

"Eh, it's fine. When he was around he wasn't a very good dad. He would always yell and scream, and I'm pretty sure he was cheating on my mom with our neighbor. Plus, he could never tell me and Melanie apart."

"But don't you ever wonder about him?"

"Yeah. When we were thirteen, Melanie and me tried to find him through the Internet, but it didn't work. We still try every couple of years, but no luck. Plus, then I get to thinking, do I really want to find him?"

"Does-does Carly know?"

"No. You're the only one I've told. Please don't say anything to her."

"Don't worry," he said softly as he pretended not to notice a stray tear fall across Sam's face.

….

"Five minutes, people!" Principal Franklin yelled to the graduating seniors back stage. The night of graduation had finally arrived, and the students were anxiously waiting for the ceremony to starts, making final adjustments to their caps and gowns.

"Mr. Benson, Ms. Puckett, you ready?" he asked. Freddie was the class's valedictorian, and Melanie was salutatorian, so they both had to give speeches.

"Yup," they nodded.

"How do I look?" Carly asked Sam, straightening her cap.

"Lookin' good," Sam said. "Man, I wish this thing would start already."

The band then started playing, and the students back stage hurried to get in alphabetical order just as the curtain rose.

Principal Franklin spoke first, then Freddie, then Melanie. Finally, Principal Franklin began calling the names of the graduates, and then, the ceremony was over. The school had arranged for a brief reception in the courtyard for everyone afterwards.

"This is amazing!" Carly said as the four walked towards their families.

"Look at you little high school graduates," Spencer said, coming up to the gang, hugging his little sister. "Oh, and Carly, I have a surprise for you."

"A surprise? What kind of- Oh my God!"

"You didn't think I would miss my daughter's graduation, did you?" a man asked, emerging from behind Spencer.

"Dad! You came!" she exclaimed, giving her father a huge hug. "But when did you get here?"

"My plane got in about an hour ago; just in time for the ceremony. But unfortunately, I'm going to have to leave by midnight; my unit's heading over to Hawaii."

"That's okay, you came, and that's all that matters."

"Good to see you two, Freddie, and Samantha, and um, Sam I didn't know you had a twin."

"That's Melanie," Carly explained as the two shook hands.

"Well, nice to meet you," he laughed.

"Granddad made us reservations for dinner," Spencer said. "He drove off to the restaurant to hold our table."

"Excellent, I'm starving."

"I guess we should go then," Carly said. "I'll see you guys tomorrow." And with that, her, Spencer, and her dad made their way out of the crowd of people.

"There's my little Freddikins!" Mrs. Benson said loudly, running over to her son.

"Hey mom," said Freddie.

"That was such an amazing speech, but I can't believe my little baby graduated! It seems like just yesterday I was giving birth to you."

"Mom!"

"Let's go find mom," Sam laughed, watching her boyfriend's face redden.

"She's over there," Melanie pointed.

The twins parted through the crowd to their mom.

"Hey, grads," she said, high-fiving the twins.

"Hi, guys," Ella said, coming over with her own mom. "Congratulations."

"Thanks," the girls replied.

"So, Pam," Ella's mom (Pam's sister) said. "You're going to be the one to drive down to Texas to pick up mom for the wedding?"

"Ha! Fat chance. She's your problem."

"No way, I drove her to Vermont to get that toe removed last summer, it's your turn!"

"I got my license suspended."

"For only a month. You'll have it back in time."

"My daughter's not the one getting married. It's your job."

"I'll fight you for it."

"You think you can take me?"

"I know I can."

"Fine. Let's go. In the parking lot. Now."

"Bring it!"

The two sisters headed out towards the parking lot.

"We probably should've stopped them," Ella said.

"Probably," Melanie and Sam agreed.


	28. Chapter 28

"Just three more weeks until the wedding!" Carly said excitedly.

"I know; Ella's been going insane," Sam nodded. "Man, what is it with chicks and weddings?"

"Oh come on, Sam, it's nice," Carly laughed. "When you get married don't you want to have a fancy wedding?"

"You've known me how long?"

"Right," Carly laughed.

"Hey did mom leave yet to pick up grandma?" Melanie asked her sister.

"I think so."

Pam, while winning the parking lot fight, ended up having to drive to Texas because it turned out that Ella's mom had an outstanding warrant in Texas.

"You guys, I got an idea last night," said Carly.

"What?"

"Okay, so Sam, you know you and I are getting our college paid for, and Melanie you got a full scholarship?"

"Right," Melanie nodded.

"Well, I was thinking; why don't we use the money we had saved up for college to get an apartment? We could all be roomies!"

"Actually, that sounds like a pretty good idea, Carls," Sam smiled.

"Yeah," Melanie agreed.

"I even found the perfect place," Carly continued, pulling up a site on her pear pad.

"Whoa. How long have you been planning this?" her best friend laughed.

"Well I came across it when I was on Chad's List looking for a new desk lamp and it just seemed perfect."

"It does look nice," Melanie commented.

The picture showed a large one-roomed apartment with a spacious living area and kitchen, and a huge bedroom with a nice bathroom.

"It's only about fifteen minutes from here," Carly read. "And about ten minutes from our college, and about twenty from yours, Melanie."

"I like the size of the fridge," Sam said. "Wait; the fridge _does_ come with the place, right?"

"Yes, Sam," Carly replied, rolling her eyes. "It comes with the fridge, dishwasher and stove."

"Good enough for me."

"Can we check this place out?" Melanie asked.

"Yup. I already made an appointment with the building owner for this afternoon."

"Jeesh, Carly, what if we said no?" Sam laughed.

"I would've thrown a temper tantrum."

"Only I can do those!"

"You'd be surprised," Carly grinned.

….

"This place really does look great," Freddie said as him and the girls walked into the apartment.

"It's the fridge, right?" Sam said, staring happily at the large appliance.

"Yes, Sam, that's got to be it," he chuckled.

"It even has a balcony!" Melanie pointed out. "Wow, look at that view; you can see half of Seattle from here!"

"Okay, I officially love this place," Carly said, looking around. "Plus the doorman's nice! It's so weird! He has the same uniform as Lewbert but he actually smiles!"

"We've got to get this place," Sam said. "It's got everything! Giant fridge, good location, a pool."

"You guys should," Freddie agreed.

"Are we sure?" Carly asked.

"Definitely," Melanie nodded.

"Okay then," Carly smiled. "I'll got get the papers from the landlord." She rushed out of the apartment, leaving Sam, Freddie and Melanie.

"Are you going to be living at home, Freddie?" Melanie asked.

"Yeah, my mom kind of just assumed that, and I didn't want to crush her dreams."

"You're afraid of her," Sam laughed.

"I am not. I'll move out eventually."

"Sure you will."

…

Carly, Sam, and Melanie were now the official occupants of their dream apartment. They were scheduled to move in the week after Spencer and Ella's wedding. Sam and Melanie's mom was fine with her daughter's moving into the place; she would still see them, after all. Spencer was a little surprised by his sister's decision, but once he found out it was close by, he was okay with it. Carly planned to pack up most of her furniture from her room and bring it with her, since all three liked it. Sam and Melanie had decided in order to save space in the room the girls would be sharing, they would buy a bunk bed, something that they had each wanted when they were younger but never got. The rent for the place was actually very reasonable, and between the three of them, they had enough saved up to keep them going until Sam and Carly got their jobs.

As the wedding drew nearer, relatives began arriving. Carly's aunts and uncles were staying at various hotels, with the exceptions of the Dorfman's , but they would be arriving last. Sam's family also began coming in, staying at Sam and Ella's houses' and run down motels.

"So when Faye's staying in my room," Carly told Spencer. "Make sure she knows not to go through my stuff. I don't care if she watches the T.V. or uses the hair dryer, though."

"Sure," Spencer said.

"Just a little over a week until the wedding," Carly said. "You nervous?"

"A little," Spencer nodded. "But good nervous, you know. Besides, Socko's throwing my Bachelor's party tonight!"

"Oh God. What are you guys going to do?"

"Nothing inappropriate," he replied. "We're going to camp out at the junkyard. By the way, if you see Freddie, tell him to be here around eight."

"Okay. I can't wait for Ella's party tomorrow!"

"Oh yeah, where are you girls going?"

"Just dinner and a dance place. Don't worry, it won't be crazy; Ella said she got all her wild partying out of her system in college."

"Good to know."

"Hey when you're at the junkyard, do you think you could pick me up some cardboard boxes? I need to start packing up my stuff to move to the new apartment."

"No problem. I can't believe you're leaving, though. The place is going to be so empty without you."

"But Ella's moving in," Carly reminded him.

"I know, but still, I'm going to miss you."

"Aw, I'll miss you too," she smiled. "But don't worry; I'll still be popping by."

"Yeah, you better," Spencer said, playfully hugging his sister.

…

"Thanks again for letting me stay here, you guys," Carly said to Sam and Melanie as she dropped her bag in their room.

"Don't mention it," Melanie replied sweetly.

"So what excuse did you give the Dorfman's when you told them you were staying here?"

"I just said that I thought it would be too cramped. Besides, they were too exhausted from that Raisin Parade when they got in to really notice. Hey when does your cousin Stella get here?"

"Probably in a couple hours," said Sam.

"She's going to sleep in that bed," Melanie told her, pointing to an inflatable mattress in the corner of the room. "And you can sleep on the camping bed over there, which is way more comfortable."

"Hey, any of you seen my anti-fungal cream lying around?" a large women with bleached hair asked, coming into the room.

"No, Aunt Maggie," Sam said, rolling her eyes.

"Who are you?" she asked, spotting Carly.

"That's Carly," said Melanie.

"Is she related to me?"

"No, she's Spencer's little sister."

"Who's Spencer?"

"The man Ella's marrying."

"Oh, right, right, the 'artist'. Well, let me know if you find my cream."

"Well, she's pleasant," Carly said as Aunt Maggie left.

"Do you guys want to grab some smoothies?" Melanie asked. "We still have a few hours until the rehearsal dinner tonight."

"Sounds good," said Carly.

"Yeah, I'll text Freddie and tell him to meet us there," said Sam.

"Aw," Carly and Melanie said in unison.

"Oh can it," Sam snapped. "I just want him there because I can get him to buy my smoothies now."

"Then why are you blushing so much?" asked Melanie, grinning.

"Shut up," she muttered, turning even redder.


	29. Chapter 29

At last, the day of the wedding had arrived. The ceremony was scheduled to start right at eleven, but everybody had been up since dawn preparing, even Sam, though that was just because Melanie and Carly had dragged her out of bed.

"We're leaving in twenty minutes!" Pam yelled up the stairs.

"Can you zip up my dress?" Melanie asked Sam.

"I love these dresses, they're so pretty," Carly said happily, examining herself in the mirror.

"Where's Stella?" Sam asked.

"Already downstairs," Melanie answered, putting on a pair of earrings.

"I wonder how Ella's doing," Carly said. "She's probably nervous. I called Spencer this morning and he was a wreck. I hope the Dorffman's aren't torturing him too much."

"Eh, he'll be fine," Sam said. "Everybody whose about to get married feels like that. When our Uncle Carmine got married for the fifth time, he puked on his wedding cake."

"Oh yeah, that was disgusting," Melanie nodded.

"We should head downstairs," Carly said, checking the time. "We'll be leaving any minute."

…..

Cary, Sam, and Melanie arrived at the park at about half past nine. Spencer, Freddie, Mrs. Benson and the Dorfman's were already there.

"Wow, this place looks great," Carly said, looking around at the beautiful scenery. "It's so romantic."

"Thanks," Spencer grinned, adjusting his tux. "How do I look?"

"Very snazzy," Carly laughed. "Where's dad?"

"Him and granddad will be here soon. They went to pick up the wedding cake."

Freddie, meanwhile, was ogling Sam, who looked amazing in her light pink bridesmaid gown. Sam noticed this, but instead of yelling at him, she decided to allow it. She did look pretty hot, after all.

"Okay," Spencer said. "Mrs. Benson and Freddie are going to seat people when they get here. I'm going to go wait for the reverend, can you girls go help Ella's sister with the reception stuff?"

"No problem," Carly said. "You still feeling anxious?"

"What me? No way!"

"Dude, you're sweating like a pig," Sam pointed out.

"It's hot!"

"Come on," Carly smiled, grabbing her best friend's wrist. "Let's go help Margaret."

The reception was going to be held on the beach, a short walk from the pavilion where Spencer and Ella were getting married.

"Looks like Margaret got the tables set up," Sam said as they approached the reception area.

"Looks like that's all she did," Carly whispered.

"Oh, finally some one comes," Margaret said as the three girls came over. "I've been slaving away here for over an hour! This maid of honor thing sucks, there's too much to do!"

Margaret was Ella's younger sister. She had hot pink hair and three piercing in each ear and a tattoo of a shower on her chest.

"I thought Ella was making you dye your hair back to blonde before the wedding," Melanie said.

"Eh, she can deal with it," Margaret shrugged. "It's not like I'm the one up there getting married."

"She's going to kill you," Sam pointed out.

"Look, just help me set up the refreshment table. The catering guy is supposed to be here soon to start setting up."

"Where does it go?" Carly sighed.

"By the dance area."

"Dance area?"

"That patch of sand over there!"

While it was no easy task, the four had managed to set up the reception area by ten thirty.

"You guys!" Carly's granddad called to them. "Hurry up! The wedding's going to be starting soon!"

"We're coming, granddad," Carly replied.

The girls headed back to the park, where many guest had begun to arrive and were being led to their seats by either Mrs. Benson or Freddie.

"Hey, you guys," said Socko, Spencer's best man, coming over to greet the teens.

"Hey, Socko," Carly smiled. "Everything going good?"

"Yeah. Well, except, Sam, your family's kind of weird."

"I know."

"Ten minutes!" Ella's mother exclaimed, rushing over. "Socky, you and Margaret get ready. Bridesmaids; find your groomsmen and cozy up!" And with that she hurried away to help the flower girl, one of Sam's cousins' daughters, with her basket.

"Sam, you're family's nuts!" Freddie said, walking over after having finished seating everyone. "That one guy over there asked me if I spoke penguin!"

"Oh, that's just Uncle Groam. He's never been the same after that water skiing incident."

The other two groomsmen, Carly's cousin Tank and Ella's brother Jerome finally arrived. Freddie was obviously going to be with Sam, Carly with Jerome, and Melanie with Tank.

"This wedding better not take forever," Sam muttered as her and Freddie linked arms as the organ began to play. "I'm starving."

Freddie chuckled. "When are you not?"

The flower girl was the first one to walk down the aisle. Since there were boys young enough in either family to be the ring bearer, the couple's wedding bands sat safely beneath the rose petals of the basket. Next Socko and Margaret, then Carly and Jerome, Melanie and Tank, and Sam and Freddie, and than finally; Ella.

She wore a pear-white gown, with lace sleeves and a long veil covering her face, her father escorting her down the aisle. Spencer grinned as his wife-to-be reached the alter. The couple recited their vows, and at last, the reverend pronounced them husband and wife. Cheers and claps, and many hoots and whistles from Ella's side of the family, erupted as the couple leaned in to share their fist kiss as husband and wife.

….

"This is such good pork!" Sam said happily, gulping down the meat at the reception.

"I'm surprised you can taste it the way you're inhaling it," Carly laughed, properly cutting her salmon into bite-sized pieces.

"Years of practice," Sam said, taking another piece of pork off Freddie's plate.

"You know, maybe I actually wanted some of my food," Freddie said, rolling his eyes.

"That sucks for you, then."

"Hey, everyone! Attention!" Margaret yelled, tapping her glass with her spoon. "So apparently I'm supposed to announce the new bride and groom's first dance together, so…Presenting Mr. and Mrs. Spencer Shay!"

Everyone cheered as the bride and groom got up and headed to the dance floor.

"Wow, who knew Spencer could dance so well," Sam whispered.

"Well he has been taking Socko's grandma to the ballets for years, he probably picked up a few things," Carly pointed out.

Once the song ended, other couples began coming onto the dance floor.

"Sam?" Freddie asked.

"No way."

"Oh come on. It'll be fun."

"No."

"But you're a great dancer!"

"That is true," Sam said thoughtfully. "Okay fine. Hold on, though." She reached down and un-strapped her shoes. "Those things were killing me."

Freddie smiled, as him and Sam, who was completely barefooted, made their way onto the dance floor.


	30. Chapter 30

"Thanks for offering to help up pack up, Carly," Mr. Dorfman said to Carly. "We would love to stay longer, but we've got front row tickets to Strawberries on Ice."

"Oh, it's no problem," Carly smiled sweetly.

The wedding had just ended, and the guests were heading to their cars. Spencer and Ella had left a few minutes ago to head off on their honeymoon in Hawaii.

"I'm sleeping over, right Carls?" Sam yawned.

"Yes, Sam," Carly laughed. "But after we start packing my room. We need to decide what stuff we want to move into the apartment."

"But that's so much work!"

…..

Luckily for Carly, the Dorfman's had not bought much with them, so the family managed to be ready to leave in less than half-an-hour.

"We'll call you as soon as we get into Oregon," Faye promised Carly, giving her cousin a hug. "Hey, maybe you could call Spencer and ask if you can come with us; we have plenty of room in the van!"

"Oh, I would love to," Carly lied quickly. "But, um, I'm grounded. Yeah, I stayed out past curfew last weekend, so Spencer told me as my punishment I had to stay in the apartment all week."

"Well, next time then?"

"Oh, absolutely!"

"They really are something," Sam said as they left.

"Yup. Okay, I've got a ton of boxes upstairs. I want to try to get as much packed tonight as possible because I'm spending the day with my dad and granddad tomorrow."

"Can't we watch T.V. first?"

"Sam, we're moving into the apartment in a week!"

'Okay, fine."

"Hey, hey," Freddie said, entering the apartment.

"Oh, good, you can help us," Carly said. "You can carry the boxes of our stuff downstairs and help move the desk and stuff."

"And I'm out of here," Freddie said quickly.

"Freddie!" Carly exclaimed. "There's a lot of stuff! You've got to help us! Please!" she gave him a sad look.

"No, no, no. That doesn't work on me anymore."

Sam got up and gave Freddie a short peck on his lips. "What about now?"

"Yeah, I can help," he said, clapping his hands together. "Come on." He ran upstairs.

Carly laughed. "Nice work, Puckett."

"Eh, I guess dating the doof has its perks."

…..

"Carly, the closet's not going to be big enough to fit all of your shoes," Sam pointed out, watching her best friend toss nearly thirty pairs of shoes into a large box.

"I'll make room."

"Ugh, between you and Melanie, there's going to be nowhere for me to put my shoes, you know."

"You mean your three pairs of converses and one pair of boots?" Carly laughed.

"Yes!"

"Are you guys taking the ice cream love seat?" Freddie asked, heaving a box of Carly's picture frames into the hall.

"Shoosh yeah, that thing's comfy," Sam nodded.

"Oh, bring the little boat table down too," Carly added.

"Guys, this stuff is heavy!"

"You've got muscles, use them," Sam shrugged.

Freddie rolled his eyes, and began dragging the love seat out of the room.

"Wow, it looks really empty in here now," Carly commented, looking around. After nearly three hours of packing, the only things that now remained in the room were her bed, dresser, and vanity, which were too heavy for even Freddie to move, so she planned on calling Sam's uncle Mike, an ex-professional trainer, who could bench 280, to help them before he headed back home.

"Yeah, I never realized how big it was," Sam agreed.

"Are we finally done?" Freddie asked.

"Yup, thanks a lot, Freddie," Carly said gratefully.

"No problem. When are you guys moving into your place?"

"In a week," Sam answered. "Speaking of which-"

"Sam, for the last time, we're not going to get a pet monkey!" Carly exclaimed.

"Why not? Everybody does that in their first apartment!"

"No they don't! If they did we'd have a city full of lose primates!"

"Aren't you bringing your cat, Frothy, with you?" asked Freddie.

"Nah, my mom's too attached to the thing."

"Plus he has rabies," Carly said, yawning. "Whoa. It's already midnight!"

"Really? I'm surprised crazy hasn't been over here looking her Freddiekins," Sam smiled.

"She got stuck working the graveyard shift at the hospital," Freddie explained. "She won't be home until around nine tomorrow."

"Right, well, I'm going to bed," Carly said.

"Guess I'll go too," Freddie said. "Night."

"Night," Carly replied.

"Hey, you want to come over tomorrow and help me pack my stuff?" Sam asked.

"More packing?"

"Well I thought I could talk Melanie into doing it but she said I have to start being more responsible and all. You know, she's lucky she's one of the two people I can't hit, or I would've really laid it on her."

"Yeah, sure, I'll help you," Freddie chuckled.

"You actually didn't have a choice," Sam said.

"Oh, I didn't?" Freddie said playfully.  
"Nope." Sam grinned.

….

"How do you even walk in here?" Freddie asked as he waded through the mess on the floor of Sam and Melanie's room.

"Well, it _was_ clean," Sam pointed out. "But then I was looking for my green shirt this morning and I had to go through the entire closet before I could find it. Luckily Melanie wasn't there or she would've killed me."

"Where is she, anyway?"

"Her old friends from her boarding school drove down today, so they went to the Space Needle."

"Okay," Freddie said. "How much of this stuff are you bringing to the apartment?"

"Mainly clothes," Sam said, beginning to stuff shirts sloppily into a box. "And my numchucks, of course."

"Of course."

Sam, unlike Melanie and Carly, didn't have a huge wardrobe, never being interested in spending time shopping for 'cute' outfits. She was able to fit her clothes into only three boxes, as appose to her two roommates, who took ten boxes each.

"Hey, what's this?" Freddie asked, pulling a red bounded book from underneath the bed.

"Oh, I think it's an old photo album," Sam said, sitting down next to him as he opened it. "Must have been in the closet."

Freddie flipped to the first page. "Aw, is that you as a baby?"

"Maybe. Could be Melanie, I can't tell," Sam shrugged.

"Hey, which one of you is older?"

"It doesn't matter."

"Ha, it's Melanie isn't it?"

"By five minutes," Sam snapped, slapping the back of his head. "And she uses it every chance she gets so don't you start too."

"Is that you in one of your beauty pageants?" Freddie asked, pointing to a picture of a five year old Sam wearing a shiny blue dancing dress.

"Yup. I remember that pageant. I blew everyone away in the talent part, as always, but stupid Leann Carter beat me in the question portion, so she won."

"Didn't you say you called one of the judges a lazy slob one time?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Never mind," Freddie said, shaking his head, grinning.

"This is boring," Sam announced, getting up.

"Fine, what do you want to do?"

"Well," Sam said, pulling a wad of cash out of her pocket. "Melanie stupidly left her wallet out where I could get it last night. I was going to go to the store and stock up on food for the apartment before her and Carly could cram it full of 'healthy junk'."

"Sam, you can't just use Melanie's money like that."

"Sure I can."

"Sam-"

"Fine, I'll put it back. But then you have to take me food shopping instead."

"Eh, I do happen to have a little extra cash," he replied.

"You'd better have more than a little. Momma's starved."


	31. Chapter 31

"Alright, I think that's everything," Carly said, placing the last pillow on her bed. "We're officially moved into the apartment!"

"Yeah, after six hours," Gibby said indignantly. "Sam said it would only take twenty minutes tops."

"Why would you listen to Sam?" Carly asked, rolling her eyes. "Where is that blonde anyway?"

"Making out with Freddie on the balcony," Melanie said, coming into the bedroom.

"Gotcha," Carly nodded.

"Are we all done here?" Gibby asked. "Tasha made me some pudding back at my place."

"You can go," Carly told him. "Thanks for all your help, Gib. Tell Tasha we said hi."

"Will do."

"Wow, the place looks pretty great," Sam said, walking in, followed by Freddie.

"Yes, the three boxes you unpacked really made a difference," Carly said sarcastically.

"Hey, I stocked the fridge!" Sam pointed out.

"With about thirty pounds of raw meat," Melanie said. "Honestly Sam, that stuff isn't healthy for you. I was reading this article on red meat and-"

"Hey, Mel."

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

"Okay, no fighting on our first night in our own apartment," Carly quickly said.

"Whatever," Sam said. "All I know is that I really want meat now."

"Let's order a pizza," Carly suggested. "With extra meat on Sam's half. What do you want on yours, Freddie?"

"Pepperoni's fine."

"Cool. Melanie?"

"Sorry, Carly, but I have to get down to my college for an orientation presentation," Melanie said. "I probably won't be back until around ten, so I'll just grab something from the cafeteria."

"Why's the orientation so early? The semester doesn't start for another three weeks," Sam asked.

"It's for the honors program."

"Of course it is."

"Have fun," Carly said sweetly. "We'll wait up for you."

"That reminds me," Freddie said as Melanie left. "We're supposed to swing by the campus sometime next week to pick up our books."

"Yeah, I got the email," Carly nodded. "How about we go on Wednesday, after we pick Spencer and Ella up from the airport?"

"Ugh, can we stop talking about school?" Sam complained.

"You're not even a little bit excited to be starting college?" Freddie asked.

"Not particularly."

"Okay, we won't talk about anymore until Wednesday," Carly said.

"Thank you."

"We can plan next weeks iCarly instead," she continued. "Remember, we only have two more episodes left until the last one."

"I know, I can't believe it," Freddie said. "We've been doing it for what, five years now?"

"Just about," Sam nodded sadly. "It's gonna be weird not doing it every week."

"Tell me about it," Carly said. "But look at it this way; when we're working at the television studio, we'll be able to come up with more ideas for fun things that people will want to see."

"Yeah, but it won't be the same," Sam sighed.

"Well, I'm sure we'll get used to it," Carly told her. "It just may take some time."

….

"You guys have to go to Hawaii," Ella said to Carly, Sam, Melanie and Freddie as they opened the door to the apartment.

"Yeah, it's amazing," Spencer chimed in, setting his luggage down. "The beaches were amazing, and the hotel we stayed at had a bunch of entertainment down in the lobby each night; we saw fire eaters!"

"Don't get any ideas," Carly warned. "We all know how you and fire are."

"So you're all moved into your apartment then?" Spencer asked his little sister.

"Yup. This will be our fourth night. You should come by and check the place out; you're welcome over any time."

"Aw, thanks kiddo."

"Sooo, did you bring us back any souvenirs?" Sam asked.

"Sam!" Carly scolded.

"It's okay," Ella laughed. "We brought you guys all back something." She opened up her bag and pulled out four packages and tossed one to each of the teens. "Here."

"Wow, they're so pretty, thank you!" Carly and Melanie said as they unwrapped beautiful, authentic Hawaiian leis.

"Yeah, thanks," Sam said, unwrapping her package of coconut-smoked bacon.

"It's so cool," Freddie said, examining his new arrowhead rock.

"No problem, you guys," Spencer said.

"So anything happen while we were gone, besides your big move?"

"Nah, nothing much," Carly shrugged. "We just hung out and worked on planning our iCarly finale."

"Oh, fun," he yawned. "Well, I'm going to go hit the sack. A two AM boarding time really takes it out of you."

"Lucky, you get to sleep," Ella said enviously. "I have to go into work. My stupid boss wouldn't give me the day off."

"Aw, that sucks," Carly said sympathetically to her new sister-in-law. "But we'd better get going too. We're supposed to swing by the college and pick up our books."

"Already?" Ella said. "Semester doesn't start for another three weeks."

"Thank you!" Sam exclaimed.


	32. Chapter 32

"You guys ready?" Freddie asked Sam and Carly.

"Yup," they responded.

"Okay," Freddie nodded, and then for the last time, her said, "In five, four, three, two…"

"Hey iCarly viewers," Carly said to the camera. "And welcome to the last iCarly web show."

Sam pushed the boo button on her remote.

"It is really sad," Carly agreed. "But we worked really hard to make this show extra special! So let's get it started!"

The show lasted longer than it's usual time. The girls started off the show with a new fake commercial for a made up product called the Mystical Juicer, then did the final segments of The Idiot Farm Girl, The Jitters, What Am I Sitting On?, and Baby Spencer. Then they showed some funny videos sent in by fans, all of them saying their goodbyes to the three. They did a new bit with Gibby, in which he and a chocolate lab raced to see who could find a steak bone that Sam had hidden in the studio (the dog won), had some fun with the green screen, and had Spencer show his latest sculpture; an abstract version of Pac Rat.

"Well, it looks like we're winding down," Sam said as Spencer wheeled his sculpture over to the elevator.

"Hang on," Freddie said, hitting a button on his laptop. "I made a little something for you two."

The monitor swung out and a slideshow of the three began playing. The pictures dated all the way back to their very first web show and went until their most recent ones. Towards the end, words replaced the pictures.

_Carly_, the first set read. _You're one of my closest friends, and I've come to think of you as my sister. You let me come over to your place whenever my mom got to be too much to bear, helped me with girl problems, and so much more. Doing iCarly with you and Sam was one of my best experiences of my life and I will miss it. _

"Wow, Freddie," Carly said, smiling sweetly. "That's so thoughtful."

_Sam_, came the next set. _You and I have been through so much. We started out as sworn enemies. You would kick me, punch me, wrestle me to the ground to get my last Fat Cake, tease me, scar me emotionally, and cause me so much stress that I wanted to rip my hair out. Well, here we are five years later, officially a couple, and you still do all of that. And I love it. I don't know why it took me so long to realize it. You're the most amazing girl I've ever met, and doing iCarly with you for so many years has shown me that. You're funny, smart, creative, crazy, and though you'll kill me for putting this on here, beautiful. I love you Sam, and even though iCarly's ending, I know you'll still always make me laugh. _

Carly grabbed Sam's remote and pressed the "Aw" button.

"Always the sap, aren't you Frednub?" Sam said, grinning at her boyfriend. She then mouthed "Thanks."

"And on that note," Carly said. "It looks like the last iCarly has come to an end."

"So to try to keep sane without us," Sam said. "Drink plenty of ketchup."

"Tackle a clown."

"And sail to Mars."

Sam pushed her remote one last time, and the popular "Random Dancing!" began to blare, lights began to flash, and confetti fell from the ceiling as Carly and Sam, soon joined by Spencer, Ella, Gibby, and Freddie (who set the camera on it's tripod), danced like mad, not stopping for nearly five minutes, until Freddie finally grabbed his camera again and announced "we're clear!"

"Awesome show tonight," Spencer said, shaking the confetti out of his hair. "Best yet!"

"I'll say," Freddie said, checking his laptop. "We got our most viewers ever!"

"No way, how many?" Sam questioned eagerly.

"2.1 million!"

"Holy chiz!"

"That's incredible!" exclaimed Carly. "That's almost 800,000 more than last weeks show!"

"Well you guys have a ton of fans," Ella reasoned. "A lot of people probably wanted to see your guy's big send off."

"It feels so weird now," Carly sighed. "We're going to have to clean out the studio now."

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it," Spencer said.

"What are you going to do with all the space?" Freddie asked.

"I dunno; maybe make an art studio or something."

"Good. So you can move that creepy sculpture of the giant eye out of our room then," Ella said.

"What? You don't like Spud?"

"When I get up at three in the morning to pee," she replied. "It's a little unnerving to have a huge pupil following you."

"He watches over us and protects us!"

"From what?"

"Sam and Freddie," he said. "Right after I put him in there, those two tried to sneak in and do another one of their little Wake Up Spencer bits, but that thing scared them away."

"No. It scared Freddie away," Sam corrected him. "I thought it was cool, but Freddie had the camera so we couldn't film."

"Either way, that was one night I got some quality sleep."

"Fine. Them I'm putting up my monkey toy. That scared you, didn't it, Sam?"

"You were afraid of a monkey?" Carly asked her best friend.

"That thing was not a monkey!" Sam defended, slapping Freddie's arm as he began to laugh. "It had fangs and claws and glowing red eyes! And it screamed whenever you touched it. We had to share a room one time when we were visiting our grandma and I tripped over it."

"She nearly had a heart attack."

"I was six!"

"Fine, I'll move Spud out," Spencer conceded. "But Bottle Bot still stays."

"Whatever."

"And my yo-yo sculpture."

"Sure."

"And my headless kitten."

"No!"


	33. Chapter 33

"How do I look?" Carly asked Melanie, coming into the kitchen, sporting a brand new outfit.

"Awesome," Melanie smiled, biting into her bagel, also wearing a new outfit.

The first day of college had finally arrived.

"Is Sam even up yet?" Carly asked, checking her watch. "We have to leave in half-an-hour."

"You know her," Melanie said, rolling her eyes. "You won't get her out of bed until the five-minute mark."

"Sam!" Carly screamed. "Get up!"

"No!"

"See," Melanie sighed.

"Yo, yo," Freddie said, walking through the front door, books in hand.

"Good, you're here," Carly said. "Go get your girlfriend up; she has to get ready."

Freddie frowned. "Do I look suicidal?"

"Just go!"

"Fine," he said. "But if I start college with a black eye, I'm blaming you, Shay."

Carly just chuckled as Freddie headed to the bedroom.

"Sam," Freddie said.

"Sleeping," she muttered from her top bunk.

"Yes, that's why you're talking to me," he said sarcastically.

"I still have twenty-one minutes until I need to get up, Benson, so get out."

"Come on, it's the first day of college!"

"Whoo-hoo," she muttered, turning over.

Sighing, Freddie pulled himself up onto the edge of Sam's bed. "Come on, Sammy," he said, pulling the sheets back. "Up."

"I told you not to call me that," she grumbled sleepily, trying to feel around for her covers with her eyes still shut.

"Nice pajamas," Freddie commented, looking at the lounge pants his girlfriend had on, which were covered with cartoon hams.

"Shut up."

"Not until you get up."

"Give me back my blanket."

"No."

"Benson, you're really asking for it."

"Just get up, Sam."

"Fine," she said, finally sitting up, kicking him off the edge of her bed, and sending him falling to the ground. "Whoops." She grinned happily.

"Yeah, thanks for that" he cringed, rubbing his elbow.

"Oh, man up," Sam laughed, climbing down. She looked at his elbow. "It doesn't hurt."

"How would you know?"

"Because I know everything, that's how."

"Oh really," Freddie laughed, pulling her in close to him.

"Yes, really," Sam said playfully, standing on her toes to kiss him "I'm just that brilliant."

"Are you?" Freddie smiled, returning Sam's kiss with a deeper one, wrapping his arms around her waist.

Sam twister her arms around his broad shoulders, still kissing him.

"Nice job, Freddie," Carly said from the doorway. "I send you in here to wake her up and you just make out with her."

"Hey, she's up, isn't she?" Freddie defended himself.

"I made bacon," Carly said, ignoring Freddie. "But unless you're ready to go in the next twenty minutes I'm tossing it off the balcony."

That got Sam moving. She unwrapped herself from Freddie, grabbed some clothes from the closet and ran into the bathroom.

"I _am_ impressed you got her up," Carly said to Freddie. "No one's ever managed to do that without the help of five other people."

"I guess I'm just that brilliant," he said proudly.

…

"It was so nice of Daniel to give us as many classes as possible together," Carly said as she pulled into a parking space.

"Which means we have all our classes together," Sam said happily. "Freddicini got stuck in two computer classes without us."

"It's no big deal, we still have all our breaks together," Freddie said.

"Yeah, that's what I'm going to love about college," Sam said, taking a look at her schedule. "Look at this! We have an hour between our first two classes!"

"We're going to need that time to study, Sam," Carly told her.

"Right, like I'm going to study."

"Anyway," Carly said. "Sam, you and I have our writing class first, and Freddie has his graphic design class, so why don't we meet by the library afterwards?"

"Sounds good," Freddie nodded. "See you then."

He gave Sam a quick hug (they weren't fans of PDA), and headed to the building on the other side of the campus.

…..

Freddie got into the class right at eight. Most of the seats were already taken, so he took the first empty one he saw, which was right next to a tall blonde girl.

"Hi," she whispered as he took out his laptop.

"Hey," he said quickly. "Is the professor here yet?"

"Nah, Professor Neckbaum is notorious for being late. I'm Heather, by the way."

"Freddie."

"I know. My sister and I watch iCarly all the time."

"Oh, cool," he smiled.

"I was so sad when you guys did your last episode last week. I think I cried."

"Yeah, we were pretty bummed about it too. But it was just going to be too hard to balance going to college with all the planning that goes into the show."

"I understand," Heather said.

Professor Neckbaum came into class about ten minutes late, mumbling apologies under his breath as he began the class.

Freddie knew all of what the professor talked about that class, but from the looks on the test of the students' faces, it seemed like they were going to be struggling.

"Alright, I suppose that's all we have time for today," Professor Neckbaum finally said after nearly an hour. "I'll be available if you have any questions about the lecture in my office Wednesday from noon until seven."

"Whoa, that was a pretty intense class," Heather said as she put away her laptop. "I don't think I understood one thing that man said."

"He did speak kind of fast," Freddie said.

"Well you probably got everything. It seemed like most of what he was describing was done on iCarly as some point, right?"

"Um, I guess," Freddie said as he began walking towards the library, a little uncomfortable with how close Heather was walking to him.

"Hey, I know! Would you be able to tutor me some time? If you want to, that is. I could really use the help."

"Well, um, I-"Freddie started.

"You don't have to give me answer right now," Heather said quickly. She pulled out a slip of paper from her pocket and scribbled something on it.

"Here's my number. Just give me a call when you make up her mind."

She gave him a fleeting smile, and then turned towards the cafeteria.

….

"I think I'm really going to like this class," Carly said, waiting by the library with Sam for Freddie.

"Yeah, even I've got to say it didn't suck," Sam agreed. "Professor Rickmen seems better than Ms. Briggs, at least."

"True. And her boobs aren't nearly as pointy."

"Where's Freddie already?" Sam asked, checking her phone. "I thought his class was supposed to get out before ours."

"He has to walk all the way across campus," Carly reminded her. "Oh, look! There he is now."

"Finally," Sam said, spotting Freddie coming towards them. "Hey, who's that blonde chick he's walking with?"

"I don't know," Carly said. "Probably just someone he met in the class."

"She's walking awfully close to him."

"Sam," Carly said. "Freddie loves you; you've got to trust him."

"I trust him," Sam said, frowning. "It's that bimbo I don't trust. Wait, what's she giving him? She just handed him a slip of paper."

"Maybe directions to his next class?"

"His next class is with us; and we all know where it is."

"Hey guys," Freddie said, approaching the girls. "How was your writing class?"

"It was so great," Carly replied. "Even Sam liked it."

"Really? Wow, Sam, you mean you didn't fall asleep in a class for once in your life?"

"Haha, so funny," Sam sneered. "Looks like you had fun in your class."

"What do you mean?"

"Who was that hot blonde you were walking with just a minute ago?"

"You mean Heather? I don't think she's hot, Sam. She's just a fan of iCarly who was in my class."

"Oh," Sam said, feeling a little better. "Well, what did she give you?"

"Her phone number. She wanted to know if I could tutor her sometime," Freddie said. "But I'm not going to call her, if you don't want me to."

"You can call her," Sam said quietly. "I just thought that she was flirting with you or something. I don't care if you just tutor her."

"Wow, were you jealous?" Freddie asked, grinning cockily.

"No!"

"Yeah, you were," he said, grinning even wider.

"Oh please. That's the one good thing about dating you: I never have to worry about any other girls finding you attractive."

"Hey, I'm very attractive!"

"Okay, guys," Carly said, diffusing the soon-to-be epic argument. "You're both very attractive. Let's go explore the campus a little before we have to get to our next class."

"Can we go look in the cafeteria?" Sam asked. "Mama's starved."

"Surprise, surprise," Freddie laughed, rolling his eyes.


	34. Chapter 34

"Ugh, why do I still have to take math?" Sam groaned, flipping through her textbook. "What use will I have for it as a script writer for a T.V. company?"

"It's still important to know," Carly told her friend. "Come on, it's not that hard."

"It's still stupid."

"Well just do it," she laughed. "As soon as you get through that section me, you and Melanie can drive over to Spencer and Ella's; Spence is making spaghetti tacos."

Sam had finally finished her section and the three girls piled into Carly's car.

"What? I thought you left for good!" Lewbert screamed as they stepped into Bushwell Plaza.

"Hi to you too, Lewb," Carly said, rolling her eyes as she started for the stairs.

Freddie was already at the apartment, sitting with Spencer on the couch watching Celebrities Under Water.

"Hasn't that show been canceled yet?" Sam said as the girls entered.

"Shhh, Aaron Carter has been under for almost three minutes," Spencer hushed them. "Come on, only ten more seconds to beat Sir Mixs A lot!"

"They've been glued to that show all day," Ella explained, coming downstairs. "I personally think it's stupid. Now if they were to add some jellyfish to the tank…"

"Or sharks," Sam added, smiling at the thought.

"Then we'd have a show," Ella laughed, high-fiving her cousin.

"Yes! He did it!" Freddie cheered as Aaron Carter was proclaimed the show's winner. "Knew nobody could beat him! Hey, when did you three get here?"

"Idiot," Sam muttered, shaking her head.

"You guys hungry?" Spencer asked, turning off the T.V.. "I made a ton of spaghetti tacos."

"You know it," Sam said, heading straight for the table. "Do we have any garlic bread?"

"In the oven," Ella said. "Hey! Get your hands off the tacos! We have to wait for them to cool."

"Anyway," Freddie said. "Guess what I got?"

"A new rash?" Sam guessed, still eyeing the tacos.

"No!" Freddie exclaimed.

"A new mole?"

"Sam!"

"Fine, what did you get?"

"I," Freddie said proudly. "Bought myself a car."

"No way!" Sam said, finally shifting her focus to her boyfriend. "When?"

"This morning. I bought if from that second-hand place next to the Pottery Barrel."

"What kind is it?" Melanie asked.

"A 2004 Lexus," he shrugged. "It need's a new paint job, and there's some stains on the back seat, but the point is I finally got my own ride!"

"Eh, I guess that does make you kind of more appealing," Sam grinned. "Now you get to take me wherever I want."

"I'll show it to you guys after dinner," Freddie said.

"What did your mom say about it," Carly questioned.

"Well…She's kind of going through a mental breakdown right now. She says that the car's seatbelts aren't up to Aggressive Parenting's standards, and that the radio's frequency is going to cause me to crash, but she'll have to get used to it. I'm sick of taking the bus everywhere!"

"Is that why she was nearly pulling her hair out when I passed her in the hall today?" Ella asked, pulling the garlic bread out of the oven. "Okay, guys. You can all eat."

Sam rushed right over to the table and grabbed two spaghetti tacos.

"These are so good!" she exclaimed, her moth filled with pasta. "I've missed them so much!"

"Yeah, I just can't used the fact that our fridge isn't continually stocked with these," Carly said.

"There wouldn't even be any room," Melanie pointed out. "Sam's got so stuffed with meat."

"Well if you would just listen to me and buy a second fridge-"

"No," Carly and Melanie said firmly.

Once the meal had finished and Spencer passes out cupcakes he had picked up at the Groovy Smoothie, the group settled on the couch.

"So, guys," Spencer said, sitting down on the arm of Ella's chair. "We have something to tell you."

"Did you find my hot dog Sam hid in the studio last year?" Freddie asked.

"Um, no," Spencer replied. "But I'm guessing that would be the weird smell coming from there."

"What do you want to tell us?" Carly asked her brother.

"Well," Spencer said. "Ella and I, er, we are, um, kind of-"

"I'm pregnant," Ella cut in.

"Oh my God!" Carly shrieked. "Really? This is so great! I'm going to be an Aunt! Oh my God!"

"Wow, congratulations!" Melanie said.

"Yeah, you guys are going to make awesome parents," Freddie nodded.

"Definitely," Sam agreed. "When's the baby due?"

"May," Spencer replied.

"So does little baby Shay get my old room?" Carly questioned.

"Yup. Although, I guess we'll have to paint it if it's a boy."

"When do you find out the sex?" Melanie asked.

"The doctor said he won't be able to tell for a few more months," Ella explained.

"Well, I say we need to celebrate," Carly announced. "So why don't we head down and buy some smoothies? It's on me"

"Sure thing, kiddo," Spencer laughed.


	35. Chapter 35

It was a little after midnight, and Sam climbed the steps to get to her, Carly and Melanie's apartment. Freddie and her had gone to the movies to see the newest Mackie Ran movie, upon Sam's request, and then went to get some ice cream at Pink Bunny. Normally, Freddie would've walked Sam up to her place, as he did every other date, but his mother had mental breakdowns whenever her son stayed out past eleven, so Sam told him to floor his way home before Mrs. Benson called the secret service. Again.

Pulling her key out of her jeans pocket, Sam unlocked the door and let herself in.

"Hey," she said to her sister, who was sitting on the couch watching some romantic comedy. "Where's Carls?"

"She's spending the night at Spencer's; she wanted to help transform her old room into the baby's."

"What? The baby's not due for another seven and a half months, why is she worrying about this now?"

Melanie shrugged. "You know Carly. So how was your date?"

"Fine. I may not be allowed back to Pink Bunny for awhile, but other than that…"

Melanie rolled her eyes. "I don't know how we can be related."

"Eh, I try not to think about that too much," Sam replied, plopping down next to her. "So which dumb movie is this?"

"It's _500 Dresses_, and it's really good. You missed the best part, though, and now it's almost over."

"I'll live," Sam mumbled. "Anyway, I thought Riley was coming over."

"He did. He left about an hour ago. We broke up, by the way."

"Oh," Sam said uncertainly. "I'm…sorry?"

"It's fine," Melanie laughed. "We ended everything on great terms. We're still going to be friends and all. We just didn't think that we were compatible as boyfriend and girlfriend anymore. Besides, there's this other boy, Dylan, in my Calculus class at school, who I think kind of likes me. And he's really cute."

"I don't trust your rating of 'cute'," Sam told her. "I still remember back in first grade when you said that Hinkey Williams was cute."

"Hinkey was cute," Melanie defended. "And even you would say that Dylan is cute. Here, see for yourself." She pulled out her cell phone and flipped to a picture of a smiling dark-haired young man with sun-kissed skin. Sam grinned. "Wow, for once you picked a guy that doesn't make me want to hurl."

"Well you can meet him tomorrow. He's coming over to study."

"Tell him not to wear a shirt," Sam said, still staring at the phone.

"Right," Melanie said. "Anyway, you want to do something? We've got the whole place to ourselves."

"We could-" Sam started.

"Nothing illegal."

"Why? I'm bored. I can't think of any legal ways to entertain myself."

"We could play _Jenga_?"

Sam looked at her sister. "You still have that game?"

"Of course. It was our favorite thing in the world to do when we were little."

"Yeah, I remember," Sam said, shocked that her sister would save the game all these years. "We used to sneak out of bed every night and play until morning. Granted, I usually won…"

"When did you ever win? I beat you every time! And then you would get mad and build up the tower just to knock it down again!"

"Go get the game!" Sam demanded. "We'll just see."

...

"Okay, now I think I'm supposed to let the sauce just simmer there," Carly said, watching the bubbly red tomato sauce in her pan. "What does the recipe say to add next Sam? Sam!"

"Wha-?" the blonde jumped, starting awake.

"You're supposed to be reading me that spaghetti recipe," Carly sighed.

"Why are you so tired anyway?" Freddie asked from the table, where he was typing a paper.  
"Because her and Melanie stayed up until eight this morning playing that game with the falling blocks," Carly told him.

"_Jenga_," Sam yawned. "And I won."

"Yes, congratulations," Carly laughed. "Now read!"

"Okay, okay. Add half a teaspoon of pepper and a quarter teaspoon of garlic salt and then add the meatballs."

"Carly, something on the stove is boiling over," Freddie said to the brunette.

"Ah! My noodles!" Carly exclaimed, running over to the pot and lowering the heat.

"And this is why we don't cook," Sam said.

"Well we can't keep living on take-out," Carly replied.

"Maybe you can't."

"Besides, _you_ actually know how to cook, Sam. You're just too lazy."

"It's true," Freddie nodded. "The girl does make a mean pork stir-fry."

"You need any help Carly?" Melanie asked, walking into the kitchen.

"Nah. I'm pretty much done. Wow, you look nice."

"Thanks," Melanie replied, smoothing down her light pink dress. "You think Dylan will like it?"

"Sure," Carly smiled. "When's he coming, anyway?"

"Any minute now."

As if planned, there was a knock at the door. Melanie hurried off to answer it, and a minute later came back with Dylan.

"Dylan, this is my sister Sam, and our friend Carly," Melanie introduced him. "And that's Freddie, Sam's boyfriend."

"Hey," Dylan greeted them.

Carly and Sam mumbled an incoherent 'hello' and continued to stare at the attractive male in front of them.

Freddie frowned, but said nothing.

"Well, we're going to go start studying out on the balcony," Melanie said. "Come on, Dylan."

"It was great meeting you all," he said politely, following Melanie out.

"Oh my God!" Carly squealed once they left. "Sam, you were right, he's gorgeous!"

"Isn't he? Did you see his hair? It's so-"

"I'm sitting right here," Freddie said loudly.

"Eh, relax Freddifer," Sam said. "You're still better looking."

"Thank you," he said, satisfied.

"Maybe to you," Carly said, craning her neck to try to get a look at Dylan out on the balcony. "Oh, his biceps are so perfect!"

…

Dylan left the apartment at a little past ten.

"So, are you guys a couple?" Carly asked as soon as Dylan left.

"Not quite yet," Melanie admitted. "We're just casual right now. He invited me over to his place to study tomorrow, so we'll see how that goes. But he did tell me I looked pretty tonight!"

"Aw," Carly grinned. Then she sighed. "Man, I really need a boyfriend."

"Well you rejected that one guy who asked you out last week," Sam pointed out.

"Yes," Carly said. "Because he wanted to know if he could take a strand of my hair to use for DNA processing!"

…

It was Friday night, and Sam was at Freddie's apartment. Mrs. Benson was co-hosting a seminar about hygiene-related illnesses at a nearby hotel, and wouldn't be back for at least three more hours, so the couple decided to take advantage of this time alone.

"You're getting better at this," Sam laughed between Freddie's kisses, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Lots of practice," Freddie grinned, as he continued to kiss his blonde girlfriend passionately.

"Hey," Sam said suddenly, pulling away. "I just remembered. I'm supposed to send in my paper for my writing class by eight, and it's," she looked at her phone. "Already seven fifty."

"No worries," Freddie said. "You can use my laptop. Wait, you did remember to save it on that USB I gave you though, right?"

"Yes," Sam replied, pulling the shiny purple USB that Freddie had bought for her out of her pocket.

"You see, I told you that would come in handy," Freddie said happily, handing Sam his laptop.

"Just go get me some soda," Sam told him.

"What? Can't admit I was right?" he asked smugly, walking over to his fridge and pulling out an organic soda substitute that his mom had gotten from the health store.

"What is this?" Sam asked, staring at the healthy label of the can Freddie handed to her. "Organic soda? Only a complete freak would drink this?"

"My mom thinks that regular soda leads to death or something along those lines," Freddie sighed.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

"Who's that?" Sam asked.

"Oh yeah, I forgot," Freddie said. "I'm supposed to tutor Heather tonight."

"That blonde chick?"

"You're blonde too," Freddie pointed out. "So you saying 'blonde chick' is kind of-"

"Yeah, yeah. Why are you tutoring her here? Why not just go to the library?"

"The campus's library has really slow Internet connection," Freddie explained. "Wait, I thought you said you were okay with me tutoring her."

"I am," Sam said.

"You're welcome to stay."

"I think I will," Sam nodded.

Freddie walked over to the door and let in Heather.

"Hey Freddie," she said brightly, walking into the room. "Nice apartment."

"Thanks," Freddie said. "Well, Sam, this is Heather. Heather, that's Sam."

"I know who she is," Heather replied, smiling. "I told you I loved iCarly." She turned to Sam. "You are probably the funniest person I've ever seen. I loved all those pranks you came up with for that Messin' With Lewbert bit."

"Thanks," she said, staring at the tall blonde-haired girl, wearing a rather tight pair of jeans and a pink tank top.

"And when you two finally announced that you were a couple," she continued. "Me and my sister screamed from happiness. We were rooting for you two all along."

She set her laptop down on the coffee table next to Sam's unopened beverage.

"Oh, is that that organic soda? I love that stuff!"

"Of course you do," Sam smirked.


	36. Chapter 36

"I'm telling you guys, that bimbo is trying to steal Freddie," Sam fumed to Carly and Melanie after she had gotten back from Freddie's.

"Sam, you're being paranoid. He's just tutoring her," Carly reasoned.

"That's what he thinks," Sam said. "But she's just really plotting to woo him in!"

"Or maybe she just wants to pass her class," Melanie suggested.

Sam pondered this for a second. "Nope," she decided. "She wants Freddie."

"Sam-" Carly started.

"You didn't see her at his place," Sam cut her off. "She wore this really trampy outfit and sat practically on top of him! And then she laughed after everything he said. Oh, and towards the end, she leaned over him to get her bag and _purposely _brushed her stupid hair against his face. This girl was doing some hard core flirting!"

"Well," Melanie said. "Okay. Let's just say _hypothetically_ that this girl does have a thing for Freddie. Freddie wouldn't act on it!"

"Yeah," Carly agreed. "Freddie's crazy about you. Besides, I've seen Heather. You're ten times hotter than she is."

"That's true," Sam nodded.

"And I mean, you said she was a huge fan of iCarly, right?" Carly continued.

"So?"

"Well, maybe you're just misinterpreting her actions as flirting, when really she's just really excited to be talking to the guy who worked on her favorite web show."

"I still don't like her," Sam mumbled.

"Yes, well, you hate humanity, don't you?" Carly laughed.

"I don't hate humanity. Just most of the people that make it up."

…

"Come on, just let me start looking at names with you guys," Carly pleaded Ella and Spencer.

"Carls, chill," Ella said. "Spencer and I aren't going to even think about names right now. We're focusing more on the financial stuff."

"Yeah, do you know how much it costs to have a baby?" Spencer asked, looking at a long list.

"I don't know, a thousand bucks?" Sam guessed.

"Try twenty thousand just in the first year," said Ella.

"Wait, wait, wait," Sam said, putting down the chocolate bar she had been eating." You're telling me that a tiny, seven pound baby costs that much!"

"Well, yeah, when you factor in doctor visits, diapers, formula, clothes, the car seat, stroller, and a ton of other stuff," Spencer said.

"Yeah, didn't you pay attention to that health project we did back in tenth grade?" Freddie asked.

"I took a health class?"

"Anyway," Ella continued. "With the way Spencer's sculpture's have been selling, we look pretty much set for awhile. Of course, we'll obviously have to make a few minor setbacks, like no more pedicures for Spence."

"You get pedicures?" Carly asked her brother, as Sam and Freddie both burst out laughing.

"It was supposed to be a secret!" Spencer hissed at his wife.

"Just like your book club?" Carly grinned.

"Okay, now that we're done playing 'Humiliate Spencer'," Spencer said loudly. "Will one of you go and pick up the pizza that we ordered?"

"I'll go," Freddie volunteered.

"Me too," Sam said, grabbing the keys from Freddie's hand. "But Mama's driving."

"No way, Sam! I just got that car, I'm not going to let you wreck it."

"Um, excuse me. How many times did it take me to get my license?"

"One," Freddie answered reluctantly.

"And how many times did you have to take the test?"

"Four," he replied, bowing his head. "Okay, fine, drive. But you'd better actually stop at the stop signs!"

"Eh, we'll see."

"They're really some couple, aren't they," Ella commented as the two closed the door behind them.

"Yup," Carly agreed.

"Hey, I didn't want to say anything while they were here," Ella said. "But I saw some girl come out of the Benson's apartment the other night, do you know anything about that, Carly?"

"Tall and blonde? Probably carrying a laptop?"

"Yeah," Ella nodded.

"That's just Heather," Carly explained. "She's some girl from Freddie's computer class that he's tutoring."

"She looks pretty hot, does Sam know about it?"

"Yeah, she's actually usually there when she's over, but the last time she had to help Melanie set up their mom's new treadmill."

"You mean she's okay with it?"

"Well," Carly admitted. "She's sort of jealous. She thinks that Heather is trying to woo Freddie in or something, which I told her was completely ridiculous. I told her she was just being paranoid, don't you think?"

Ella crossed her arms. "I actually don't blame her."

"What?"

"Look," Ella sighed. "You can't tell her I told you any of this. But, well, the men in her life haven't always been there for her, if you catch my drift."

"Wait, are you talking about her dad?" Carly asked.

She nodded. "She's never been loved unconditionally by a guy. He just left her when she was little. And even when he was around the guy barely paid any attention to her. And most of the guys her mom dates wind up leaving after a few dates for some other woman."

"I didn't think about that," Carly said softly.

"I'm not saying Freddie would ever cheat on her," Ella told her. "But I'm just saying that it's going to take some time before she can realize that not every guy is like the ones she's been around before, and I think she's pretty close with Freddie; I've never seen her so happy."

"Maybe I should have a little talk with him," Spencer suggested.

"No, don't!" Ella said. "Like I said, you can't tell her I said any of this, and Freddie can't keep secrets, you know that!"

"I don't think that girl is after anything anyway," Carly said. "Sam will see that eventually."

"Right," Ella nodded.


	37. Chapter 37

"Come on, stupid thing," Carly mumbled under her breath as she pressed a bunch of buttons on the new blender in the kitchen. "Turn on. Turn on for Carly."

There was a knock at the door. "It's Freddie," he called from outside.

"It's open," Carly called, not taking her attention away from the appliance in front of her.

"What are you doing?" he asked, walking into the kitchen.

"Trying to make myself a smoothie."

"Uh huh, and how's that coming?" he asked, amused.

"It won't turn on!" she exclaimed, frustrated. "I've pushed every button on here at least a dozen times, and it still won't- Ahhh!"

The blender had suddenly decided to turn on, and since Carly had neglected to put the lid on, the smoothie went flying all over the kitchen.

"I think you forgot to put the lid on," Freddie said, wiping the mixture off of his nose.

"Yes, thank you Freddie," Carly snapped, examining her shirt, which was now completely stained with pink. "Great, now I'm going to have to change. This cooking thing just isn't for me."

"Where's Sam?" Freddie asked.

"Still asleep, as usual," Carly replied, grabbing a clean shirt from the laundry basket sitting on the couch. "Go wake her up. I'll be in the bathroom."

Freddie nodded, and headed back to the bedroom, as he did every morning when Sam refused to wake up.

"Alright, Puckett, rise and shine," he said, flicking on the light.

Sam stirred, but unlike every other day, she didn't strike back with a cruel comment.

"Sam, we've got to leave in ten minutes," he said, climbing up and sitting at the edge of his girlfriend's bed. "Come on. You've got to see the kitchen; Carly tried to make a smoothie and it exploded all over the place."

Sam groaned, and rolled over. "Go away," she muttered.

"Sam, you've got to get used to waking up before noon," Freddie said, rolling his eyes.

Sam let out a loud cough.

"Are you alright?" he asked, concerned.

"Let me sleep."

"Hold on. Sit up. Let me feel your forehead."

Sighing, Sam sat up, letting out another loud series of coughs.

"Sam, you have a fever," Freddie told her, placing his hand on her forehead.

"Good. Now let me sleep."

"It seems pretty high," Freddie said, frowning. "You should take some medicine."

"No. That stuff tastes horrible."

"But you seem really sick," he replied. "You're eyes are red and you're shaking. Does anything hurt?"

"My stomach and head."

"What's going on?" Carly asked, coming into the room.

"Sam's sick," Freddie answered, his eyes never leaving the blonde. "Do you guys have a thermometer?"

"Yeah, I'll go get it," Carly said.

"Lie back down," Freddie said gently, kissing her forehead. "You don't look too good."

"Gee, way to be charming," Sam said weakly, but she obliged.

"Here," Carly said, coming back into the room, handing Freddie an ear thermometer.

Freddie brushed away a few of Sam's locks and placed the device in her ear. After a few seconds, it beeped, and he removed it. "103.6," he announced.

"Whoa, Sam, you must feel awful!" Carly exclaimed.

"Does that mean I get to stay home?" she asked through a fit of coughs.

"Of course you're staying home," Carly told her. "And I guess I'll stay with you and-"

"I'll stay with her," Freddie said.

"Are you sure?" Carly asked.

"Yeah. All I have today are my computer classes, and I already know everything the professors are talking about this week."

"Well, okay," Carly agreed. "Get some rest, Sam. Freddie, call Melanie and ask her to pick up some more medicine from the drug store on the way home."

"Will do."

Carly bid them both goodbye, and left the couple alone.

"You want anything?" Freddie asked.

"I'm tired," Sam muttered.

"I know you are," Freddie said, smiling. "Go back to sleep. When you wake up I'll make you some soup."

He began to lower himself back onto the floor, but Sam grabbed his hand. "Thanks," she said softly, and her closed her eyes.

Freddie grinned. "No problem, Princess Puckett."


	38. Chapter 38

"Feeling any better?" Freddie asked Sam as she trudged into the living room.

"A little," she mumbled, lying down on the couch. "I still feel like butt."

"You want anymore soup? There's still some on the stove."

"I don't feel like eating anything," she replied. "Do you realize how screwed up that is?"

"I do," he said, smiling a little. "Melanie just called, and said she's going to be home in a few minutes with some medicine-"

"Which I'm still refusing to take."

"Sam, come on, do you _want_ to stay sick?"

"Well, I would get to stay home from class…"

"But just think," Freddie reasoned. "Your appetite would still be shot. What about all that ham in the fridge calling your name and-"

"Okay, fine! I'll take the stupid medicine! God, you're annoying."

"Thank you," Freddie said smugly.

Freddie went back to the code he was working on from his laptop. He noticed that Sam had become quiet again, and when he looked over at his girlfriend, he noticed that it was because she went back to sleep. She really did look beautiful…

"I'm home," Melanie called, coming through the front door.

"Hey," Freddie greeted her. "You got the medicine?"

"Yup. Bought the last box. Is Sam sleeping?"

"Yeah, she just came out from your room. I think her fever's down a little from this morning, but it still seems high."

"There's no sense in waking her up now," Melanie decided, feeling her sister's forehead. "I'll give her the medicine when she wakes up. Thanks for missing your classes to stay with her, though."

"No problem. At least tomorrow's Saturday, so that won't be an issue. Hopefully she'll be feeling better by then."

"I hope so too. If she's not better by Monday, she'll be really behind in her classes. Luckily Carly's going to bring back her work today-"

"She's what?" Sam exclaimed, suddenly jerking awake.

"Have you been awake this whole time?" Freddie asked, slightly surprised by Sam's abrupt outburst.

"I've been drifting in and out," she shrugged, sitting herself up. "And do you really expect me to do work? Here I am, sitting on my deathbed-"

"You don't have to do it tonight, Sam," Melanie told her, rolling her eyes at her sister's dramatic reasoning. "But you're not in high school anymore, you really have to keep up with your work. Now, hold on and I'll get your medicine."

"But I don't want-"

"Remember the ham," Freddie said, grinning at her.

"I hate you, Benson."

"Love you too, Sam."

…

"You know, once you get past his weird accent and sweaty pit stains, Professor Mearton really isn't that bad," Carly commented as her, Sam and Freddie walked out of their algebra class.

"I still can't believe you made me come today," Sam said as she crammed her notebook into her messy backpack.

"Sam, you're temperature is normal, and you ate an entire ham last night. You're fine."

Sam stuck her tongue out at her best friend, but said nothing.

"Freddie!" came a voice from behind the trio. They turned around and saw Heather jogging towards them.

"Oh, hey Heather," Freddie said as Sam roller her eyes. She still didn't like the girl. "You haven't met Carly yet, have you?"

"No, but wow, I'm such a huge fan! You're so funny! I wish you guys didn't end the show, though."

"Thanks," Carly smiled. "But we figured it would just be too hard to balance with college and everything."

"I guess your right," Heather nodded. "Anyway, Freddie, it was too bad we had to cancel that tutoring session on Friday, but I was wondering if you wouldn't mind doing it tonight."

"Um, tonight sounds good," Freddie replied. "And I'm sorry about Friday; Sam was sick, and I wanted to make sure she was okay."

"Oh, well, I hope you're feeling better, Sam," she said sympathetically. "I've got to get going. See you tonight, Freddie."

"I've got to go too," Freddie said as Heather headed away in the opposite direction. "My class starts in five minutes and it's all the way across campus. I'll see you guys in the parking lot." He gave Sam a quick hug and hurried off to his last class of the day.

Carly and Sam didn't have anymore classes that day, but seeing as they had all driven in Freddie's car that morning (Spencer borrowed Carly's car to go to the junkyard and get supplies for a sculpture he was working on), so they walked over to the cafeteria to wait for him.

"Heather seems nice," Carly said, grabbing a cup of coffee from the vendor. "But totally ugly," she added at the sight of Sam's glare.

"She's not ugly, Carls," Sam sighed.

"But I meant what I said, you _are_ a lot prettier than her. Freddie would never go for someone like that."

"Yeah well, he'd better not," Sam replied, grabbing a roast beef sandwich. "Or him and that bimbo are in for a world of pain."

"There you go," Carly laughed. "Anyway, guess what? Spencer told me that tomorrow Ella and Spencer are going to find out the gender of the baby!"

"Really? What do you think it will be?"

"I hope it's a girl, so I can take it shopping for clothes and all that cute stuff when she gets older, but I would be happy with a boy. I just want it to be healthy."

"Hey, how am I related to the baby? I mean, Ella's my cousin, so would it be my second cousin? Or like, my first cousin once removed or something?"

"I dunno," Carly said thoughtfully, taking a sip of her drink. "I think it's the kids of the cousins that are second cousins, but I may be wrong…What does once removed mean anyway?"

"No clue," Sam shrugged, biting into her sandwich. "But it makes the baby sound like a wart or something."

"Gross, Sam, now I have images of Lewbert in my head. Thanks a lot!"

"No problem."


	39. Chapter 39

December came round, and for Carly, Sam and Freddie, that meant that their first semester of college was coming to end, which also meant that exams were now coming up.

"Sam, are you going to do that all night?" Carly asked her best friend. Sam was currently playing Violin Hero while her and Freddie had books spread out all over the table, trying to prepare for next week's tests.

"I'm only five thousand points away from the high score!" Sam reasoned. "Yeah! Super Solo!"

"Sam, you've got to pass these tests," Freddie tried to explain.

"I will!"

"How? You haven't opened any of your books yet!"

"Eh, worst case scenario I'll pay Melanie to take them for me," she shrugged, putting down the plastic violin as the song ended.

"Sam, that won't work," Carly told her, rolling her eyes.

"Why? It did before. Remember when she came up in ninth grade? She took that big math test for me. I blackmailed her; I had found her diary."

"Ahha! I knew you didn't do better on that test than me!" Freddie said triumphantly. "In your face!"

"Could you nub it down? I'm going to take a nap."

"What? No!" Carly exclaimed, jumping up and grabbing Sam's wrist. "You are going to sit here and study!"

"When did you become my wife," Sam moaned, reluctantly sitting down.

"Just read," Carly chuckled. She checked her phone. "Okay, I'm going to go and pick up the Chinese food. Freddie, make sure she _actually_ studies."

"Will do," Freddie nodded.

"Will do," Sam mimicked.

"Come on, it's only four subjects, Sam," Freddie said as Carly left. "It's better than the seven we had in high school."

"Yeah, but these are ten times harder," Sam muttered, flipping through her textbook. "You know what; I think I'll just wing the exams." She closed the book.

"Sam, you can't-"

"My mind is made up, Benson," she said firmly, crossing her arms.

"Fine," Freddie shrugged. "But until you start studying…I'm not going to make out with you anymore."

"Oh no, there's a tragedy," Sam said sarcastically. "Whatever will I do?"

"You know you'd miss it," he said, cockily grinning. "You practically jumped me that weekend I came back from visiting family with my mom."

"Don't flatter yourself. Besides, you couldn't go long with out any lovin' from Mama."

"Is that really a chance you're willing to take?" he asked, raising an eyebrow, trying to keep a straight face. Truth was, he had a feeling she was right, but hopefully she wouldn't see through his bluff…

Sam glared at him, narrowing her eyes. With much detest, she reached for her textbook and opened it again. "We never speak of this again," she snapped as she began to read.

…

"Longest test of my life," Sam said, walking out of her last exam with Carly. "I think my hand cramped up from writing so much."

"I know what you mean," Carly nodded in agreement, massaging her own fingers. "I could really use a smoothie. Why don't we find Freddie and head over and see if T-bo's got any new flavors for us to try?"

"Sounds good, Shay," Sam said, rubbing her stomach. "Hopefully he brought back that pickle flavored one…that was the best."

"There Freddie is now," Carly chuckled.

"Oh goody," Sam said. "He brought the bimbo along."

Sure enough, Heather was walking right alongside Freddie.

"Sam, don't say anything mean," Carly warned.

"I won't say anything-"

"Or _do _anything mean," Carly added.

"So, how was your last exam?" Freddie asked the girls as him and Heather reached them.

"Horrible. We had to write a huge essay," Carly replied. "And halfway through the exam by pen started to leak…I hope I won't get any points off for having a huge ink stain the corner of my page."

"The multiple choice part was the hardest," Sam said. "I ended up just putting 'all of the above' for about half of them."

"How about you?" Carly asked Freddie and Heather.

"I think I did pretty well on it," Heather said happily. "There wasn't a single question I didn't know. And that's all because of Freddie here!" She patter his shoulder. Sam raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

"I think it was just an easy exam," Freddie said modestly. "Anybody with a basic understanding of the fundamentals of programming could've done it."

"So," Sam said. "I guess since this class is over, you won't need Freddie tutoring you anymore, will you?"

"Actually," Heather said. "I just looked at the class listing online for my next computer class next semester, and Freddie's going to be in it too. I heard the class moves super fast, so I was wondering, if he wouldn't mind, if Freddie would tutor me again?"

"Um, I'll have to check my schedule," Freddie said. "I may be pretty busy."

"Oh, well, okay, let me know," Heather said cheerfully. "See you in a few weeks!"

She turned to head into the next building.

"So…let's head off to the Groovy Smoothie!" Carly said once Heather left. "Let's get our winter break started right!"

"I'm not going to tutor her again," Freddie said to Sam, as the trio walked to the parking lot. "I'll think up some excuse-"

"I don't care if you tutor her, Freddie, I told you before, it doesn't bother me," Sam said.

"Sam, it's okay if-"

"It's fine, Freddie!" she cut him off. "Look, you'll make a ton of extra money tutoring her; just use it to buy Mama meat."

"Are you sure?" Freddie asked.

"Yes, now hurry up. You have a dill flavored smoothie to buy me."

….

Carly hummed Christmas carols as went around her apartment hanging up all sorts of decorations.

There was a knock at the door, and a second later, Freddie walked in, followed by Gibby. "Hey," he greeted the brunette. "Looks like someone's been busy." He looked around at the apartment, which was decked in assorted shades red, green, gold and silver.

"Only ten days for Christmas!" she said excitedly. "I just have a few more presents to wrap…I love shopping for other people!"

"Where's Sam and Melanie?"

"Oh, they went to go get the tree. Their uncle has his own little stand, so we're getting it for free. Don't worry," she added. "It's not the uncle who got arrested for selling Canadian fireworks last New Years."

"Hey, can I use your bathroom?" Gibby asked.

"Sure," Carly nodded. "But if I find out you were pumping our fancy liquid soap into your pockets to take home again, you're banned!"

"Fine, keep a Gibby from his soap," he mumbled as he stomped off to the bathroom.

"You should stay and decorate the tree with us, Freddie," Carly said, turning to the other boy. "I found these cute ornaments at the mall last weekend that look like-"

"Carly, you've got to help me!" Freddie interrupted her just as the bathroom door closed.

"Um, okay?" Carly said, slightly surprised. "With what?"

"I need to get a Christmas present for Sam! I spent all day yesterday at the mall and I couldn't find anything!"

"Freddie! It's less than two weeks before Christmas and you still haven't gotten her a gift!"

"Look, yell at me later, okay!" he hissed. "But, pleases, Carly, I'm begging you. Don't you have any idea what Sam would want? What did you get her?"

"I'm not telling you that! It's a surprise! It took me forever to find it. But I'll tell you what," she sighed, looking at Freddie's desperate face. "Tomorrow I'll meet you at the mall and I'll help you look around, okay?"

"Thanks," Freddie said, looking relieved. "But you can't tell Sam. I don't want her to think that I'm some horrible boyfriend who can't even pick her out a decent present by himself."

"That's exactly what you are!"

"Well, yeah, but she doesn't have to know it," Freddie said sheepishly.


	40. Chapter 40

"Wow, the tree's looking really good," Freddie commented as him, Gibby, Carly, Sam and Melanie hung various ornaments on the large tree.

"Okay, we just have this last box or ornaments to hang up," Carly said. "The rest I'm going to save to bring over to Spencer's tonight for his tree. And make sure we get some ornaments closer to the top too, so there will be a nice balance."

"Well some of us aren't giants," Sam muttered. Her and Melanie were easily the shortest it the group, especially since Carly was wearing her new high heeled boots. Melanie shared a sympathetic smile with her sister.

"Too short?" Freddie whispered, trying not to laugh as he watched his girlfriend struggle to reach a higher branch.

"Watch it, Freddly," she warned.

"Here," he said. He put his hands on either side of her waist and lifted her a few inches off the ground so she could hang the ornament.

"You're welcome," he said, rolling his eyes as he sat her down.

"Alright, I think we're done here," Carly said. "Freddie, plug in the lights."

Freddie plugged in the cord, and the hundreds of tiny bulbs on the tree sparkled to life.

"It's so pretty," Melanie commented. "I love it."

"I think it's the best tree I've seen," Carly nodded. "Good work, guys."

"I still don't see why I couldn't hang my potato ornament," Gibby said glumly. "It would've looked great next to the ornament shaped like an elf."

"You're head's shaped like a potato," Sam said, shaking her head at the boy.

"Thanks," Gibby grinned, not catching the insult.

"Oh, Gibby," Freddie sighed. "Well, we need to get going. Gibby and I are going to go and look at that new Sci-Fi store that just opened up in the mall. Rumor has it that they have the actual Cloak of Impermeability that they used in the original Galaxy Wars movie!"

"No way!" Gibby said, his eyes widening. "The one that Princess Farea used to protect her from the Ray of Absolute Chaos?"

"That's the one!"

Carly, Sam and Melanie watched as the two boys excitedly ran out of the apartment.

"And I thought I saw the geekiest it could get at Webicon," Sam said in amazement.

"You're dating one of those geeks," Carly reminded her, smiling.

"Speaking of which," Sam said. "I need your help. I kind of still need to get Freddie a gift…"

"What? Sam you have _got_ to be kidding me! It's ten days before Christmas!"

"Yeah," Melanie nodded. "I bought Dylan his present two weeks ago."

"But you aren't even dating him yet!" Sam exclaimed.

"I know," Melanie shrugged. "But when he sees his present…Which reminds me, I'm supposed to go meet him for coffee in twenty minutes. I'll see you guys tonight at Spencer's!"

"So, how about it?" Sam asked as her sister left. "Are you going to help me find a good gift for Freddie?"

"Oh, I guess so," Carly sighed.

"Great. We can go to the mall tomorrow and-"

"Wait, tomorrow?" Carly said, remembering her promise to Freddie. "Can't we do it, I dunno, the day _after_ tomorrow?"

"No, tomorrows the only day I can do it. All next week I'm going to be busy taking care of my mom with Melanie after that stupid surgery she's getting on her neck. And I am _not_ going shopping on Christmas Eve. Why can't we do it tomorrow?"

"I, um, well, okay, I guess we can," Carly replied. "We'll head to the mall tomorrow."

"Thanks," Sam said. "Oh, and by the way, don't mention this to Freddie. I don't want him thinking that he's got a one up on me because I needed help to get his present."

"Um, sure," Carly nodded.

"Right, well, I'm going to go get some fried chicken. You want any?"  
"No, I'm good."

"Your loss," Sam shrugged as she headed out the front door.

"Well," Carly said once she was alone. "This is a kind of ironic situation."


	41. Chapter 41

"I don't know how you can eat that at ten in the morning," Carly said as she watched her best friend devour at deep fried corndog covered in mustard, which she had just bought at the food court.

"I don't know how you can't," the blonde said. "Okay, where do you want to start? The west end or the east end."

"Um, lets try west," Carly said, checking her watch for the fifth time.

"Why do you keep looking at your watch?" Sam asked.

"Oh, just interested in, er, Einstein's Theory of Relativity. Hey, why don't you head down to that electronics store and I'll meet you there. I'm just gonna run to the bathroom."

"Whatever," Sam shrugged.

Carly quickly headed in the direction of the bathrooms. Once she was sure Sam wasn't watching anymore, she turned and started heading towards the east end of the mall, where she had told Freddie she's meet him. Sure enough, he was standing right by the entrance.

"Hey," she said, slightly out of breath from having just walked across the entire mall.

"Hey," he replied. "Thanks again for doing this. So, where do you want to start?"

"Well," Carly said. "Sam's got interesting taste…There's one of her favorite stores over there." She pointed to a nearby store that sold novelty items. "That's where she got that buzzer she stuck in your gym shoes in tenth grade."

"Oh yeah," Freddie said thoughtfully. "Alright, lets go have a look around."

"I'll catch up to you," Carly said. "I'm just going to run to the bathroom."

"Okay," he nodded, walking towards the store.

Carly waited until he was safely in the store until she hurriedly turned around and headed back towards Sam.

"Find anything?" she asked, finding her best friend still browsing through the electronics store.

"He has practically everything in here," Sam said. "I just had to date a tech freak, didn't I? God, why does he have to be so difficult to buy for? What did you get him?"

"You know I never tell what I get people until they unwrap it," Carly said. "There's music store a couple of shops down. You know what Freddie listens to, right?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Great! Maybe you can find him a cool CD or something. So you run over there and I'm going to go take your advice and try one of those deep fried corn dog things."

"There you go, Shay," Sam said, punching Carly lightly on the shoulder. "Bring me back another one too, okay?"

"Um, yeah, will do."

For the third time, Carly went all the way across the mall, catching Freddie just as he was coming out of the novelty shop.

"Find anything?" she panted.

"Nothing that wouldn't cause me horrible physical pain," he replied. "Um, are you okay?"

"Oh yeah, I'm just so excited to be in the mall! Alright, so since that didn't work out, maybe try the foreign foods shop? You know how Sam loves meat from other countries."

"Sounds good, lets-"

"Are you thirsty? I'm thirsty? I'm going to go grab a milkshake. Be right back!"

…..

"Where's my corndog?" Sam asked as Carly skidded into the music shop.

"Your what? Oh, yeah, they ran out of corndog meat. See anything in here?"

"Nothing seems right! I'm never going to find Freddie a gift!"

"Calm down, you've only been to two stores so far."

"Well, why don't we go see what's over on the east end and-"

"No! The east end is-is bad. In fact, I think we should avoid it all together today. Okay, I know, go look in that sporting goods store by Bandana Republic and see if you can find any fencing equipment. I'm going to run to the bathroom."

"You just went!"

"Yeah, well, small bladder. Be right back!"

Sam shook her head as she watched her best friend run off. Carly Shay certainly was a handful to shop with. As she started to walk towards the sporting goods stores, she caught sight of something in a window. It was perfect for Freddie.

….

"Hey, I'm back!" Carly said, finally spotting Freddie standing by the fountain.

"I thought you were going to get a milkshake."

"I dropped it. Clumsy Carly, you know," she laughed. "So, no luck in the foreign foods store?"

"Nah, the only thing I could find was the Bacons of the World club, and that Nosby Mosby guy already got it for her. But when I was walking over here, I found it, Carly! The perfect gift, I found it all by myself!"

He held up a bag.

"Seriously? What is it?"

"You'll have to wait until Christmas to see," Freddie grinned.

"Well, I'm really happy you found something on your own," Carly said. "See, you didn't need me. You know Sam well enough."

"Still, thanks for coming here with me. You're a good friend, Carls. Wanna swing by the Groovy Smoothie?"

"I'd love to," Carly said quickly. "But I need to run to Build-A-Bra, and I know you hate that place."

"Too true," he nodded, shivering at the thought. "Well, I'll see you later then. Have fun making your bra."

"Okay, one down," Carly said to herself as Freddie headed back towards the east end parking lot. She headed back to Sam. She found her friend by the food court, licking an ice cream cone.

"Hey, find any fencing equipment?"

"No," Sam said. "I found something better in another store. Freddie will love this."

"Nice. So what is it?"

"That, my dark haired friend, is something you'll have to wait until Christmas to see."

"Of course," Carly sighed. "Well, now that we're done shopping, what do you want to do? Glitter Gloss is having a sale."

Sam rose an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yeah, I should've known better," Carly sighed. "But I can dream, can't I?"


	42. Chapter 42

"I can't believe you guys haven't found out the gender yet," Carly told her brother as he tried to fix the sink in her apartment. "The doctor really couldn't tell?"

"No," Spencer said, tightening the knob on the faucet. "He said the baby was turned too much to its side the last two appointments we went to."

"Well, at least he said the baby was healthy," Carly sighed. "Still, the suspense is killing me."

"Same here," Spencer said, giving the knob one final turn with his wrench. "There. I think it's done."

"Thanks," Carly said as Spencer put the wrench back in his toolbox. "Anyway, I was thinking of making a pie for Christmas dinner next week."

"Apple?"

"Yes."

"Sweet!"

"And maybe a pitcher of my special lemonade."

"No! Um, I mean-"

"Okay, what's so bad about it!" Carly exclaimed. "I happen to like it!"

"It's just, um, not very…lemonady?"

"Fine, I won't bring any of my lemonade," she said, rolling her eyes. "Anyway, want to grab some lunch? A new sushi place just opened up next to Costclub.

"Yeah, sure. Hey, where's Sam and Melanie?"

"Their mom just had some sort of surgery on her neck, and she's going to be on bed rest and all loopy on pain medications, so they're going to be taking care of her all week."

"Sam agreed to that?"

"Melanie guilted her into it. Sam's not going to be sleeping there, though, just Melanie, but she'll still be gone for most of the day each day until Christmas Eve."

"Wow, Christmas week is just a week away? Man, I need to get shopping…"

"What is it with everybody leaving their shopping go until the last minute?"

"It's more fun that way."

"Being shoved around by crazy shoppers is fun?"

"It puts me in the Christmas spirit!"

Carly shook her head, as she turned on the newly repaired sink. The water ran for a few seconds, and then the handles suddenly burst into flames.

"Why does this keep happening?" Spencer exclaimed as Carly quickly sprayed the flames with a fire extinguisher.

…..

"Mom said she wanted a grilled cheese sandwich now," Melanie told Sam, walking through the kitchen with a basket of her mom's laundry.

"What? She told me she wanted soup!" Sam said. She had just finished preparing a bowl of chicken noodle soup.

"She changed her mind."

"You know, I'm about to go up there and take this bowl of soup and-"

"Sam, she's our mom," Melanie said. "Besides, it's only for a week."

"Then you do it," Sam said. "I was the one who had to deal with her after all those surgeries while you were at boarding school!"

"You didn't deal with her, Carly told me you camped out at her place during those weeks."

"Yeah, well," Sam shrugged. "Fine. I'll make the woman her stupid grilled cheese. But if she changes her mind again…"

Sam got the bread out and began buttering two slices when her phone rang. It was Freddie.

"Hey, nub," she said. "What's up?"

"How's taking care of your mom?" he asked.

"Horrible. I rubbed lotion all over her back, Freddie. All. Over."

"Sounds…fun."

"Oh shut up," she snapped. "I can't wait until she can do things on her own again. Stupid Melanie making me do this."

"You sound pretty miserable. Want me to come over and help you?"

"You'd be signing up for a suicide mission, even you aren't that dumb."

"I don't mind, so do you want me to come over?"

"Eh, why not? Pick me up some bacon before you come over. And some ice cream."

"Will do, Princess Puckett," he laughed.

"Freddie's coming over," Sam told Melanie when she hung up the phone.

"That's good," she replied. "Because I'm going to go pick up mom's prescription from the drug store and then run to go get the ointment for that rash on her shoulder."

"You're putting that on her," Sam shuddered. "I already took care of her back."

"Whatever," Melanie said. "I should be back in an hour, okay?"

"Okay."

Melanie grabbed the keys to her mom's van and headed out the door. Sam quickly finished making the sandwich for her mom, grabbed a glass of iced tea for her as well, and climbed up the stairs to her room.

"Here," she said, setting the plate and glass down on her mom's bedside table. "Grilled cheese, just like you asked."

"Finally, I'm starved," Pam said, biting into the sandwich. "Hey, do we have any chocolate syrup? You know how I love that stuff."

"No, I finished it last night on my fish sticks. I'll text Mel and tell her to bring you some. Do you need anything else or can I go now?"

"Yeah, why don't you call that plumber I'm dating and tell him to come over and visit."

"You dumped the plumber last week mom," Sam said, rolling her eyes. Clearly the pain killers the doctor gave to her mom were working…

"What? I did? Why?"

"Because he stole your gym membership, remember?"

"A gym? Hey, I dated a Jim once…he was nice. You know what else is nice? Cotton Candy, and tattoos, and body pericings and-"

The doorbell rang.

"Who's that? Is that Jim?"

"No, it's probably Freddie."

"Freddie? I'm dating a Freddie now?"

"No, mom, _I'm _dating Freddie. Jeesh, how many of those pain killers did you take?"

"Um, how many is a lot?"

"Give me those," Sam said, snatching the bottle of pills away from her mom. "Just stay here and don't do anything."

"Call Tim! Or Pim…Or-or…"

Pam fell back on her pillow, fast asleep.

"Hopefully she'll stay like that for a few hours," Sam mumbled, running downstairs to open the door.

"Did you get my bacon and ice cream?" Sam asked, letting her boyfriend in.

"Hi to you too," Freddie said, handing her the bag with her food in it.

"I'm starving! I haven't eaten in two hours, I've been so busy! My mom's worse than me!"

She opened up the tub of ice cream and the package of bacon, dipped a strip of bacon into the ice cream and popped it in her mouth.

"Need me to do anything?"

"Nah, she took a bunch of pain killers, so she's out of it right now."

"Cool. Oh, by the way, I was wondering if I could ask you something?"

"Does it involve any manual labor?"

"Um, no."

"Shoot."

"Well, after Christmas, a few family members are coming up to stay with me and my mom for a week or so. It's my grandma, grandpa and cousin Amanda."

"The gross one?"

"Yup. Anyway, I was wondering if you would want to have dinner over at my place one night. I want you to meet the rest of my family."

"More of them? Your mom's bad enough!"

"They're not all like her," Freddie said, rolling his eyes. "What do you say?"

"Will there be ham?"

"If you want."

"And desert?"

"And desert."

"Hmmm, well, I'm never one to pass up free ham," she said. "What the heck, I'll go."

"Thanks," Freddie said. "So, what do you want to do until your mom wakes up again-"

But Sam had already pulled him into a kiss. Freddie happily responded, returning her kiss. No sooner had the two started what was sure to be a lengthy make-out session, did Pam's voice cry out from upstairs "Sam! I need more cream rubbed on my neck!"

"Chiz, I thought she was out!" Sam exclaimed, pulling away from her boyfriend. She looked at Freddie. "You want to-"

"I've got my own crazy mom to deal with," he said quickly.

"Please?"

"No way!"

"Come on, I'll watch, ug, _Galaxy Wars_ with you."

"Well, in that case," Freddie smiled, getting up. "But you'd better stay awake through the whole thing!"

"Yeah, yeah, just go rub my mom's neck."


	43. Chapter 43

On Christmas morning, Carly, Sam and Melanie were awoken to Carly's phone ringing at six a.m..

"Turn that stupid thing off!" Sam yelled, rolling over onto her side as Carly's Cuddlefish ring tone blasted through the room.

"It's Spencer," Carly said sleepily. Too tired to lift the phone up to her ear, she simply put it on speaker and laid back onto her bed. "Spencer, it's six, what is it?" she said to her brother.

"It's Christmas!" he exclaimed happily, sounding like a young child. "It's Christmas! Get over here so we can open gifts!"

All three girls suddenly perked up. "We're on our way," Carly said hopping out of bed.

The gang was going to be exchanging gifts at Spencer's apartment, and Carly had told him the night before that he wasn't to open _any_ gifts until everyone was there.

Sam jumped down from her top bunk. "Let's get moving!" she said, more eager than she had ever been at such an early hour. "I want presents!"

Within half an hour everyone was dressed, and after grabbing their presents to give, they headed into Carly's car and drove over to Bushwell Plaza.

Freddie was already there, sitting next to a very hyper Spencer, who was sitting by the pile of presents, using all his willpower to keep from tearing open a particularly large present with his name on it.

"Finally!" he said as the girls entered the apartment. "How long does it take you guys to get ready in the morning?"

"That would be these two," Sam said, pointing at her sister and Carly. "_I _was ready in three minutes. Can we open presents now?"

"Yes!" Spencer said grabbing a present from under the tree.

"Hold it," Ella said, knocking Spencer's hand away. "I already told everybody that I wanted to pass out the gifts."

"But-I-Aw," Spencer said, looking at his present yearningly.

Ella smiled. "Fine, you can go first. That one's from me, by the way, since I now you won't read the label."

True to that, Spencer tore off the wrapping paper in about one second, revealing a state of the art remote control boat, complete with a captain's hat.

"A boat!" Spencer yelled happily. "Look, it even has a little tiny plastic captain, thanks, Ella!"

He leaned in to kiss his wife.

"Gross!" Sam said loudly. "Can we get on with the gifts, please?"

"Yeah, yeah," Ella said, pulling away from her husband, who was now trying on his captain's hat. "Okay, this one is to Carly from Freddie."

She handed Carly a box. It turned out to be a smoothie machine.

"You know, since you were having so much trouble with your blender," Freddie said, trying to hold back a laugh.

"Ohh, the lid's attached to it," Carly said, looking at the box. "Thanks, Freddie, you're the best."

Ella continued to hand out presents. She got a pair of diamond earrings from Spencer, a new maternity sweater from Carly, a variety of fancy, scented candles from Melanie, the complete first season of her favorite T.V. show, _Suspect Brains_ from Sam, and a new speaker for her pear pod from Freddie.

Carly, in addition to Freddie's gift, got a lemon drop table lamp from Spencer, a charm bracelet from Ella, a gumball machine from Sam, and a new pair of boots from Melanie.

Melanie got a new dress from Carly, a special edition DVD of her favorite movie, _Dear Joe _from Ella, a basket of lotions from Bathroom Body Perks from Freddie, a music box from Spencer, and a snow globe of a beach the looked like the one they always went to when they were kids from Sam.

Spencer, besides from the boat from Ella, got a new fire extinguisher from Carly (with a five-year warranty), a DVD of the word's top fencers from Freddie, the new CD from his current favorite band, _Strawberry Lumps_, from Melanie, and a hand-held Pac-Rat game from Sam.

Freddie got a personalized license plate for his car from Spencer, a custom made penny-T from Carly that said 'Angry Tuna', a new laptop case from Melanie, and a 12 GB USB that looked like NugNug from Ella.

Sam got the new limited edition _Violin Hero_ game from Spencer, a stuffed pig that smelled like ham from Carly, a small, working chocolate fountain from Ella, and a snow cone machine from Melanie, something that she used to play with all the time when she was younger.

Finally, there were only two presents under the tree left.

"This one is for Freddie from Sam," Carly said, handing the wide, flat package to him.

Freddie opened it up slowly, and let out a gasp. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. It was the actual Cloak of Impermeability he had seen in the Sci-Fi store at the mall!

"No. Way." Freddie said, holding up the cloak. "Sam! I-I-you-Oh, heck, come here you ham loving freak!"

"I still can't believe I got you that," Sam said as Freddie pulled her into a tight hug. "It's like I'm actually contributing to your nerdiness.

"You actually went into that store?" Carly asked. "Wow, Freddie, she must really love you."

"Alright, last one," Ella said, picking up a small box. "Sam, you know who this one's from."

Sam ripped the paper off the box and opened it up. Inside was a gold chain with a small, golden ham hanging on it. Engraved on one side of the ham was _#1 ham_, and on the other side, were the initials _S.P and F.B._

"Thank you," Sam said softly, pulling her hair back so Freddie could put on the necklace. "Where did you find it?"

"That jewelry store in the mall by the shoe store. I was in there and I couldn't find anything that was just right for you, so this guy came up and suggested that I order a custom-made piece; he said it could be anything I wanted, so I picked that."

Sam grinned, and leaned in to kiss her boyfriend.

"And yet she 'grossed' us," Ella said to Spencer. "Alright, well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving. Who wants pancakes?"

"Me!" Sam exclaimed, instantly pulling away from Freddie.


	44. Chapter 44

"Wait, so does the blonde guy know about his girlfriend's trip to Cancun?" Sam asked Carly.

The girls were sitting on Spencer's couch watching a soap, which Carly had insisted on; Sam was barely following it.

"No! That's where she's going to meet her past flame Erin," Carly said, her eyes glued to the screen. "But Erin's only meeting her so he can get part of her fortune, which she hasn't told anybody she lost gambling in Vegas with another guy, Zach."

"What? How is this even remotely realistic?"

"Ah! No!" Carly screamed at the T.V., ignoring her friend. "Jennifer just fell down the stairs and her memory's gone! Now she'll never break up Tony and Wanda's wedding!"

"I'm out of here," Sam said, grabbing her bag. "I can't take another minute of this torture."

"Where are you going?" Carly asked, never looking away from the show.

"Freddie's. Even hanging around with his psychotic mother is better than this."

Leaving Carly to her show, Sam walked across the hall to apartment eight D.

"Oh, thank God it's you," Freddie said when he opened the door. "I thought you were my grandparents and cousin Amanda."

"I thought you said they weren't getting in until tonight?" she said, walking in.

"They called this morning and said that they're plane would be getting in early. My mom's been extra crazy since trying to get last minute cleaning done."

Right on cue, Mrs. Benson came into the room, a can of sterilizer in hand. "Who was at the door? Was it them? Oh, it's only her."

"I have a name, crazy," Sam said, but Mrs. Benson didn't appear to hear her as she continued to spray the living room.

"Wait, don't leave!" Freddie said, pulling back Sam, who had just started for the door.

"You told me I didn't have to meet them for six more hours; you know I hate people!"

"Please, don't leave me alone with them," he hissed. "Just stay, for me?"

"Don't pull that with me, Benson. I might like you, but that doesn't mean…Oh, whatever, I'll stay."

"Thank you," he said, kissing her on the lips. "And you and my grandpa might actually get along pretty well; he's the one that used to be in _The Fencing Bensons_. He knows how to dice a tomato with just his bare hands."

"Hmmm, that actually sounds un-Bensonish," Sam said approvingly.

The couple was sitting on the couch watching a few on the unblocked channels, Freddie trying to keep Sam from screaming at his mom when she sprayed her with her sterilizer, when there was a knock at the door.

"Oh, that's them!" Mrs. Benson said, putting away her spray. "Freddie! Tuck in your shirt! Samantha, straighten your jacket!"

"Mom, it's not like the president's coming," Freddie said.

"Don't you get snippy with me! I knew this would happen with you two _seeing _each other!"

"Mom, the door!" Freddie said quickly before Sam got a chance to retaliate.

Mrs. Benson gave the two a reproachful glance, but left to get the door.

"I'm staying here why?" Sam whispered.

"Hello, mother, father, Amanda," Mrs. Benson said, welcoming her guests into the apartment.

"Two hours we had to wait at the airport after we landed," an old man, who Sam assumed was Freddie's grandfather. "Because the _idiot_ working the luggage check lost my bag!"

"That's just terrible," Mrs. Benson said.

"I don't know what he's complaining about, I'm the one who had to wait for it; he read those outdated magazines at the waiting station the whole time," said Freddie's grandmother. "Oh! There's my Freddikins!"

Sam stifled a laugh as his grandmother pulled him into a hug and started kissing his cheeks.

"Well, looks like our Freddie finally managed to get himself a girlfriend," his grandfather said, extending a hand to Sam. "Is this the Sam that you've been telling me about?"

"Yes, grandpa," Freddie said, finally being released from his grandmother.

"Good, because it would be pretty awkward if she wasn't after I said that. Pleased to meet you, Sam."

"Is it true you can dice a tomato with your bare hands?" she blurted out, shaking the man's hand.

"Why, yes it is," he said, withdrawing a tomato from his coat pocket. "Care to see a demonstration?"

"Heck yeah!" Sam exclaimed.

Freddie's grandfather placed the tomato on the table, and then, in a few swift motions, turned it into many tiny cubes.

Freddie introduced Sam to his grandmother and cousin Amanda.

"Hey, why didn't your husband come up?" Freddie asked Amanda. "Joe, right?"

"Oh, him and I aren't together anymore," she said, picking at a scab on her elbow.

"Oh, sorry," Freddie said quickly.

"Eh, the guy was a jerk. He refused to buy the name brand cat food for my Whiskers, and insisted the cheap store-brand kind was just as good. Can you believe that?"

"It's awful," Freddie replied, giving Sam a warning glance as she opened her mouth.

"Yeah, well," she shrugged. "So, what's the matter with you?" she asked Sam. "Why would you date Freddie?"

"Hey!" Freddie exclaimed as Sam burst out laughing. "I'm a great boyfriend!"

"You have your moments," Sam said dismissively.

"Please tell me you haven't stopped torturing him," Amanda said, ignoring Freddie. "He used to call me up all the time and tell me all the mean things you did to him; it always made my day."

"Never," Sam said. "In fact, just yesterday I filled his shampoo bottle with ranch dressing."

"What? I knew my hair smelt weird!"

"Brilliant," Amanda said, wiping her nose on the back of her hand. "When I used to visit when I was younger, I used to play a few pranks on him myself. None up to your standards, of course, but they inflected momentary pain on him. Wanna hear a few?"

"Please. Freddie, go get us sodas."

Freddie sighed as he got up to get the beverages. This was going to be a long week .


	45. Chapter 45

"Carly, this one's foolproof," Freddie assured the brunette.

"Freddie, last time your finger squirted blood all over my counter. Can't you do that thing on the patio at least?"

Freddie had just gotten a new home bio-scanner from his grandparents, and was eager to test it out.

"No, I need an audience."

"Than do it for Sam. She's your girlfriend, _and_ the sight of blood doesn't gross her out."

"She's sleeping still," Freddie replied. "Come on, please?"

"Fine," Carly sighed. "Tell me all about your genetic make up."

"Well," Freddie said, pricking his finger and rubbing the blood on the pad attached to his laptop. "Apparently, I'm-"

"Freddie! Your finger again!" Carly exclaimed, watching blood spurt all over her counter. She quickly grabbed him a paper towel.

"Thanks," Freddie said, covering his bloody finger. "Man, you'd think that with those new vitamins-"

"Just wipe up your blood," Carly told him, cringing at the dark red liquid. "Hey, look who's finally up."

"It's only eleven," Sam defended, grabbing herself a muffin from the box by the toaster. "Hey is that blood?"

"Yes. Your boyfriend felt the need to get his DNA all over the kitchen I just cleaned yesterday after your little French toast incident."

"You mean I missed him bleeding? I would've woken up for that!"

"It's like a giant hug," Freddie said sarcastically.

"This could use icing," Sam said, taking a bite out of the muffin. "Too bad I finished it up on that French toast…oh well, I'll grab something when I go out?"

"Where are you going?" Carly asked.

"To meet Amanda at the Groovy Smoothie, wanna come?"

"No thanks. Amanda kind of…grosses me out. No offense, Freddie."

"Eh, it's true," he shrugged. "You remember that we're supposed to meet my grandpa at the restaurant at seven, right?"

"Yup!" she yelled as she slammed the door behind her.

"Wow, Sam seems to be getting along pretty well with your family," Carly said to Freddie.

"Yeah, her and my grandma had an hour long conversation about things that they hated last night," he said. "And her and Amanda have been talking a lot. Of course, it's usually about new ways to cause me pain, which is why I found jalapeno juice in my toothpaste this morning…And then my grandpa is taking us out to dinner tonight because he doesn't think Sam can actually eat a whole ham in under fifteen minutes."

"I hope he didn't place a bet on that," Carly laughed.

"Do you want to come with us tonight? My grandpa told me I could bring a couple of friends besides Sam, and I just asked Gibby."

"Thanks, but I have a date tonight. Finally."

"Really, with who?"

"His name is Brian, and we met yesterday at the Groovy Smoothie. We both ordered a Strawberry-Kiwi Tornado," she said dreamily. "I was telling Sam all about him."

"Well, have fun then," Freddie said. "Hey, I wonder if my finger stopped bleeding…" he removed the paper towel and instantly, blood began spurting out of his finger. Again.

…..

"So, did you see the new guy mom's dating?" Sam asked her sister later that night. She had just gotten back from the restaurant with Freddie and his grandfather. She had, of course, proven his grandfather wrong and eaten an entire ham.

"The one with the back hair problem? Yeah. He seems nice," Melanie said, flipping through the channels of the television. "Except he leaves hair everywhere he sits."

"Better then the guy who had those ten inch finger nails," Sam pointed out.

Melanie's phone went off, and she looked at her text message. "Oh, it's Dylan! Oh my God, Sam, he wants to meet me at Moonbucks!"

"I'll alert the media," Sam said, grabbing the remote from her sister.

"Sam, that's the place where we had our first cup of coffee! You know what this means? He might be asking me out!"

"Uh huh, can you keep the squealing down? I want to see if this guy's smarter than a monkey…"

Ignoring her sister, Melanie jumped up and grabbed her jacket and headed out the door, just as Carly was about to put her key in the lock on the other side.

"Where's she off to?" Carly asked.

"She claims Dylan's about to officially ask her out. Wow, that's one smart chimpanzee; he knew the capital of Burkina Faso!"

"My life sucks," Carly moaned, collapsing on the couch.

"Bad date?" Sam asked, pausing the show.

"Well, it started off really good. Brian came here around six to pick me up, and we made small talk in the car on the way to Petrazini's, but when we got there, we had nothing to left to talk about! We just sort of stared at each other the whole time!"

"Did you get the seafood alfredo? Petrazini's has the _best_ seafood alfredo-"

"Focus!" Carly exclaimed angrily.

"Sorry," Sam said. "So, this guy was a dud. You're hot; I bet by next week, you'll have another date lined up."

"Well…the thing is, I agreed to go on another date with him next Saturday."

"What? Why would you do that if he was totally boring?"

"Because, he's so-sweet," Carly replied. "I-I couldn't say no when he asked me. Besides, it was our first date; maybe he was just nervous. Anyway, I was thinking…it might be a little less awkward if we had another couple with us…maybe one with a nice brunette and spunky blonde?"

"Spencer and Ella? Dude, why would you want to go on a double date with your brother and-"

"I was talking about you and Freddie!"

"Oh. No."

"No? Sam, why not?"

"Freddie and I don't do double dates. It's weird."

"How's it weird? It's two couples going out for some dinner!"

"Yeah, but-"

"Come on, just this once," Carly begged. "Please? I'll do your laundry for a month."

"Melanie already does my laundry."

"I'll buy you smoothies until May."

"I have Freddie for that."

"I'll-I'll give you the key to the mini fridge Spencer keeps in his bedroom."

Sam's face lit up. "You mean the one where he hides his Canadian bacon in?"

"That's the one."

"Alright, I'll do it."


	46. Chapter 46

Carly was sitting in the kitchen, rummaging through her purse, trying to find eyeliner, when she heard a knock at the door. Hoping it was Brian, she ran to answer it.

"Oh, it's you," she said, slightly disappointed as she let Freddie in.

"I just love hearing that," Freddie said. "Is Sam ready yet?"

"Yeah, she's just finding her shoes."

"I'm here," Sam said, coming into the kitchen. She had on a simple red dress with gold heels and her ham necklace, which she hadn't taken off since she got it.

"Hey, you look good," Freddie said, kissing Sam while Carly continued to search for eyeliner.

"And you look like a nub," Sam replied.  
"Why can't I find my stupid eyeliner?" Carly exclaimed. "Sam, do you have any I can borrow?"

"When have I ever worn eyeliner?"

"Ahha! Found it!" Carly said, pulling the tiny pencil out of her purse, along with a compact mirror.

There was another knock at the door.  
"I'm guessing that's Brian," Freddie said as he went to answer the door.

"It could be Dylan; him and Melanie are going on their first official date tonight," Carly said.

Sure enough, when Freddie opened the door, he was face to face with Dylan.

"Hey, Freddie, right?" Dylan greeted him. "I'm just here to pick up Melanie; there she is!"

He started towards Sam. "Hey, babe."

"Wrong twin," Freddie said loudly.

"Oh, sorry," Dylan said, embarrassed, while Sam looked amused. "You and your sister are just so…identical."

"Yeah, well, that tends to happen with _identical _twins," Freddie pointed out, still a little upset that this boy had nearly kissed his girlfriend. Luckily, Melanie came out a moment later, dressed in a dark pink dress and black heels, and the two departed for their date.

"Where's Brian? I'm starving," Sam complained, grabbing an apple from the fruit bowl.

"He's in the parking lot; he just texted me," Carly said, looking at her phone. "How do I look?"

"Hot stuff, kid," Sam said. Carly was wearing a short blue dress with black ballet shoes.

About two minutes later, Brain knocked at the door.

"Hey," Carly greeted her date. "Brian, this is Sam and Freddie."

"Hi," Brian said, shaking both their hands. "Glad you could come with us."

"No problem," Freddie said.  
"Can we go now?" Sam asked, tossing the apple core over her shoulder. "I haven't had meat in three hours and I feel like I'm going to implode."

….

"Thanks again for coming with me and Brian, you guys," Carly told her best friends as they got back to the apartment. Brian had walked Carly back up to her door, but then, since he had a six a.m. class the next morning, he had to bid her goodbye. "I feel like we really connected this time; we learned a lot about each other."

"Glad we could help," Freddie said.

"Is Melanie still out?" Sam asked, walking into the apartment.

"Looks like it," Carly replied. "You guys want to rent a movie from Getflix?"

"Oh! Can we watch-"

"Nothing with excessive blood spurting in it."

"What good movie doesn't have guys getting their limbs chopped off?"

"You want to watch the new Jane Goodwill movie?" Carly asked Freddie, rolling her eyes at her best friend. "It has something to do with computers."

"Okay, want me to pop some popcorn?"

"Well I'm not going to sit here and not eat, Benson, get going," Sam said, settling down in her seat.

The movie lasted two hours. Carly and Freddie enjoyed it, but Sam, seeing that the most violent thing that would be happening in it was the actress getting slapped by her new boyfriend's ex, fell asleep.

"You know, I liked the ending, but I've got to say, I kind of hoped that she would've ended up with the computer repairman."

"The programming references were actually very accurate," Freddie said approvingly. He looked at his watch. "Uh-oh, it's almost midnight. My mom's going to be home from her shift at the hospital in less than an hour."

"Why does she still make you have a curfew if you're eighteen?"

"You know her…"

"Right," Carly smiled. "I'm going to bed too. Is Sam sleeping?"

"Yeah, looks like she's dreaming about bacon," Freddie replied, looking at the blonde.

"I guess she'll just sleep on the couch tonight; I'll go grab her a blanket-"

"I've got her," Freddie said, gently lifting Sam up. "I'll carry her to her bed."

"Aw, that's so cute!" Carly cooed. "But you'd better hope Sam doesn't wake up; she might punch you."

….


	47. Chapter 47

"I hate that class," Sam said as the trio headed out of their first class of the morning. The new semester had just started up, and Sam was less than thrilled about it.

"Why?" Carly asked. "It seemed pretty interesting."

"Of course, you wouldn't know because you were sleeping," Freddie pointed out.

"I was not sleeping," Sam snapped. "I was just tired of looking at you."

"And yet you made out with him for nearly twenty minutes last night," Carly said, earning her stares from the two. "What? I can _see _you through the sliding glass window on the balcony."

"It wasn't twenty minutes," Sam muttered. "And anyway, I thought we were coming here so we could work at that studio. What does American History have to do with anything?"

"It's requirement for everyone, no matter what your major," Freddie explained.

"It's still stupid."

"But you already took the class in high school, so you should be familiar with it," Carly pointed out.

Sam raised an eyebrow.

"And you slept through that class too, I forgot," Carly said.

That day, the three had both their classes together. Right after they got out of Intro to T.V. Production, they decided to visit Spencer and Ella.

"Hey, what's up?" Carly asked her brother as they entered the apartment.

"I spent all day with Ella looking at baby stuff," he replied. "I'm exhausted."

"What? You promised I could help with the shopping!" Carly exclaimed.

"Relax, we haven't bought anything yet," he assured her. "We're just getting ideas."

"Okay, good," Carly nodded. "Where is Ella anyway?"

"Taking a shower."

"I'll be back," Sam said, heading into Spencer's room.

"Um, why is she going into my room?" Spencer asked.

"No reason," Carly said quickly. "So did you see any cute baby furniture?"

"Well, there was this one crib that had a bunch of bunnies on it that I liked, but Ella wanted this circus theme one and then there was- Hey! She's eating my Canadian bacon!"

Sam had just walked back into the living room, a package of Spencer's precious meat in her hand.

"But it's in my fridge with the lock! No one has the key but me and you, Carls. Wait a minute!" he gasped, turning towards his little sister. "You gave her the key?"

"I needed her to go one a double date with me," Carly explained. "And that was the only way I could get her to go."

"But-but my bacon," he said sadly.

The three teens, plus Spencer and Ella, spent the afternoon watching a new sitcom about a family with a pet raccoon, and then Ella needed to go to work.

"Me and Melanie are going to get pedicures," Carly said, getting up as well. "You want to come, Sam?"

"No, I don't trust those ladies with my feet," she replied.

"Make sure you ask for Keashya when you go!" Spencer yelled after her as she left.

"This show is so stupid," Sam moaned, grabbing the remote from Spencer. "What else is on?"

"Hey! I was watching that!"

"Nothing," she sighed, giving the remote back to him. "What else do you have to eat here?"

"You ate everything except some vegetables and a box of dry pasta," Spencer told her. "You know, I'm going to your apartment one day and eating everything; see how you like it!"

"My mom just went shopping today," Freddie said. "You can eat there. Heather's coming over soon anyway."

Leaving Spencer to his raccoon show, the couple went across the hall. They were thankful that Mrs. Benson was at work and that they had the whole place to themselves.

"Hey, guess what?" Freddie said to Sam. He was on his laptop while Sam was slurping a bowl of soup.

"What?"

"I just logged onto the iCarly site. Over 800,000 people still go on it!"

"Really? But it's just a bunch of our old videos now," Sam said.

"I know, but people are still watching them."

"Go back to some of our first ones," Sam told him.

Freddie complied and scrolled down to the earliest iCarly web segments.

"That one was from the time Carly was in love with that Jake kid," Sam smiled as Freddie clicked on the video.

"Yeah. Whatever happened to him?" Freddie asked.

"I think he moved to Kentucky. Oh, and that's the time we tried to break that world record for longest web show. Man, you were short."

"At least _I_ grew."

"Watch it, Fredlope. Oh hey, that's from the time that Valerie chick asked you out," Sam said. "Play that one! I forgot what a nutcase that girl was."

Freddie clicked the video.

"_I don't think Freddie's a dork,"_ Valerie said. "_I think he's kind of cute." _

"_Okay Valerie, you might want to get your head and monitor checked, 'cause I'm pretty sure one of them is malfunctioning,"_ thirteen-year-old Sam said.

"_Hey, I know," _young Carly said. _"If you think Freddie's cute, you two should go out on a date." _

"_That sounds fun," _Valerie said.

"_All right, Val, just send Freddie the address of the mental hospital you're locked up in and he'll meet you there!" _

"And yet here you are," Freddie grinned, looking at Sam.

"Please don't remind me, nub."

Freddie was about to retaliate when his phone went off.

"Hey, Gib," he answered. "Wait, what? You're stuck to what? Okay, calm down, I'll be there in a minute to help you."

"What did that shirtless freak do now?" Sam asked as Freddie hung up.

"He glued himself to the stairs and Guppy keeps walking over him," he sighed. "Can you stay here and wait for Heather? She's supposed to be here any minute."

"Whatever," Sam shrugged, not to happy at the prospect of being left alone with the girl.

"Thanks," he said, leaning down to give her a quick kiss. "I shouldn't be too long. It usually doesn't take more than ten minutes to unstick Gibby…"

Sam picked up Freddie's laptop and was about to entertain herself with some more iCarly clips when there was a knock at Freddie's door.

Groaning, she got up and answered it.

"Hi, Sam!" Heather happily greeted her.

"Hey," Sam said in a less-than-thrilled tone. "Freddie's going to be back soon; he just had to go unstick our friend Gibby."

"I remember Gibby," she said. "He was so funny on iCarly! I always wondered though, does he just act that way for the show or is he really like that?"

"He's really like that."

"Oh, my sister used to think he was really cute."

"What's wrong with her?" Sam asked. "Did she get a head injury or something?"

"You've met her," Heather smiled.

"Your sister? Um, no I haven't."

"Yes, you have," she insisted. "She told me about all those times you competed in beauty pageants when you were younger."

"Wait, who's your sister?"

"Leanne."

"Leanne? As in Leanne Carter?"

"Yup. She's my big sister by one year. She said that you were such a sweet girl."

Sam blinked. Just when she thought she couldn't dislike Heather anymore…

"She's coming down from the studio she works at in a couple weeks," Heather continued. "She got offered a modeling contract after one of her pageants. Maybe us three could hang out? It would be so much fun!"

Luckily, Freddie walked into the apartment before Sam had a chance to say anything to Heather.

"It's all good; Gib just texted me and told me that Tasha got him unstuck. Oh, hey Heather. Ready to get started."

"Sure," she nodded. "Sam and I were just talking about how she knows my sister."

"You do?" Freddie asked Sam.

"Her sister's Leanne Carter," Sam said through her clenched teeth.

"Okay, let's get going, Heather," he said quickly, knowing how much his girlfriend hated her past pageant rival.

"I'm gonna go get some food," Sam said, grabbing her jacket. "Later, Fredup."


	48. Chapter 48

"She's really Leanne's sister?" Carly said as Sam angrily stuffed tortilla chips into her mouth.

"Yeah!" Sam exclaimed. "How could I have not seen it? She has that same air of stupidity to her."

"Leanne…oh, I remember her!" Melanie said. "She was so nice. We used to play together while I was backstage waiting for you to finish up on stage."

"You played with my mortal enemy? How could you?"

"Mortal enemy? We were seven," Melanie pointed out. "Besides, you have about a million 'mortal enemies'. If I didn't talk to any of them I'd have to live in complete solitude!"

"Why is it such a big deal of she's Leanne's sister?" Carly asked. "You beat her, remember? You kept her from getting a hundred straight wins."

"She still made me come in second in nineteen pageants."

"But you hated them," Melanie pointed out.

"I still wanted to win!"

"Sam," Freddie said, walking into the girls' apartment. "Why'd you leave?"

"Because I didn't want to be around Leanne Carter's DNA. How could you tutor her sister?"

"How the heck was I supposed to know she was her sister?"

"Didn't you know her last name?"

"Sure, but come on, Carter's a common name! I mean there's Aaron Carter, Nick Carter, Jimmy Carter-"

"Who?"

"Seriously? You don't know who- you know what, never mind; I'm not even going to go there."

"Look, her perkiness just bugs the chiz out of me," Sam told him. "It took me forever to get used to Carly! And well, Melanie still irritates me."

"I'm in the room you know," her sister said.

"Fine," Freddie sighed. "I'm very sorry I'm tutoring your enemy's sister. You want me to go buy you ham to make up for it?"

"That's a start."

"Do you want me to call her and tell her I won't tutor her anymore?"

"No," she mumbled. "Just go buy the meat, okay?"

"Either of you want anything while I'm out?" he asked Carly and Melanie. Both girls shook their heads.

"You see how evil this girl is," Sam told them as Freddie closed the door. "Not only is she trying to woo over Freddie-"

"I thought you dropped that," Carly said.

"-But she's also trying to get me back for beating her sister!"

"Don't you think that sounds a little paranoid?" Carly asked. "I mean, Sam, Freddie's been tutoring Heather for months, and she hasn't tried to get together with him, right?"

"She flirts with him!"

"A lot of girls just act flirty in general," Carly told her. "Like me and Melanie. And she also hasn't tried to avenge her sister."

"Yet," Sam said. "She's just bidding her time. Soon she'll be trying to stab in the neck with a fork."

"I give up," Carly sighed.

….

"Oh, I like that high chair, it's so cute," Carly told Ella as the two girls surfed the web on Ella's laptop.

"I dunno, I'm not really a fan of bunnies," Ella said.

"What? Who doesn't like bunnies?"

"When I was five a bunny bit my hand and I needed twenty stitches."

"Oh…well how about this one? It has teddy bears."

"Can you keep it down," Sam yelled from the couch. "I'm trying to sleep here."

"Sam, come tell me what you think of this high chair," Ella said. "Is it too feminine?"

"I guess not," Sam yawned, taking a quick look of the picture on the screen. "Why are you guys ordering all that stuff now?"

"Because the baby's going to be here in five months," Ella replied. "We still have to paint the nursery and baby proof the apartment."

"And it takes you five months to do that?"

"Sam," Carly said, rolling her eyes. "Her and Spencer just want to be prepared. A baby's a big deal." There was a knock at the door. "And anyway," she added as she walked over to the door. "It's not like she's buying the stuff right now, she's just looking to get ideas-Neville?"

Sam whirled around to look at the door. There was the young boy, looking crestfallen and miserable, standing in the doorframe.

"Want me to get my slingshot?" she asked Carly, shooting a hard glance at Neville.

"I'm not here to do anything to you guys," Neville said in a disheartened tone. "I need help. Again."

"Oh no," Carly said, crossing her arms. "We fell for that last time and you still wound up being a huge jerk. We're done helping you."

"Good job, Carls," Sam said, stepping over to her best friends side.

"But-but I'm different now," the boy said tearfully. "Please help me; my entire website is gone now and I'm completely bankrupt. The bank came the other day and repossessed my cars and loft. I-I don't have anything left."

"Too bad, Papperman," Sam sneered. "Just take your pathetic self somewhere-"

"You really lost everything?" Carly asked.

"Carly!"

"Everything," Neville nodded. "All I have now are these clothes, ninety-three cents, and this half eaten Organic Cashew Bar."

"Well, okay, you can come in for now," Carly said reluctantly, letting the boy in.

"What? What are you doing?" Sam hissed. "He did this before and he ended up just playing us! How can you trust him?"

"He just looks so horrible," Carly said. "And he has nowhere to go. What kind of people would we be if we made him go out on the street?"

"Normal people! And doesn't his mother live around here? Why can't he just mooch off her?"

Carly shrugged. "Um, Neville?"

"Yes Carly?" he answered meekly.

"Why don't you stay with your mother?"

"Mother left last year to move to Indonesia to join the Peace Corps, and she still hasn't returned my phone calls.

"Oh!" Carly said sadly, sitting down beside him.

"Please," Sam moaned.


	49. Chapter 49

"You what?" Freddie exclaimed.

"He just seemed so alone and pathetic," Carly explained. Her and Sam had gone across the hall to tell Freddie about Neville's arrival.

"So? He deserves it!" Freddie said.

"Thank you!" Sam agreed. "Now come on. Let's go back over there and kick the stubrag back onto the street.

"You guys," Carly said. "You know we can't do that?"

"Why not? The guy's a jerk," Sam pointed out.

"I'm with Sam on this one," Freddie nodded.

"He has nothing! If we send him out, he can get mugged by hobos or kidnapped by foreigners or something horrible like that! I'm not saying we become his best friends or anything, but why can't we just give him a little help?"

"Okay," Freddie sighed.

"This is ridiculous!" Sam cried. "Are we really going to help this kid out again? We gave him a shot and he blew it."

"I know that," Carly replied. "So how about this: we go tell Neville that we'll help him, but if he does _anything_ jerk-like, he's out."

"Can I use my butter sock?"

"You can use your butter sock."

"Fine," Sam finally said.

"Good," Carly smiled. "Let's go back in. We left Ella all alone with him."

The trio headed back into the Shay's apartment, where Ella watching Neville awkwardly.

"Sorry we left just then," Carly said to the two.

"Oh, no," Ella said sarcastically. "I love it when you leave me with strange kids. Really makes my day."

"Neville, this is my sister-in-law and Sam's cousin, Ella," Carly said.

"Pleased to meet you, Ella," Neville said.

Ella pursed her lips, and didn't reply. She heard a lot about this boy…

"Anyway," Carly continued. "Neville, we've decided that we're going to give you _one_ more chance. But if you screw this up, you're out of here, and you'll be left to deal with Sam's wrath on your own."

"And believe me," Freddie added. "That is _not _fun."

"I know I don't deserve this," Neville said gratefully.

"Yeah, no chiz," Sam mumbled.

"But I'm going to really work hard to become a better person."

"Good," Carly said. "You said that the whole thing that started this mess was your website going bankrupt?"

"Yes," he said heavily. "I got hacked by some guy in Sweden, and a virus got sent to all of my followers. Everybody closed their accounts."

"Well, maybe Freddie can help you get a new site up and running," she suggested. "Could you do that, Freddie?"

"Sure, I guess," he shrugged. "It might take awhile, though, since I'll mainly have to do it on the weekends."

"Brilliant," Neville said brightly.

"In the mean time," Carly told him. "Since you don't have any money, you'll need to get a job."

"A-A job?" he repeated horrified. "You mean, with common folk?"

"It'll just be temporary until your site gets going. Besides, a job isn't that bad."

"Speak for yourself," Sam huffed.

"T-bo's hiring," Freddie said. "You could work at the Groovy Smoothie."

"The Groovy Smoothie? You mean, in food service?"

"Um, yes."

"Oh, sweet mother Delilah, this really is the end, isn't it? Are you sure there isn't a job open in, say, a haberdashery?"

"Dude, I'm gonna habber your dashery if you don't just take the stupid job," Sam snapped.

"Okay! I'll-I'll work at the Goopy Smoothie."

"Er, Groovy Smoothie," Freddie quietly corrected him.

"And now I guess we'll have to figure out where you'll be living…do you have any friends that have an extra room?"

"No, I don't have any friends. The boys and girls my age were always intimidated by my intelligence. Although, last night when I spent the night under a bridge, I did meet a very nice man named Sebastian, but after we played Crazy Eight's, he tried to harvest my organs…"

"Oh, that's…bad," Carly said. "Um, Freddie, do you think your mom would let him stay with you?"

"No way. She has a strict no sleepover policy; says they cause delinquent behavior and rowdy attitudes."

"Okay, what about you, Ella, do you think he could-"

"Nope."

"Well, then I guess he'll just have to stay with us," Carly said to Sam.

"What? No flippin' way. We've already got three people living in that apartment, and I'm not going to deal with this thing there too."

"You won't even know I'm there!" Neville said quickly. "I'll be the invisible house guest."

"I'd rather you be the unconscious house guest."

"I'll just call Melanie and see if she's okay with it," Carly said, ignoring Sam.

"Can I stay with you guys?" Sam asked Ella.

"Sorry kiddo," Ella grinned. "No room. The studio's filled with boxes and we're replacing the floor in Carly's old room."

"Melanie said it was fine!" Carly announced, hanging up the phone. "Neville, you can sleep on our pull-out sofa."

"Or the balcony," Sam suggested.

"So let's go down to the Groovy Smoothie and get you the job," Carly said. "Are you two coming?" she asked Sam and Freddie.

"No," they both replied.


	50. Chapter 50

"That place is horrible!" Neville complained as Carly led him up to her apartment. When she had taken Neville down the Groovy Smoothie, T-bo had hired him on the spot, and put him to work right away. It was now past eleven, and both her and Neville were tired.

"Come on, it wasn't that bad," Carly said, though she knew first-hand that working at the Groovy Smoothie wasn't exactly an ideal job.

"I had to clean out the juicer 32 times!" he exclaimed as Carly unlocked the door and let him in. "Thirty-two times, Carly!"

"Well, it'll get better," she said. "You'll feel better once you get some sleep. Come on, I'll show you your bed."  
She led him to the living room, where Sam and Freddie were sitting right in front of the television, involved in some video game.

"Come on, come on!" Sam screamed at the screen. "Beat that stupid nub!"

"Face it Sam, you can't touch me in the digital world," Freddie said triumphantly as his character in the game kept dodging punches from Sam's character.

"You guys," Carly said to her friends. "Can you save the game? I was going to pull out the sofa so Neville could get some sleep."

"No need," Neville said. "I'm a very heavy sleeper."

"We were just about to turn it off anyway," Freddie said, switching off the screen. "Sam's getting creamed and I need to get home soon."

"I was not getting creamed, Fredmunch," Sam snapped, flicking him on the head. "Another five minutes and Mama would've had you beat."

"Um, you might want to shower off," Carly told Neville, looking at the Smoothie splotches in his hair. "The bathroom's right over there."

"Oh, the humiliating stains of manual labor," Neville sighed as he dragged his feet into the bathroom.

"I still can't believe you're letting him stay here," Sam mumbled, crossing her arms.

"We're doing a nice thing," Carly said. "Doesn't it feel good?"

"No. It feels like torture."

"So I take it he had a rough day on the job," Freddie commented.

"I almost felt bad for the guy," Carly said. "There must have been more customers in there today than there were all last week."

"Good," Sam said. "The doof needs to learn how to earn his keep."

"Says the girl who couldn't handle working at Chili My Bowl for more than two weeks," Freddie pointed out.

"Don't you have a crazy mother to get back to?"

"Oh, chiz, you're right," he said. "See you girls tomorrow."

He leaned down to kiss Sam, and then ran out the door.

"Is Melanie already asleep?" Carly asked.

"Yeah, she came home about half-an-hour before you two did. So how long is Pappermen going to be here?"

"Not too long hopefully. Once Freddie gets his website back up and running he should be able to at least find a place of his own."

"Freddie better get that site up quick," Sam mumbled as she stomped off to bed.

….

The next morning, Carly awoke to a loud crash in the kitchen. Sam didn't even stir, and Melanie's bed was empty, so she assumed she was taking a shower.

"Um, morning there, Neville," Carly said, walking into the kitchen. "Need any help?"

"This obscene contraption has it in for me!" Neville said loudly, angrily toying with the knobs of the toaster. "I simply wanted a piece of toast, but it refuses to give it to me!"

"You kind of have to plug it in," Carly pointed out.

"Plug it in?" Neville repeated. He looked at the cord in his hand. "Oh."

"You've never made toast before?"

"No! I've always had people for that!"

"Oh, well, I'm sure you'll get the hang of it…"

"Morning," Melanie said brightly, walking into the kitchen.

"Morning, Sam," Neville said dully.

"That's Melanie," Carly corrected. "Sam's sister. She lives here too."

"But-What?" Neville stammered. "There's too of them? Oh, good Jersey!"

"Relax," Carly laughed. "They look alike, but Melanie's nothing like Sam."

"It's true," Melanie agreed.

"Well, all right," he said, still eyeing Melanie suspiciously.

"Neville," Carly said, looking at her watch. "You need to get going. You have to be at the Groovy Smoothie in twenty minutes."

"Another day of servant work," he sighed.

"I can't drive you today," Carly told him. "But here's two dollars for the bus ride. There's a stop right by the building."

"The bus? You mean, that thing hobo's ride?"

"Come on, it's not that bad," Carly said. "Sam and Melanie were born on a bus, right?"

"Yeah, my mom thought that riding a bumpy city bus while she was nine months pregnant would be a good idea," Melanie replied.

"When you get off work," Carly continued. "We'll all probably still be at college, so here's a key to the apartment to let yourself in."

"Yes, yes, thank you," he said heavily, taking the key. "Well, I suppose I'll be off then. Onto public transportation."

"He seems…odd," Melanie said once Neville left.

"Believe me, he is," Carly nodded.

…..

"Come on, Fredpus, move it!" Sam said to her boyfriend as she dragged him and Carly to the parking lot after their classes for the day had finished. "I don't want them to sell out!"

"I highly doubt there's going to be a huge demand for bacon flavored toothpaste," Freddie said.

"Says you!" Sam snapped.

"I can't believe they actually came out with that," Carly laughed as she unlocked her car.

"It's about time they did! Finally, now I'll actually want to brush my teeth."

"That stuff can't make your breath smell too nice," Carly pointed out.

"I bet not," Freddie agreed. "But, I don't think she cares."

"Yeah well," Carly grinned. "I'm not the one kissing her, so I'm good."

After driving Sam to the drug store and purchasing ten tubes of the bacon flavored toothpaste, the gang headed back to the girls' apartment.

"I hope Neville didn't burn the place down," Sam said, squeezing some of the toothpaste into her mouth.

"You know, that's not edible," Freddie told her. "It's still got all the fluoride and other chemicals that can make you-"

"For the love of meat shut up!"

"I will not shut up! I'm going to keep talking just to annoy you, Sam, so you can get used to it and-"

"Are you guys five?" Carly asked, rolling her eyes at the couple. "Just kiss and make up, will you?"

"Not until I finish this toothpaste. I'm not going to risk getting any of it on Fredups's mouth."

Carly shook her head as she unlocked the door. She expected to see Neville, moping around as he did the previous day, but instead, the boy was happily dancing around.

"Um, hey, Neville," Carly greeted him. "Good day at work?"

"Nope!" Neville said happily. "My site is repaired!"

"Really?" Carly said. "But how? I thought that Swedish guy gave you a virus."

"The Swedish government caught him and fixed the virus!" Neville exclaimed. "All my subscribers are beginning to reactivate their accounts. In just the last hour over 100,000 people have reregistered! I've got my website and my money back! No more mediocre minimum wage jobs for his boy!"

"So you're leaving?" Sam asked hopefully.

"Sam," Carly scolded.

"Yes," Neville nodded. "I called my building and got my loft back. And all my cars! Oh, I'm so happy I could dance a jig!"

"Well, dance on out of here, Neville," Sam said.

"Yes, I really should be going," he agreed. "Goodbye, you iCarlies. Even though I'll still probably try to hack your site from time to time, I'll never forget this!"

"Well," Carly said as Neville bounced out the door. "You've really got to respect that Swedish government."


	51. Chapter 51

"I love you," Freddie whispered to Sam as he briefly parted from her lips.

"Yeah, yeah, me too," Sam said, quickly finding Freddie's lips again.

The two were alone at the girls' apartment, and were taking advantage of their solitude.

"You know what," Freddie asked between kisses.

"Hm?"

"You're the most incredible girl I've ever met."

"I know I am."

"And the most modest," he laughed.

"I do what I can," she grinned, pulling away. "I'm hungry."

"Well, obviously. You are Sam," he chuckled. "Want to go out to dinner?"

"Order take out," she said.

"Why? I want to go out some place nice."

"Because, you think I'll shove my tongue down your throat in public?"

"So, Chinese food or pizza?"

After breaking away long enough to eat, Sam and Freddie went right back to their make out session.

"You guys are in the exact same position as when I left," Carly told them once she had returned home. "You're telling me that this entire time you just sat around and did this?"

"We ate!" Freddie said defensively, pointing at the empty pizza box.

"Yeah, like that took long," Carly laughed. "Anyway, guess what? Spencer and Ella finally painted the nursery!"

"What color?" Sam asked.

"Yellow, since the doctor still can't tell if the baby's a boy or girl," she replied. "And there's pictures of horses and ducks and elephants on the walls, it's adorable!"

"Have they ordered any furniture?" Freddie asked.

"Yup, they bought the crib today too. Man, I can't believe the baby's going to be here in three months."

"I know," Freddie nodded. "It's exciting."

"Yeah, I can't wait to see the baby," Sam added. "Even though I still don't know how it's going to be related to me."

"It'll be your first cousin once removed," Freddie explained. "Since there will be a generation gap between the two of you. A lot of people get that confused with second cousins, but second cousins are actually-"

"Did I really just spend this whole night with this?"

…..

"You know," Ella said, waddling into the living room, where Carly and Sam were reading their text books. "Being pregnant is perhaps the most painful thing I've ever done."

"I'm pretty sure the actual birth is supposed to be pretty painful too," Sam pointed out.

Ella threw her a glare.

"At least you're in your last trimester," Carly reminded her. "Just think: soon you're going to be a mother!"

"If this thing doesn't kill me first. Seriously, my back feels like I just got stepped on by a moose! And now I'm hungry for cucumbers…"

"Yeah, that's not random," Carly laughed. "Want me to go get you some?"

"There's a nice little sister-in-law."

"I'll come too," Sam said, throwing aside her textbook. "Mama needs Fat Cakes."

The girls grabbed their jackets and headed out the front door. Just as they did, though, Freddie's door across the hall swung open, and out came running Leanne Carter.

"Oh my God! Sam!" she screamed, hugging the girl. "It's been too long! When Heather told me that you two went to the same college, I couldn't wait to see you again!"

"Get off!" Sam tried to say, but Leanne was squeezing her so tight she couldn't get the words out.

"Hi, Carly!" Leanne said, noticing the brunette. "It's great to see you again, too!"

At this point, Freddie had come out of the apartment as well.

"Um, look who stopped by with Heather," he said to Sam, who was now giving him her infamous death stare.

"I was going to text you," he added in a whisper to Sam. "To warn you. But she just got here a minute ago, and then she heard you and Carly leave the apartment."

"We have to hang out," Leanne said to Carly and Sam. "How about we have dinner tonight? I have reservations at this new restaurant by the beach, and I can bring four guests!"

"Okay," Carly nodded.

"Great! I'll meet you here at eight then!"

Leanne then excused herself to go down to the day spa a couple blocks away, bidding everyone a very enthusiastic goodbye before she did so.

"Well, I'll go back and tutor Heather," Freddie said quickly, before Sam had the chance to impale him with any sharp objects.

"Why did you say yes?" Sam exclaimed to Carly once Freddie had closed the door.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't help it," Carly said. "She's just so sweet! I couldn't say no!"

"I swear, if I could hit you, I would," Sam said angrily. "You're just lucky you're you."

"Just one of the perks of having this meat lovin' fighting machine as my best friend," Carly laughed.

…

AN- What's tonight? Oh, yeah, iLOST MY MIND!

We've waited four months for this (well, actually more like two years), so let's hope we get us some SEDDIE!


	52. Chapter 52

"I still don't get why you had to spill spaghetti sauce all over the waiter," Carly said to Sam as the girls walked back into their apartment after dinner with Leanne.

"He was looking at me weird!"

"He had a lazy eye!"

"Oh."

"So I guess that's another restaurant that you can't go back to," Carly sighed.

"Well Leanne and Heather were irritating me; I was in a bad mood!"

"What did they do?" Carly asked.

"They were just them! You know I hated Leanne since I was little, and now I hate her sister even more!"

"Hey, can I ask you something about that?" Carly said.

"Sure," Sam shrugged.  
"Well, Freddie's asked you three times if you wanted him to quit tutoring Heather," she said slowly. "And you've always said no. If she really bugs you this much, why don't you tell him to quit?"

"I dunno," Sam sighed. "I guess I don't want him to think I'm jealous."

"Are you?"

"Yes! Okay! How would you like it if this hot chick was flirting with Brian?"

"Well, I'd tell him it bothered me," Carly replied.

"Look," Sam said. "Everybody knows I'm not exactly the best girlfriend in the world-"

"Sam," Carly said seriously. "That's not true."  
"If I start whining about him spending time with other girls, I'm afraid he'll-"

"Leave you?" Carly finished softly.

Sam nodded.

"Sam," Carly said. "Freddie is in love with you. Anyone who sees you two together for five minutes could tell you that. You may not be a _traditional_ girlfriend, but you're still the perfect girlfriend for him. I mean, sure you hit him, but he's the only person in the world who you've ever shared food with. And yeah, you call him names, but you also sat through the entire Galaxy Wars trilogy with him, something that no non-geek would ever do on her own. And in your own weird way, you _do_ manage to show him everyday that you love him. Sam, Freddie would never dump you because you told him you were a little jealous over him spending time with Heather. I mean, it's not like you freak out whenever he talks to any girl. You have a right to be a little jealous; heck, a little jealousy is good in a relationship now and then."

"You really know how to give a speech, kid," Sam said, smiling a little.

"So will you talk to Freddie?"

"Nope."

"What? Sam! My speech…Well, can you at least talk to Heather?"

"About what?" Sam asked.

"Tell her how she's making you feel when she's around Freddie. Like I said before, she probably doesn't even realize. Will you do that at least?"

"Fine," Sam said. "Hey do we have any whipped cream?"

"Um, yeah?"

"And jalapeños?"

"Yes?"

"Excellent. Mama's gonna make herself a little midnight snack."

….

"We're officially done baby shopping," Ella said, as her and Spencer walked into their apartment. "Ordered everything at Baby Land. It should be here tomorrow."

"Oh, did you get the playpen with the little puppies on it?" Carly asked.

"Of course," Spencer nodded. "Who could resist it?"

"Did you get the high chair I picked out?" Sam asked.

"No, that thing had three trays and built in fridge. It cost a fortune!"

"The baby's got to have a nice place to eat!" she pointed out. "I want my little second cousin to be well nourished."

"Um, first cousin once removed," Freddie pointed out, causing Sam to slap him.

"I've got to pee," Ella said. "Please try to keep the blood shed to a minimum."

"No promises," Sam said.

"Less than two months to the baby, huh?" Carly said to her brother. "I can't believe it."

"I know!" Spencer exclaimed.

"Any ideas for names yet?" Freddie asked.

"Yeah, actually, we came up with some last night," Spencer replied, pulling out his pear phone. "If it's a boy we like Seth-"

"Do you want your kid to be shoved in a trashcan?" Sam snorted.  
"It's elegant!" Spencer defended. "And we also like Daniel and Thomas."

"I have an Uncle Thomas," Sam said.

"Yeah, that's who Ella wanted to name him after."

"Why? He eats live squirrels at a street fair."

"And Thomas is off the list," Spencer said.

"What if it's a girl?" Carly asked.

"Well our top three are Dina, Lindsay, and Katie."

"Don't name her Lindsay," Sam shuddered. "Everyone will automatically think of Lohan."

"You really love to critique names, don't you?" Carly said.

"Well you don't want to name the kid something stupid! I mean what was Crazy thinking when she named this one Fredward."

"You know, I'd be offended," Freddie said. "If I didn't think the same exact thing."

"And my mom must've been off her rocker naming me Samantha…It's so girly and weak and daffidily."

"Well to be fair," Carly said. "You were a baby at the time. How was she supposed to know what you'd be like when you were older?"

"I dunno, mother's intuition?"

"I kind of like your name, though," Freddie said. "I can't picture you as anything but a Sam."

"Yeah, you're right," Carly nodded. "Could you, Spencer?"

"Nope."

"Guess you're stuck with the daffidily name," Carly grinned.

Sam rolled her eyes as she reached for a bag of pork rinds and stuffed them in her mouth.

"And it fits you well."

...

AN- Everyone see ilost my mind? If you didn't...GO! You won't be sorry. I'm still grinning at the thought of it.


	53. Chapter 53

It was now late April, and for the iCarly gang, that meant that their first year of college was almost to a close.

"I can't believe we actually made it through our first year of college," Carly said to her two best friends, as they sat in the Groovy Smoothie, text books open on their table, studying for their final exams in two weeks. "Just think. Next year we're finished and get to start working for the T.V. company!"

"With those nice pay checks," Sam grinned.

"True chiz," Freddie agreed, raising his smoothie cup. "Here's to a six figure salary in just over a year."

"Cheers," the girls laughed.

"Shoot," Sam said, looking at her phone. "I was supposed to take my mom to the clinic an hour ago."  
"What's she going there for now?" Carly asked as Sam closed her book.

"You really don't want to know," Sam said. "See ya."

"You know, as grossed as I sure I would be," Carly said. "A part of me does want to know."

"And thank you for the visuals that are now swimming through my head," Freddie said.

"Sorry," Carly said. "Anyway, you realize that in just a few days it's going to by May, right?"

"Um, sure?"

"So, don't you know what May means for you?"

"Well, since we've been getting a lot of April showers, I guess May flowers?"

"Does the date May 20th ring a bell to you?" Carly snapped.

Freddie stared blankly.

"That was the date of our senior prom," Carly continued. "You know, the day that you and Sam officially became a couple."

"Yeah, I know," Freddie admitted.

"So? What are you going to do?"

"I dunno," he shrugged. "I mean, Sam's not really the anniversary type? I would love to take her out to a really fancy restaurant, but she might think I'm too sappy."

"Freddie, if you take Sam to a restaurant, she'll do nothing but love you, so long as it's not a Vegan place," Carly said.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Freddie said. "Man, I can't believe I've been dating her for a whole year and still have all my limbs."

"You have had some close calls," Carly smiled. "Like the first time you tried to hold her hand in public?"

"Oh yeah…" he said thoughtfully. "At least now she doesn't really mind. She just draws the line at kissing in public."

"Yet you do it all the time in our living room," Carly pointed out.

….

"I think you're in good shape for the final," Freddie told Heather during her tutoring session. "You seem to know this code stuff pretty well."

"Thanks, you were a great tutor," she smiled. "Too bad this is my last computer class."

"Why?" Sam asked. She had been using the Benson's wi-fi since it was down at her own apartment.

"I'm changing my major," Heather explained. "I want to become a teacher. I only need the two computer classes I took to get a degree for that."

Sam had to use all her restraint not to smile.

"Anyway," she continued, scooting closer to Freddie. "Do you think you could go over that binary thing again? I'm still a little confused by it."

"Sure thing," he nodded. "You want another soda?"

"Yeah, that'd be great."

"And you'll obviously want one," he said to Sam. "What are you on, your fifth can?"

"Sixth, Benson. Ten away from my personal record."

Freddie rolled his eyes and walked over to his fridge.

"Looks like we're out," he said. "But no problem. I'll just walk over to the mini-mart across the street and buy some more. I'll be back in a minute, okay?"

"All right, Freddie," Heather said brightly.

"He's so nice to go all the way to the store to buy us more soda," she said to Sam once Freddie left.

"Yeah, he's a real saint," Sam mumbled.

"That's for sure," Heather agreed, not catching the sarcasm in Sam's voice. "And he's been such a great tutor this past year. He's made this stuff really easy; he's so great."

"Um, Heather," Sam said, deciding to take Carly's advice and talk to this girl. "What are you doing?"

"Doing? I'm talking to you," she laughed.

"No," Sam said. "I mean with Freddie."

"You mean my tutoring."

"No…your flirting."

Heather looked surprised. "Flirting?" she repeated. "What are you talking about?"

"Come on," Sam exclaimed. "You were sitting right on top of him, and you won't shut up about how sweet he is and all that chiz!"

"Sam," Heather said, smiling. "You can't think I was flirting with Freddie. I was just being nice because he was tutoring me. I would never go after him romantically. You're his girlfriend, and truthfully, no offense or anything, but the thought of me and him together like that kind of grosses me out."

"Grosses you out?" Sam asked. She was of course please to hear Heather say this, but she was curious as to what is was that grossed her out.

"Yeah, I mean, Sam, I don't know if you noticed this but…he's left handed."

Sam blinked. Did she hear that right?

"Left handed?"

"Oh!" Heather said, covering her mouth. "You didn't know, did you? I'm so sorry."

"I-I-That's it?" Sam asked.

"It just freaks me out," Heather shuddered. "He's a really great guy, but I could never date someone like that."

"Yeah, I totally get that," Sam said, struggling to hold back a laugh.

"Hey oh, I'm back with the drinks," Freddie said, letting himself back into the apartment. "Ready to get back to the binary code, Heather?" He handed each girl a can of soda.  
"Sure am," Heather nodded. Sam noticed that she grimaced slightly as Freddie picked up his soda with his left hand.

"I think I'm out of here," Sam said, closing her laptop.

"Where you going?" Freddie asked.

"To go hang out with Spencer and Ella. Your computer chat is boring me."

…..

AN- No offense to any left-handers out there. My brothers both happen to be left-handed.


	54. Chapter 54

"Really? Because he's left handed?" Carly said.

"Yup," Sam nodded, grinning. "She's totally repulsed by it."

"That's so weird," Carly said. "It doesn't even make sense. Well, at least you're happy, right?"

"I guess," Sam shrugged, though Carly could tell she was actually ecstatic.

"What goes on?" Spencer asked the girls, walking out of his bedroom, pulling a shirt on.

"Nothing," Carly replied. "Where's Ella?"

"Shopping with her mom. Hey, have you seen my glitter? I'm working on a sculpture of a monkey."

"What monkey has glitter on it?" Sam asked.

"A shiny one!"

"It's in the bathroom where you left it," Carly told him.

"Thanks," he said, running to go get it.

"Didn't he just finish making a shiny giraffe?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, he's on a sparkly run," Carly explained. "Anyway, guess what's coming up soon?"

"I know! The circus freak tour is coming to Seattle! I'm so-"

"No not that," Carly said. "Your anniversary."

"Anniversary of what?"

"Your relationship with Freddie!" she exclaimed. "You know, you've spent a whole year together."

"Oh yeah. It's no big deal."

"No big-Are you kidding me Puckett?"

"What? You know I'm not into that stuff."

"Sam, it _is_ a big deal! It's a huge milestone in your relationship!"

"And?"

"Look" Carly sighed. "If it was any other guy you were having this anniversary with, I would believe you weren't looking forward to it. But it's not any other guy; it's Freddie. And I know, no matter how much you try to deny it, you're excited for it."

"You just want me to buy a dress, don't you?"

"I just want you to be happy, Sam. And well, if the time comes for shopping for a fancy dress, I wouldn't say no."

"You've talked to Freddie about this, didn't you?" Sam asked.  
"No, no," Carly said, nervously shifting in her seat.

"Shay…"

"Okay, fine, yes!"

"And he wants to celebrate it."

"Well, yeah."

"Good," Sam said. "Not that I actually care, 'cause I don't, but I _guess_ if the nub wants to take me out that particular night, I'll play along for his sake."

"For his sake?" Carly laughed knowingly. "Admit it, Sam, you're totally psyched."

"I'll admit nothing."

"Then why are you grinning?"

"I'm not!"

"Yeah you are. You're excited! You're going to go home and dance around and-"

"Can it, Carlotta."

"So, when are we going shopping?"

"Oy."

….


	55. Chapter 55

"Sam, the Gettysburg Address wasn't written by George Bush," Freddie told his girlfriend, looking at her American History notes. "And the was of 1812 wasn't fought in 1643."

"Give me those," Sam snapped, grabbing her notes from Freddie.

"Do you want to borrow mine?" he asked.

"No. Mine are fine."

"If you insist," Freddie said.

"Was Stonewall Jackson related to Andrew Jackson?"

"Um, no."

"Oh. Okay, if you _insist_, I'll borrow your notes."

"Anything for you, Puckett," he laughed. "You know, if you actually would've studied throughout the semester, you wouldn't have to be cramming right now five days before the final."

"And if you weren't so big a doof, I wouldn't have to do this." Sam proceeded to punch Freddie hard in the shoulder."

"Just study," he told her, massaging his now bruised shoulder.

"Don't tell me what to do," she warned, but flipped through the notes anyway.

"Hey, have you seen my textbook anywhere?" he asked, looking on the coffee table in his living room.

"Yeah, I borrowed it for a bit of light reading," Sam replied sarcastically.

"Must've left it at Spencer's," he mumbled. "I'll be right back."

"While you're over there get me some ham!" she yelled as Freddie headed across the hall.

Freddie shook his head, slightly amused.

He knocked on the Shay's door, and without waiting for an answer, entered.

"Hey, did I leave my book here?" he asked Spencer, who was sprawled out on the floor.

"I think it's on the counter," Spencer replied.

"Thanks," Freddie said, spotting his book. "Um, why are you lying on the floor?"

"Oh, you know, just staring at the ceiling. It's very nicely designed, I'll have to find the builders who built it and personally-"

"You're glued to the floor, aren't you?"

"Yes," Spencer admitted.

"Give me your hand," Freddie sighed. He heaved the man up, though half of his shirt got left behind in the process.

"Well, guess I learned my lesson with _Chimp Glue_," Spencer stated.

"Good to know," Freddie nodded, staring at the nearly shirtless man in front of him with much confusion. "I'm going to go back and study know."

"Oh yeah, you have finals next week," Spencer said. "Man, I can't believe you guys have been in college a whole year."

"Neither can we. And just think, next year we start at the T.V. company."

"Aw, little Freddikins is going to be a grown-up," Spencer cooed.

"Uh-huh," Freddie said, chuckling. "Hey, do you have any ham?"

"Oh, is Sam over at your place?"

"Why else would I need ham?"

"True chiz. There's half a package in the fridge. That's the last of it, though. I haven't been shopping in days."

"How come?" Freddie asked, grabbing the meat.

"I've been taking care of Ella. You know, I thought she was crazy before, but apparently during this last month of pregnancy, the hormones are just going insane. Last night, she woke me up at three a.m. crying because she just remembered _Friends_ was cancelled."

"Wow," Freddie grinned.

"Spencer!" Ella called from the bedroom. "Come here! These curtains are two different colors! They're throwing off the whole scheme of the room!"

"Be right there!" Spencer yelled back. "We went through this same thing yesterday with the couch cushions," he moaned to Freddie. "And the day before that with the bathroom tiles."

"Have fun," Freddie told him sympathetically. "I've got my own crazy blonde to deal with."

He picked up his book and quickly jetted out of the apartment.

"Finally, there's my meat," Sam said the instant Freddie walked in. Freddie rolled his eyes and tossed Sam the ham.

"How far did you get in my notes?"

"Something with the colonies…"

"Sam! That's just the first page!"  
"It's boring, okay!" she defended. "And I studied last night for an hour, for your information. Can't I just take a break?"

"You still have 400 years of America's history to get through," Freddie reminded her. "Come on, I'm studying with you."

"You can take a break too," she said, leaning over and wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Sam, it's not going to work," Freddie said weakly.

"Please," Sam pouted. "For me?"

"Sam," he moaned, smelling her strawberry scented locks dangling in front of his face. "We can't make out, we have to study…we have to-Okay, just for ten minutes."

Ten minutes quickly turned into twenty, and soon, the notes and textbooks lay in a forgotten heap on the floor.

"Well, Ms. Puckett," Freddie said, breaking away from Sam to get some much needed oxygen. "You've successfully avoided yet another study session. I hope you're pleased with yourself."

"Very," she said, placing her head on his shoulders, reaching for the leftover ham.

"You know," Freddie said, putting his arm around her. "In just a couple weeks, out anniversary is coming up."

"Is it?" Sam said nonchalantly.

"Carly already told me you remembered it," he told her.

"She what? I'm going to kill her!"

"She was just trying to help," Freddie said.

"I'm still killing her."

"I'm sure you will. But in the meantime, I happened to make us reservations at _La Chez de Seattle_, which I'm sure you know, is famous for its meat products."

"Shut up," she said. "You can't get reservations there unless you're like the president or something."

"Never doubt Freddie Benson."

"That was incredibly geeky," Sam said.

"Thank you. And after dinner, I got us tickets to see that freak show that's performing."

"You really do love me!"

"Well, obviously," Freddie laughed.


	56. Chapter 56

"And another year bites the dust," Sam said happily as her, Carly and Freddie walked out of their last class of the year.

"What are you talking about?" Carly asked. "We've only had one year of college."

"I was talking about education in general."

"Oh."

"Let's go grab some pizza to celebrate," Freddie laughed. "I think there's still a few left in Seattle that haven't banned Sam yet."

"Can I help it I demand a lot of meat on my pizza?" Sam said.

After grabbing a quick pizza at Pizza Shack (where Carly and Freddie had to stop Sam from yelling at the chef because he ran out of sausage), the trio decided to start their summer at Spencer's apartment.

"What's up?' Spencer asked as his little sister and her two best friends walked in. "How was the last day of classes?"

"A blast," Sam said sarcastically. "You have anything to eat?"

"Have some potato salad," Ella said, who was sitting on the couch with a huge bowl of it.

"I wouldn't," Spencer warned her. "She's added chocolate syrup and marshmallows to it."

Sam shrugged and grabbed a spoon anyway.

"Anyway, since you're here can you guys help me put these childproof locks on the cabinets?" Spencer asked. "I'd do it myself, but…I kind of can't get them to unlock."

"Yeah, these childproof locks _can_ be difficult," Carly laughed, grabbing the package from her brother. "Is this the last thing you guys need to do before the baby?"

"Yup. The nursery is all set up. We've got the car seat in the back seat, and I even made a sculpture of a teddy bear eating a mango!"

"A mango?" Freddie repeated.

"It's a delicious fruit!"

….

"Oh my God, you have to wear this necklace with the dress, Sam!" Carly told her friend, looking through her jewelry. "It's perfect for it! Plus it matches your shoes nicely."

"No, it looks stupid," Sam replied, running a brush through her blonde curls.

"Fine," Carly conceded, tossing the necklace aside. "Wow, Sam, you look great."

Sam was wearing a dark purple dress that came to about six inches above her knee and gold heels with her ham necklace Freddie had given her Christmas.

"Thanks," Sam replied. "When are you leaving for your movie with Brian?"

"About an hour," she answered.

"Is that the new dress you bought?" Melanie asked her sister, walking into the room.

"Yeah, after three hours of shopping with this one over here."

"Sorry," Carly laughed "But come one, that dress was worth it."

"I think I saw Freddie pull into the parking lot," Melanie told Sam.

"Where are you going tonight?" Carly asked Melanie.

"A couple of friends from my boarding school are in Olympia for the weekend, so we're going to hang out.

"Sounds fun," Carly smiled, adjusting her dress.

There was a knock at the door, and Sam let Freddie in.

"Hey, ready to go? I'm starving," she greeted him.

"Sure. Whoa," he grinned, staring at Sam. "You look…amazing."

"Aw," Sam and Melanie said from the kitchen.

"Lets get out of here," Sam said.

The restaurant was about an hour away, and when the couple finally arrived, Sam was ready to chow down.

"We're clearing off your table now," the server said to Freddie when he checked in. "Please wait over there, sir."

"Man, I can smell the pork," Sam moaned, salivating at the sent of the wood grilled meats.

"Not so bad celebrating our anniversary now, is it?" he asked, pulling his girlfriend into a hug.

"You're the biggest nub ever," she mumbled. Her phone went off.

"It's Carly," she said. "Hello?"

"Sam?" Carly said on the other line. "Ella's in labor!"


	57. Chapter 57

"She's in labor?" Freddie exclaimed once Sam hung up.

"Yeah, her water just broke. Spencer called Carly on the way to the hospital. Come on, we have to go."

"Yeah, lets go," Freddie agreed.

The two of them ran back to Freddie's car. They got to the hospital in just under thirty minutes. Carly was waiting for them in the waiting room with Melanie.

"Hey you guys," Carly greeted them. "I'm really sorry I interrupted your anniversary dinner."

"Eh, we'll do it another night," Sam shrugged. "Where's Ella? Aren't we allowed to see her?"

"Um, no," Melanie replied. "Because she's doing the actual birthing process right now. You know, with the pushing and-"

"Gross," Sam cringed.

"What? You'll watch high-definition videos of people getting warts surgically removed but you can't stand to hear about that?" Carly laughed.

"Has anyone called Ella's mom?" Freddie asked.

"I just did," Melanie nodded. "Her and our mom are on their way."

"And so is my granddad," Carly added. "My dad can't get here now, but I sent him an email."

"So we just have to wait here?" Sam said, sitting down on one of the plastic chairs.

"Yup," Carly sighed.

After twenty minutes, during which time Pam Puckett and Ella's mom, Judy, had arrived, Spencer finally came running out.

"I'm a daddy!" he said, jumping with joy as he ran over to the group. "I'm a daddy! I'm a daddy!"  
"Oh my God, the baby was born?" Carly exclaimed, jumping up as well.

"Yup! Perfectly healthy!"

"Can we see it?" Sam asked.

"Yes! I'm a daddy! Can you believe it? Hey, mam," he said, bouncing over to a woman sitting a few seats away. "I'm a daddy!"

"Well come on!" Judy said. "I want to see my grandkid!"

"Hey, wait a minute," Freddie said as Spencer eagerly led the party to Ella's room. "Is this baby a boy or a girl?"

"I forgot all about that!" Carly said. "What is it, Spence?"

"A girl! A ittle bittle baby girl!"

"Aw," Melanie cooed. "How adorable."

After he nearly ran into a nurse carrying a tray of urine samples, Spencer finally reached Ella's room, and let everyone in.

Ella lay on the bed, holding a tiny pink bundle in her arms.

"Oh! That's my niece!" Carly whispered, grinning from cheek to cheek.

"And my second cousin," Sam nodded.  
"First cousin once-I'll shut up," Freddie said.

"She's so cute," Carly said, bending down to get a better look. "She has your nose, Spencer."

"And your mouth," Sam agreed.

"Hey, she's got some of my traits too, lucky for her," Ella said.

"Did you guys pick out a name?" Melanie asked.

"Yup." Spencer nodded. "Dina Ann Shay."

"That's so precious," Carly said. "Okay, you know what? I can't wait anymore. Can I hold her?"

"Sure," Ella laughed. "Just make sure you hold her head up." She carefully transferred her sleeping daughter over to Carly.

"Are you crying?" Spencer asked his little sister, amused.

"No!"

After Carly held Dina, she passed her to Sam. Freddie was next, and then Melanie, Judy and Pam.

"She looks like a tiny little ham," Sam said as Spencer took his daughter from Mrs. Puckett.

"Um, I guess from you that's a compliment, so thanks."

Unfortunately, a nurse soon came in and told everyone visiting hours were over, so Spencer and Ella had to bid their friends and family goodbye.

"I'm so happy!" Carly said as they headed towards the parking lot. "I'm an aunt!"

"And I'm a first cousin once removed," Sam added.

"Finally, you get it right," Freddie laughed, putting an arm around Sam.

"You know what's so sweet, though," Carly said. "Is that they had their baby on your anniversary. Now this date's special for two reasons."

Sam smiled. "Yeah, even though I didn't get my fancy pork, tonight was pretty special. Now come on, Fredbag," she said. "We still have time to go the Freak Show."


	58. Chapter 58

"Little Dina did the cutest thing today," Carly said, walking into her apartment. "She grabbed Spencer's finger and put it in her mouth!"

"Does she know where that finger's been?" Sam cringed.

"Okay, true," Carly nodded. "But still, she's so precious!"

"I'm just glad Ella doesn't get those weird food cravings anymore; there was never anything left for me!"

"Yes, now you can have all the ketchup and Cheeseballs you want," Carly laughed. "Anyway, are you busy tomorrow night?"

"Well I was going to watch _500 Ways to Lose an Arm_."

"You still can," Carly said. "It's just that Spencer and Ella have to meet with this art guy who wants to put some of Spencer's sculptures in his museum, so they kind of need a babysitter. So I told them that you and I could do it."

"Why are you dragging me into this?"

"Come on, Sam," Carly pleaded. "I'm kind of nervous to be left with her by myself. Besides, Dina loves you! You made her stop crying yesterday."

"I did, didn't I," Sam said thoughtfully. "Fine. I'll go with you, but you better tell Spencer to make sure he has plenty of meat in his fridge."

…

"Thanks again, you guys," Spencer said, fixing his light-up tie. "We should be back by midnight."

"No problem," Carly replied.

"Just remember to give her bottles at seven and ten," Ella said. "The diapers are on the changing table."

"Yeah, yeah," Sam said, playing with Dina on the couch. "Get out of here you crazy kids."

"Good luck!" Carly yelled as the couple left. "Okay, Sam, you've got Dina. I'm going to order the pizza. Do you think we should try that new place by the movies? Or than one down by-Oh my God!"

"What?" Sam asked as Carly looked at her phone.

"It's Joey! That boy I was telling you about that I met in our lobby the other day. He wants to know if I can meet him for dinner!"

"You just broke up with Brian two days ago!" Sam exclaimed.  
True, Carly had decided to end things with Brian because she had discovered that he was more dedicated to his large collection of vintage yo-yos than her.

"I know," Carly sighed. "But he's so sweet. And funny. And hot."

"You can't go! You have to stay here with me and watch Dina!"

"You're right," Carly nodded. "I know, I made a commitment, and I would be a totally horrible friend if I made you stay here by yourself."

She put her phone away and fell back on the couch.

"Oh," Sam said after a minute. "Go! I'll stay here by myself."

"Really?" Carly asked, jumping up. "You will?"

"Yeah, sure. But you owe me!"

"Definitely. Here's money for the pizza plus twenty extra. And I'll take you to Build-A-Bra tomorrow. Thanks Sam, you're the best."

"Don't you forget it!" Sam called after her best friend as she ran out of the apartment.

"Well," she said, looking down at the infant in her lap. "Looks like it's just you and me, kid."

Dina of course didn't respond, and continued playing with Sam's finger, causing Sam to smile.

For someone who once enslaved nearly fifty fourth-graders, Sam turned out to be rather good with Dina. At seven she began giving Dina her bottle just as Ella instructed.

"Just don't throw up on me like you did Carly," she told Dina, gently putting the bottle into her mouth.

There was a knock at the door, and Freddie walked in. "Hey."

"Hey. I thought you were at ballroom dancing class with your mom."

"There was a small glitch in the system and our names got lost," he said, smiling. "Seems like someone hacked their system."

"And just took your names out?" Sam said knowingly. "Nice work, Fredoof."

"Where's Carly? Isn't she supposed to be helping you baby-sit?"

"Yeah, but some guy called her and wanted to know if she could have dinner, so I told her to go."

"What happened to Brian?"

"She dumped him, keep up!"

"Sorry," Freddie chuckled. "Anyway, you need any help?"

"Well," Sam said, grinning as Dina drained the last of the bottle. "Since you asked…change her."

"What? No way! That's gross!"

"Oh come on. I had to feed her and entertain her all by myself!"

"Oh fine," Freddie sighed. "Give her to me."

….

Spencer and Ella arrived back at the apartment a little after twelve. Sam was upstairs checking on Dina and Freddie was cleaning up the spit up she had gotten on the couch.

"Hey, how was the museum thing?" Freddie asked.

"Fantastic!" Spencer exclaimed. "They guy really loved my work! He's going to try to have a few of my pieces on display by next month."

"Wow, congratulations," Freddie said.

"Where's Dina?" Ella asked.

"Asleep. Sam's checking on her now."

"Where's Carly?"

"She got called by this boy she really likes, so Sam told her to go."

"Yeah, and she owes me a new bra for it," Sam said, coming down the stairs. "Can I go home now? Carly left her car for me to take."

"You shouldn't drive home in this; it's teaming down rain," Ella said. "Spence and I just got inside in time. You can sleep here tonight."

"Cool, thanks," Sam said, flopping down on the couch.

"Well, I'm going to bed," Ella yawned. "For two hours before Dina wakes up."

"Yeah, me too," Spencer said tiredly. "G'night you two. Behave!"

"That baby hates me," Freddie said, sitting down next to Sam.

"You're stupid."

"I'm serious! She cried the whole time I was changing her, and then when I tried to hold her, she spit-up!"

"Yeah, babies just don't like you, do they?"

"Guess not," Freddie sighed. "Well, I'm beat. I'm going home. See you tomorrow, Puckett."

"You too, Benson."


	59. Chapter 59

"Where were you?" Carly asked Sam as the blonde let herself into her apartment. "I was starting to get really worried."

"By the time Spencer and Ella got home it was pouring, so they let me crash there," she explained.

"How was babysitting little Dina?" Melanie asked.

"Eh. She barfed all over Freddie, so that was pretty cool."

"Gross," Carly laughed. "Well, anyway, thanks again for watching her for me. I think Joey may be the one."

"You said that about Brian."

"But I really feel it this time!'

"Whatever, kid," Sam said, grabbing a donut from the fridge.

"It's true! Just wait until you meet him."

"Yuck," Sam said, spitting out the donut. "This one has jelly."

"Those are the best," Melanie said.

"No, the _cream_ ones are the best," Sam said. "And there's no more of those left. I'll just grab some from Amazing Glaze. Are you ready?"

"Yeah," Melanie nodded.

"Where are you going?" Carly asked.

"To take our mom to get surgery," Sam said quickly.

"Isn't your mom in Hawaii?"

"She got back last night," Melanie replied.

Carly frowned, but didn't say anything as the twins quickly ran out the door.

….

"I feel really bad about lying to Carly," Melanie said as her and Sam boarded the bus. "Why couldn't we just tell her?"

"Because," Sam shrugged. "It would just be weird if she came. I mean, I didn't even tell Freddie about it."

"I didn't tell Dylan either," Melanie said softly. "Did you bring the address?"

"Yup," Sam nodded. "About twenty miles from the Canadian border."

"How'd you find him?"

"I've picked up a few hacking skills from Freddie."

"Nice," Melanie laughed. Then she said seriously: "Are you nervous?"

"A little," Sam admitted. "You?  
"Yeah, but I guess that's normal. We haven't seen dad in years."

The girls remained silent throughout the rest of the bus ride. After about two hours, the bus finally reached their stop, and they got off.

"This neighborhood's a dump," Sam commented as her and Melanie walked. "It makes mom's house look like a mansion."

"Sam, be nice," Melanie said. The girls kept walking until they came to a small house that looked even more run down than the others.

"Should we knock?" Sam asked tentatively.

"I guess," her sister answered. The girls slowly made their way up the driveway.

"He's not home," an old lady said, walking out of the next-door house.

"Isn't this Daniel Puckett's house?" Sam asked.

"Yes. But he's not here. Him and some friends left here about fifteen minutes ago to eat lunch at Hank's Diner."

"Where's that?" Melanie asked.

"Two blocks over. There's a big sign; you can't miss it."

"Thanks."

As though the girls had come to some silent agreement, they both began the walk to the diner.

As the lady had said, the diner was easy to spot. It had a lit up sign and a bright blue exterior. Sam and Melanie stood by the large glass window at the front.

"Should we go in?" Melanie asked.

"He's right there at the counter." Sam pointed to a short, stocky man with salt and pepper hair sitting on a bar stool, laughing with two other men and his arm slung around a woman. "Come on, let's go in."

The girls stepped into the diner. The hostess sat them in a small booth near the bar, and handed them their menus.

For once in her life, Sam didn't even think about food. She ignored the menu as her and Melanie stared at their father.

"He looked right at us," Sam whispered.

"I know," Melanie nodded.

"He did it again."

"He doesn't seem very fazed."

"He doesn't recognize us," Sam said.

"I guess not."

"Come on," Sam said, standing up.

The girls grabbed their bags and were about to head out of the diner. As they passed the bar, though, their father's wallet fell from the counter.

Sam bent down and picked it up.

"Here," she said, addressing her father for the first time in about thirteen years. "You dropped this."

"Oh, yeah, thanks," he said dismissively, not aware that the girl who he was talking to was his daughter. He grabbed the wallet and continued to chat with his friends.

Sam quickly walked back over to Melanie.

"I can't believe he didn't even know us," Melanie said sadly as they headed back to the bus stop.

"He probably hasn't thought about us since he left," Sam said softly. "Oh, here." She handed Melanie a 100-dollar bill.

"Where did you get this?"

"I stole $200 from his wallet."

"Sam!" Melanie scolded, but she was grinning.

The girls were silent during the bus ride again. Sam saw that Melanie had a few tears running down her face. When they arrived back at their stop, Melanie told Sam she was going to the library to study. Sam didn't particularly want to go back to her apartment and deal with the many questions Carly was sure to plaster her with, so she found herself walking towards her second home: Bushwell Plaza.

"Hey, where've you been?" Freddie asked when Sam knocked at his door. "Are you okay?"

Sam shook her head as Freddie let her in. "Is your mom home?"

"No? What's-"

"He didn't even recognize me!"

Freddie blinked. "Who?"

"My dad!" Sam said, tears falling from her face. She hadn't cried like this in years. "Me and Melanie found him and we went to see him today and he didn't even know who I was!"

Freddie pulled her into a hug. "Sam, I'm so sorry-"

"I even talked to him! He looked right at me when I gave him his wallet back and he still didn't know I was his daughter!"

Freddie felt horrible for his girlfriend. Here she was _truly_ crying because the man who was supposed to love her unconditionally had no idea who she was.

"Sam, it's going to be okay," he said softly.

"Why'd he leave?" she asked weakly.

"Because he wasn't good enough for you."

"Will you ever leave?"

"Not a chance."


	60. Chapter 60

"Why does your mom have the placemats glued to the table?" Carly asked Freddie.

"Because she thinks that they could slide and the plate on it will spill hot food all over me," he replied.

"Isn't that lady the coolest?" Sam said.

The three were hanging out at Freddie's that day, since Spencer and Ella had decided to drive up to Yakima to take Dina to see Granddad, and Mrs. Benson was away at an anti-fungal seminar.

"How much longer is this movie?" Carly asked, sitting back down next to Sam. "I mean, the guy already knows his sister is a banshee, so what left is there-Gross!"

"And that's why I love this movie," Sam grinned as they watched the banshee sister slaughter a mailman with a pitchfork.

"At least it's over now," Freddie said, grimacing at the explosion of blood as the end credits rolled on.

"Yes, but now I'm going to have nightmares," Carly said, yawning as she got up. "Ready to go, Sam?"

"You go ahead, I'll get a ride from Fredsauce," Sam said.

"Oh right," Carly smiled. "You two are probably going to sit here an make out for another hour."

"Probably, yeah," Freddie shrugged.

"Well have fun," Carly laughed. "But I'm warning you, Sam, if I can't sleep because of this banshee movie…"

She gave her friend a warning look, and then grabbed her purse and left.

At once, Sam and Freddie had their lips pressed against each other. Freddie had his hair in Sam's hair, and her arms were wrapped around his strong shoulders. Freddie eventually moved his arms to Sam's waist and then, without even knowing what he was doing, he had them under her shirt and four inches up her waist.

Now, Sam and Freddie had been dating for over a year, and they had had some intense make-out sessions during that time. Freddie had been in this position before, yet this time, Sam pulled away.

"What's wrong? Sorry, I didn't mean to-" he feared she might be getting a little uncomfortable.

She shook her head. "It's okay."

Freddie noticed she was blushing a little.

"So," he said, fiddling with her hair that had fallen over her shoulder. "Do you want to get back to it then?"

"Yeah," she said, grinning a little. "But, don't you think it would be a little more fun to maybe…"

Freddie stared at her. "Um, what?"

"Move things further?"

Freddie still stared at her blankly.

"Honestly!" she exclaimed, exasperated. "How much of a nub can you be?" she pulled Freddie's head down to her mouth and whispered something in his ear.

His eyes widened. Well, now he understood.

"You-you want to?"

"Do _you _want to?"

"Well, yeah, I mean, Sam's you're…amazing, but we don't have to just for me."

"I know," she said.

"I don't want you to regret it or anything."

"I won't."

"I love you," he grinned.

"Yeah," she smiled. She leaned in to kiss him.

Once they broke apart, Freddie cleared his throat. "So, um… should we, um, go in-in my room?"

"That's generally where these things are done," Sam said, rolling her eyes.

"Always the sarcastic one," Freddie smiled as he stood up from the couch. He extended a hand to Sam, and led her to his bedroom.

…..

Sam still couldn't wipe the grin off her face. She had never felt so euphoric…

"Shhh," Sam whispered to Freddie as the two quietly unlocked the front door to her apartment the next morning. "Hopefully Carly is still asleep…"

"You sure you don't want to stay longer?" Freddie asked her. "We can drive us back to my place now and you can just tell Carly you woke up early?"

"Yeah, like she'd believe that," Sam scoffed. "Seriously, if we keep talking she'll wake up, though! Just go pick up your mom from the train station and I'll see you later."

"So when am I getting that sweatshirt back?" Freddie asked, pulling at his oversized sweatshirt Sam had worn to sleep that night.

"Probably never, it's really soft. It's good for eating ham in."

"You do realize you left your clothes at my place? I can just hold them hostage until I get that back."

"I didn't like that shirt," she said. "By the way, you probably won't be getting these sweatpants either."

"Uh-huh," he said amused. "You know, if you didn't look so hot in them, I'd put up more of a fight." He looked at his watch. "I need to get to the train station before my mom has a panic attack." He leaned down to kiss her.

"I love you," he whispered.

"Yeah, I know you do," she grinned. "And I like you too. Even with that funny little birthmark by your-"

"You swore to keep it a secret!"

"We'll see," she said mischievously.

Freddie shook his head, and headed out the door.

Sam smiled, and then began to tiptoe back to her room where she would get into her bed, and claim she had been there all night when Carly woke up.

She didn't make it past the living room, however, when Carly came out.

"Where have you been?" she exclaimed. She was still in her pajamas and had her cell phone in her hand. "Do you have any idea how worried I was when I woke up this morning and you weren't there?

"I was-"

"I called Spencer and Ella, Melanie at her friends house…I tried calling your mom but she didn't answer. Where the heck were you? You didn't answer your cell phone and Gibby stepped of Freddie's so I couldn't even call him to ask what time you left!"

"I slept on the couch," Sam said quickly. "I fell asleep watching T.V."

"No you didn't; I came out here before I called everyone! Now tell me- Wait, why are you wearing Freddie's clothes?"

"These aren't his," Sam said, looking at the floor.

"Yeah they are. I remember him wearing that sweatshirt last-Oh my God!"

"Can you calm down," Sam said. "You're acting crazy."

"You were at Freddie's!" she said excitedly. "You two…you did- Oh my God! Sam! You-"

"Okay, fine yes," Sam hissed. "I slept at Freddie's last night."

"And did you two…"

"None of your business."

"Sam! I'm your best friend! This is stuff you tell your best friend, which is me, so start-"

"Yes! Okay? Yes!"

"Oh my God!" she shrieked, jumping up and down. "Tell me everything! What was it like? What did- Wait, no. Don't tell me everything, it's Freddie! Gross."

"Good. Now can I-"

"Wait, just tell me some things…or, don't. I mean do! I mean-"

"I'm going back to bed," Sam said, walking past Carly. "You need to de-peppify yourself."

….

AN- So yeah, school started yesterday for me, so these daily updates probably won't last much longer…Sorry. But I'll still update as much as I can during the week


	61. Chapter 61

"So why would they put it on a stick?" Carly asked Sam as they walked towards Spencer's apartment. "I mean, it was perfectly good stickless."

"Because if something's on a stick, it's just that more appealing to the general population," Sam explained. "Like if they were to put a Fat Cake on a stick, it would be even better than it is now."

""But what if-"

"Hey," Freddie said, opening his apartment door as Carly reached for her key to Spencer's. "Where have you girls been all day?"

"We hung out with Wendy at the mall," Carly replied, opening the door. "She's leaving to go back up to Washington University in just a couple weeks."

"Oh. Well, I was busy helping Guppy with his summer school homework. You know that kid thinks George Washington was the one who shot Abraham Lincoln?"

"Wow, and he's how old?" Carly smiled. "Eleven now? Good thing he's adorable."

"Yeah, even I know George Washington died ten years before Lincoln was shot," Sam said, earning her stares of disbelief from Carly and Freddie.

"And yet she got a B in American History," Carly laughed.

"I'm just a good guesser," Sam said proudly.

"Moving on," Freddie said, as the three walked into the Shay's apartment. "Guess what I just heard?"

"What? Who's there?" Spencer yelled, running down the stairs. "Oh, it's just you guys."

"A little jumpy, aren't we?" Carly commented.

"Sorry, I just got Dina to sleep."

"As I was saying," Freddie continued. "According to my mom, Lewbert has a girlfriend."

"Really? As in a human one?" Sam exclaimed.

"I'm assuming."

"Oh yeah, I heard that too," Spencer nodded. "Ella said she head him talking to her yesterday."

"Maybe she's psycho like that Marta chick," Carly said. "Has anyone actually seen this woman?"

"No, my mom only heard her on the phone, like Ella."

"Well, I guess there's someone for everyone," Carly shrugged. "Maybe Lewbert will marry this woman and have creepy little warty children."

"Gross," Spencer cringed. "That's disgusting."

"And now I'm hungry for salsa," Sam said.

"Oh, Sam, you still don't have a car, right?" Spencer asked the blonde as she headed for his fridge.

"Nope," Sam said. "Well, I hotwired one five years ago, but the cops made me give it back to the guy."

"That's…nice? Anyway, you know Otto? Socko's cousin? He just got a job in New York, and he's leaving next week so he's trying to get rid of all his cars. Since he knows me, he said he'd give you a used one for really cheap. Melanie too."

"How cheap are we talking?" Sam inquired.  
"Very. About $200 bucks a piece."

"Seriously? For a car?"

"Is it drivable?" Carly asked. "Remember that one he gave us for Neville…"

"I've seen the cars," Spencer assured her. "They're in great shape and only have about 1000 miles on them. Should I tell him your interested?"

"Shoosh yeah, Mama needs wheels. I just need to get Melanie to pay for my car…"

"Cool," Spencer said. "I'll call him now. In the meantime, who wants to buy Spencer some diapers?"

The teens looked at him.

"For Dina," he said quickly. "Not me. I know how to…well, go. Ella's spending time with her mom and I don't want to bother her."

"We'll go," Carly said.

"Let's go to the store with the bacon samples," Sam said as her and Carly started towards the door.

"You have to promise to only have one."

"Fine I'll have one. Box. You coming Fredlump?"

"Yeah, I'll be there in a minute," he said. "I'll meet you in the car."

The girls shrugged, and headed out.

"Hey, Spence," Freddie said.

"Yeah?"

"Here." He pulled $200 from his wallet. "For Sam's car."

"Aw, is little Freddie buying his girlfriend a car?"

"Just keep it quiet," Freddie said. "I want it to be a surprise."

"Sure thing, man." Spencer nodded. Just then, a loud cry came from upstairs.

"No! You just went to sleep!"

"Bye," Freddie said quickly as Spencer dragged his feet upstairs.

Freddie caught up to Sam and Carly on the second floor, and the trio continued down to the lobby.

"Lewbert does look happier," Carly whispered as they passed his desk, where he was busy happily buffing his wart.

"Must be some chick," Sam said, shuddering as they headed towards the parking lot. "She must-Mom?"

"Oh, hey kid," Pam said, walking into the lobby.

"What are you doing here?"

"Seeing my new boyfriend."

"Your new boyfriend?" Sam repeated. "Who's-"

"Pammy!" Lewbert shrieked from his desk.

"Oh no."


	62. Chapter 62

"I'm going to throw up," Sam said in horror as she watched her mother and Lewbert exchange a kiss in the lobby.

"You know, they actually _do_ kind of make a cute couple," Carly commented.

"No, they make a sickening, disgusting couple," Sam snapped.

"It's kind of funny," Freddie chucked. "First he dates my mom, and now your mom." He shut up once he got a look at Sam's death glare.

"I won't be back until ten, Sam, we're going sky diving," Pam said, as she walked towards the door with Lewbert.

"I don't live with you anymore!"

"Oh, yeah. Well, see ya."

"And don't get any mustard on my floor!" Lewbert called.

"Who has mustard?" Carly frowned.

"Lewbert has to be the grossest guy she's ever dated!" Sam exclaimed as him and her mom headed towards Pam's van. "Including the one who had been on some sort of bathing strike for three years!"

"Maybe it won't be so bad," Freddie said.

"Then why don't you get _your_ mom to hook back up with him?"

"Um, I'm good."

"Well," Sam sighed. "At least it'll be over in a week."

"What?" Carly asked.

"My mom's never had a relationship longer than a week. Just wait, this time in seven days, she'll be onto the next poor soul."

….

"Alright, I've got my binders ready, pens and pencils, a cute new bag," Carly said, looking through the new school supplies she had purchased that day. "I'm so ready for school next week."

"You disgust me," Sam said. She was lying on the couch in Freddie's sweatshirt, which she had yet to return, eating leftover pizza.

"I took the liberty of picking up your books too," Carly told her best friend. "They're on the table, not that you'll ever touch them."

"You know me well, Shay," Sam said. "Man, why can't pizza hold more meat? Maybe it needs a thicker crust…"

"Did you eat that whole thing?" Carly asked. "That's a lot. Even for you!"

"She's upset that our mom's still dating Lewbert," Melanie said, coming into the room. "They celebrated their three week anniversary last night."

"I think she's starting to get a wart just like his," Sam said.

"But they seem really happy together! I mean in the last three weeks your mom hasn't gotten any new tattoos or plastic surgeries and hasn't been arrested once!" Carly pointed out.

"So?"

"So, mom's really happy with this one," Melanie said. "I mean, obviously he isn't the 'cleanest' guy she's ever dated, but at least he hasn't stolen any appliances."

"Yet."

"Alright, get off you but, Puckett," Carly commanded.  
"No, I'm eating."

"Up," Carly said, pulling the blonde to her feet. "We're going shopping. You're going to get supplies for school and then if you're good, I'll let you get some deep fried pickles."

"They have those?"

"Yup."

"Fine. But I'm still not touching the books."

…

"What the heck is Production 2?" Sam read off her schedule.

"It's about T.V. production. Remember, we took production one last year?" Freddie explained.

"Oh yeah…"

"At least we have that together," Carly said. "Me and Sam have Advanced Writing Technique and Analysis of Literature when you have your techy classes."

"We still have Earth Science together," Freddie reminded them.

"Man, I can't believe summer went by so fast," Sam moaned as her Freddie and Carly headed up to the college campus Monday morning.

"But just think," Carly said excitedly. "This is our last first day of school ever!"

"I'm more excited about the last," Sam shrugged. "Lets just hurry up and get to class so this torture can be done with."

"You have such a great attitude," Carly said sarcastically, smiling. "Anyway, this year I was thinking that-"

"Oh my God! Hi guys!" came a voice from across the parking lot.

The trio turned around.

"Holy chiz," Freddie said, his face turning white.

"This can't be happening," Sam said, her eyes widening.

"It is," Carly gulped.


	63. Chapter 63

"Hi guys!" Mandy, iCarly's biggest fan exclaimed happily, running over to the trio, giving each of them a huge hug.

"Um, hey there, Mandy," Carly said, awkwardly patting the girls back. "What-what are you doing here?"

"I'm starting school, silly!" she said, holding up her textbooks.

"Why?" Sam asked bluntly.

"Because I heard you three went here. Duh!"

"We hate you."

"Sam!" Freddie hissed, but Mandy just laughed.

"Always the jokester, aren't you Sam?"

"So, Mandy," Freddie said before Sam could reply. "Um, what's your major?"

"T.V. production! We're going to have classes together!"

"Oh, goody," Carly said, plastering a fake grin on her face.

"Well, actually, I only have classes with Freddie," she said. "I checked your schedules online. But still now that we go to the same school we can hang out all the time and have study sessions and-"

"Well Carls and I are late," Sam said, grinning at Freddie's misfortune of being stuck with the girl. "Have fun with Fredpox, Mandy."

Freddie glared at Sam as her and Carly quickly ran off in the opposite direction. This was going to be a long year…

…..

"See, if you punch a dude in the gut, you get twice the effect you would get in the face, but not nearly as much as you would get in the-"

"You really have issues," Carly laughed as her and Sam walked towards Carly's car after their last class of the day.

"Yup," Sam nodded proudly.

"I feel sort of bad for Freddie," Carly said, unlocking the car door. "I mean, he's stuck in two classes with Mandy."

"How does she keep finding us?"

"I dunno. She's a nutball. She has her ways- Hey, there's Freddie."

"Drive," Freddie commanded, running over to the girls. "Hurry up! I managed to shake Mandy off at the bookstore!"

"This is insane," Carly said, staring the car and pulling out of the parking space. "Are we really going to spend our entire last year of college dodging her?"

"Well, I could give her a royal fizbin," Sam suggested.

"No!" Carly said sternly. "Why don't we just sit down and talk to her. Tell her that she comes off a little…strong. Maybe she'll tone it down a bit."

"Yeah…like that'd work," Sam said, rolling her eyes. "I know. I'll bring out the butter sock!"

"Freddie, control her."

"Nubby doesn't control me," Sam snapped.

"I kind of _do _want to see the butter sock," Freddie said thoughtfully.

"You've corrupted Freddie, Sam," Carly sighed. "Whatever. Just don't hurt Mandy. Yet. Should we go see Spencer?"

"No, Mandy will probably look for us there," Sam said quickly. "Let's go back to our place."

"Good idea," Carly nodded.

Carly drove to their apartment building. She unlocked the front door and everyone walked inside the apartment.

"There you are!"

"Ah!" they all screamed. Mandy was sitting criss-crossed on their couch.

"How did you know where we live?" Carly screamed.

"I looked at your records in the admissions office," she shrugged. "Good thing I did. Freddie must've got separated from me."

"But the door was locked," Carly said. "And the windows."

"I picked the locks."

"She picked the locks!" Carly whispered frantically to Sam. "She picked the locks!"

"Dude, you have about three seconds to get out of here before I-" Sam started, but Mandy didn't seem to here her.

"Oh! You have Monopoly! I love Monopoly! Let's play! I get the racecar!"

Carly grabbed Sam and Freddie's wrists and dragged them into the kitchen as Mandy began to set up the board game.

"We've got to get rid of her," Carly said. "And I think I know how."


	64. Chapter 64

"So I always thought that they got the jelly in the donut with a sort of sort of tiny spoon, but it's actually a tube. Isn't that so interesting?" Mandy asked the iCarly trio as they ate a pizza and watched a movie, or rather, _tried_ to watch a movie, as Mandy had not stopped talking since it started.

"Whoa, Sam, look at the time!" Carly said suddenly, looking at her watch. "We have to go pick up your sister from the train station."

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot," Sam said, getting up. "We were supposed to leave ten minutes ago!"

"Mandy, we're sorry, but we have to run out," Carly said, grabbing her jacket. "But you can stay here with Freddie and finish up the movie if you want."

"Sure! Hey, you know what would make this movie really cool? A talking dog! All the best movies have a talking dog! And then instead of the spy doing everything, it would be-"

"Well bye!" Sam said, cutting her off, and her and Carly quickly ran out the door.

"And then maybe they could add a talking cat! How awesome would that be if-"

"Finally," Freddie sighed as the door slammed shut.

"Huh?" Mandy said.

"Sam. She finally left," Freddie said. "You don't know how hard it is being around that girl for so long with no breaks. It's awful!"

"But-But aren't you two a couple now? I saw on iCarly when you-"

"Yeah, but that was over a year ago," Freddie moaned. "We were in the honeymoon stage. Now all she does is yell at me and punch me and eat my food…it's enough to make anyone loose their mind!"

"But you seem so happy together," Mandy pointed out. "You laugh and laugh and laugh together. Like this fish I saw in this movie last week. Oh man, it was the best! It was about-"

"Well of course I have to _act_ that way," Freddie said. "It's Sam! If I dumped her I'd wake up in Korea with all my limbs removed! I just-I just wish she would dump _me_, so I could be with a girl I really like."

"Oh, who would that be?"

"Well," Freddie said thoughtfully. "Someone loud, and energetic, and talkative and…unusual. Someone, well, to be honest, someone like you, Mandy."

Mandy blinked. "M-Me?"

"I've always had a place in my heart for you," Freddie said, scooting over closer to the girl. "Ever since you came to watch us do iCarly live when I was thirteen. I was just always too scared to tell you."

"Freddie," Mandy said, blushing. "I don't know what to-Wait, you want to be my boyfriend? I mean, you'd have to get rid of Sam first, but her and I are friends, she'll understand! This is so great!"

"You'll have to come over to meet my mom right away," Freddie said quickly. "So she can approve of you. And then I think we should go to Barbados this weekend. You know, together. It'll be great. And then when we get back, we'll have to start looking for a place to live-"

"Wait, wait, wait," Mandy said, her smile faltering. "What? Isn't that going a little fast? I mean, I _have_ been making out with a picture of you that I keep under my pillow for years, but-"

"Well we'll have to move fast," Freddie said, trying not to seem too creeped out by that last comment. "If we want to book the church for the tenth of October."

"Book the church for what?"

"Our wedding! Now, I'm thinking our honeymoon will be to Hawaii, and then we get back we can start working on kids."

"Kids?"

"Yes. I want three. Preferably two girls and a boy, about two years apart. We're going to name then Jill, Rick and Jane, and they'll all be really into technology, like me. Now you'll have to give up your career to raise them, but it'll be worth it. Oh, and I think we should get a dog. I like the name Rover, what about you?"

"I-I this is insane!" Mandy exclaimed. "We haven't even gone on a date and we already have three kids!"

"But, Mandy, I can't help it," Freddie said earnestly. "I just have such a passion for you!"

"But, Freddie," Mandy said. "You're too overbearing! I mean, you have to give a person their space in a relationship! You can't constantly be around them! Look," she sighed. "I-I just don't think this would work out. I'm really sorry, Freddie, but maybe I shouldn't come around anymore; it'd just be too hard for you, wouldn't it?"

"I-I don't think my heart could take it," Freddie said, making his voice shake.

"I think I should go," Mandy sighed. "It'll be for the best. Tell Carly and Sam I said goodbye. I know you may never truly be happy with me, but maybe you can learn to tolerate Sam."

"I'll try," Freddie said.

Mandy got up off the couch. She grabbed her bag and was about to walk out the door, when she turned to Freddie. "You know, maybe just for a second…" she leaned down quickly and before Freddie could protest, she grabbed his face and kissed him harshly on the lips. Once she pulled away and released Freddie's face, she pulled on her jacked. "Goodbye, Freddie Benson. I'll always remember you."

Once the door had closed behind her, Freddie jumped up and ran to sink to wash his mouth out. He could still taste the Mandy.

"Dude, did it work?" came the voices of Carly and Sam as they ran back into the apartment. "Did you scare her off? We saw her walking towards the parking lot from out hiding spot."

"You two," Freddie said, pouring dish soap into his mouth. "Owe me big time."

"What's with the soap?" Sam asked.

"She kissed me!"

"Ew, gross," Carly cringed. "But did you scare her away?"

"Oh, I freaked her out, just like you said I would," Freddie nodded. "I said everything you told me to. I think I vomited a little, but she got freaked out."

"Sweet!" Sam exclaimed.

"Good job, Freddie," Carly said. "Thanks for going through with that. Tomorrow I'll buy you track pad cleaner or something to pay you back for it."

"Thank you," Freddie said. Then he looked at Sam.

"Don't look at me," Sam said. "You get enough from me as it is."

Freddie smiled, and leaned in to kiss her, but Sam pulled away. "After you gargle about two bottles of mouthwash. I'm not risking getting any Mandy spit in my mouth.


	65. Chapter 65

"Where's Sam?" Carly asked. "Otto's going to be here any minute with the cars."

"Our mom bought a ham this morning from her friend who sells meat on the Internet," Melanie replied. "So she's over there eating."

"Meat on the Internet?" Freddie frowned. "That sounds a little iffy…"

"Has that ever stopped Sam?" Carly pointed out.

Right at that moment, Sam burst through the door, and angry scowl etched on her face.

"Hey, what's up?" Carly asked. "Was your online meat bad or something?"

"No," Sam snapped. "The ham was perfect, as ham always is, but I couldn't even enjoy it! My mom's still dating Lewbert and I nearly threw up watching them cuddle on the couch!"

"Wow, they've lasted two whole weeks together," Carly commented.

"It's sickening," Sam said, snatching the can of Wahoo Punch from Freddie's hand.

"Hey!" Freddie exclaimed. "I was drinking that!"

Sam shrugged, spit back the mouthful of punch back into the can and handed it over to Freddie.

"No, no. You can have it," he grimaced.

"Anyway, just look on the plus side," Carly said. "Otto's going to be here with your new car soon!"

"That's today?" Sam exclaimed. "Chiz! I don't have any money! Mel, can I borrow 200 bucks?"

"I only have the 200 for my car," Melanie said. "Besides, you already borrowed a bunch of money to pay for the insurance."

"Look, I'm sure Otto will hold the car for you until you can come up with the money," Carly assured her friend.

"Yeah, I hope so…"

"Looks like Otto's here," Freddie said, looking out of the apartment window where the parking lot was visible. The girls gathered around and saw that he was right: Otto had just pulled in, and two other cars driven by employees were coming in after him.

"Wow, those cars _are_ in good shape," Melanie observed.

"Come on, let's go!" Sam exclaimed, throwing the front door open.

"Hi there," Otto said as the four reached the parking lot.

"Hey, Otto," Carly greeted him. "You've met Sam and Freddie before, and this is Sam's sister, Melanie."

"Nice to see everyone," he grinned. "Spencer said I have a couple of buyers here for these babies?"

"Yup," Melanie nodded. "200, right?"

"Sure thing. I owe Spencer for helping me get that job up in New York, so any friend of his gets a huge discount!"

"Well, here it is," Melanie said, handing Otto a check for 200 dollars.

"Great," Otto said. "Just go see Crash over there and he'll give you the papers you need to sign."

"Er, Sam? Do you care if I take the red car?" Melanie asked her sister. "It's my favorite color."

"Go nuts," Sam shrugged. "I don't care what color it is as long as it runs."

"Thank you!" Melanie said happily, running over to Crash, who was leaning on the hood of the red car.

"So I guess that leaves the blue car for you then," Otto said to Sam.

"Er, actually," Sam started. "Do you think you could hold the car for me just a little longer? I don't exactly _have_ 200 dollars right now and-"

"What are you talking about?" Otto frowned. "You _are_ Sam, right?"

"Yes?"

"Well, Sam! Your car's paid for already!"

"It's what?" Sam exclaimed. "Who paid for my car?"

Freddie grinned.

"Oh my God, Freddie!" Carly cried. "You bought her a car! How sweet!"

"Seriously?" Sam said loudly. "No way!"

"Who's the best?" Freddie smiled.

"Well, still me," Sam said. "But now you're a pretty close second."

"I'll take it," Freddie shrugged. "Come here, demon." He pulled Sam into a hug.

"Thanks, nub," Sam whispered.

"It was worth it," Freddie replied.

"You still have to sign some papers," Otto said as the couple broke apart. "You can head over there to Airbag over there."

"His name is Airbag?" Carly frowned.

"Yeah. It's a nickname you _don't _want to know how he got."

"I'm sure I don't," Carly nodded.

"Can I hear?" Sam asked.


	66. Chapter 66

"Hey, Spencer," Freddie greeted the man as he entered the apartment.

"Oh, you scared me," Spencer said, jumping a little. "I thought you were Ella. She took Dina to see her mom."

"What are you watching that you don't want Ella to see?" Freddie asked curiously.

"Um…Supermodel vs. Chimp."

"Isn't that the show where they see is those super hot models are smarter than a chimp?"

"Oh yeah," Spencer smiled. "And by hot, I mean amazingly smoking hot! You wanna watch?"

"Shoosh yeah," Freddie said, sitting down next to him.

The two sat watching the show for nearly an hour before the door opened again, and Sam walked in.

"Oh, hi Sam," Freddie said, quickly changing the channel.

"What were you just watching," she asked, frowning.

"Bye!" Spencer yelled, running back to his room.

Sam grabbed the remote from Freddie and pressed the button that took her back to the previous channel.

"Idiot," Sam said, rolling her eyes and whacking the back of Freddie's head.

"You're ten times hotter than them," Freddie said as the supermodels and chimps flashed back onto the screen.

"You'd better believe it," Sam said. "Anyway, you're going to help me."

"With what?" he asked suspiciously.

"Breaking up my mom and Lewbert."

"What?"

"Melanie refuses to help me," she continued. "And Carly's hanging out with Joey, so that leaves you."

"Sam," he sighed. "Do we-"

"Hey, I helped your mom break up with him," she reminded him.

"You pushed me down the stairs!"

"And what happened after that? Your mom dumped him! Now, I've been really busy with explosions…I'm thinking of putting fireworks on his car and having him hospitalized for a couple weeks. My mom will get bored and move on to some new poor guy."

"Sam," Freddie said. "Your mom's really happy with him."

"So? He's disgusting!"

"Well, yeah, but you have to admit, he's become less gross since they've been dating," Freddie pointed out. "And pleasanter. I swear, I think his wart may even be getting smaller."

"He's still super creepy," Sam moaned. "He was at my mom's place last night and he tried _talking to me_!"

"Yeah..that's really weird," Freddie admitted. "But hasn't your mom been a lot happier too?"

"Well, I guess," Sam shrugged. "She hasn't gotten any cosmetic surgeries recently, so."

"So why would you want to ruin that?" Freddie asked.

"I don't know," she sighed. "It's just…it's Lewbert! What if they get married and have a bunch or little mini-Lewberts?"

"Um, Sam? Your mom's like fifty something."

"Okay, so what if they just get married? He's going to be my step-dad!"

"They've only been dating two months! You'll have plenty of time to get used to him."

"I guess," Sam shrugged.

"You wanna go grab a smoothie?" Freddie asked.

"Sure," Sam said, getting up. "And that way Spencer can get back to watching his pretty girls and monkeys!"

"Thank you!" Spencer called from his room.

….

"Sam, it's not that huge of a decision," Freddie said to his girlfriend.

"Shush! Yes it is!"

"No, it's not," Freddie told her, rolling his eyes. After they had drank their smoothies that afternoon, they decided to head back to the girls' apartment.

"You two haven't ordered the food yet?" Carly exclaimed, walking into the living room where Sam was still looking up take-out places online.

"I want _quality_ fried chicken, Carly," Sam explained. "I can't just let any restaurant prepare my food."

"No, of course not," Carly laughed. "Anyway, guess what? My granddad just emailed me something really cool!"

"Is it that video of the dancing jellyfish? Because that is so-"

"Just look for your chicken," Carly cut her off.

"What did he send you?" Freddie asked

"Well, he owns this cabin up in Canada at this ski resort," she said. "He sent a picture too, and it looks really nice. Anyway, he usually goes up every December with a couple friends, but he's not going to be able to this year, so he's letting us use it!"

"Seriously?" Sam asked, looking up from the computer.

"Yeah! So I was thinking me, you, Freddie, Melanie, Gibby, Spencer, Ella, and Dina could go up for Christmas. How awesome would that be?"

"Very," Freddie grinned. "So are we going to go?"

"Heck yes!" Sam nodded.

"I'll call Gibby and ask him, and we can tell Melanie when she gets home," Carly said. "And I'll ask Spencer and Ella tomorrow."

"Oh! I think I found a place," Sam said happily. "Man, that looks like good chicken."

"Sam! It's costs fifty dollars for one bucket!" Carly exclaimed.

"Yeah, but look how crispy it looks!"

"This from the girl who thinks I'm crazy for spending forty dollars on a shirt," Carly said, shaking her head.

"Is your shirt perfectly coated and deep fried?"

"Um, no?"

"Then it isn't worth that kind of money."


	67. Chapter 67

"So you just put your finger in it and it shocks you?" Carly frowned.

"Yeah!" Spencer exclaimed. "It's called Shook Roulette. It's addicting."

"It is," Gibby nodded. "It's a rush."

"I'll pass," Carly said.

"Whimp," Spencer said, as him and Gibby stuck their fingers in the device.

"Are they still playing that game?" Ella asked, coming downstairs with Dina. "It's stupid."

"Thank you!" Carly said loudly.

"I'm telling you guys," Spencer said. "This game is-Ah!"

"I'm really wondering if dad was lying when he said you were never dropped on your head as a baby," Carly said.

"It's the only explanation for this," Ella said, shaking her head as she grabbed a bottle for Dina.

Spencer stuck his tongue out at both girls.

"Anyway," Carly laughed. "I wanted to ask you two something."

"Shoot," Ella said, sitting down next to Spencer.

"Well, Granddad isn't going to be able to make it out to his cabin in Canada this winter, so he emailed me telling me that we could all go down there," Carly explained. "So I was thinking we could all spend Christmas there. Gibby, Sam, Freddie, Melanie and I are already set to go, so how about it? Do you two want to come up with Dina?"

Spencer and Ella exchanged looks.

"Well," Spencer said. "We'd love to, but, Carls, traveling with Dina this young probably isn't the best idea."

"It's already hard enough when we drive up to Yakima," Ella explained. "But to drive all the way to Canada…Plus it gets around the single digits up there. Dina might catch something."

"Yeah, you're right," Carly nodded. "I didn't think about that."

"Hold on," Gibby said. "You're telling me Yakima is a real place?"

"Anyway," Carly said, shaking her head at the boy. "I guess I'll call everyone up and tell them the trip's off."

"Aw," Gibby moaned. "I bought a scarf!"

"Why are you calling off the trip?" Ella asked. "Just because we're not going doesn't mean that you all can't still have a good time up there."

"But it's at Christmas," Carly pointed out. "We should all be together."

"I know," Spencer said. "How about this: you guys go up to Canada and have your own little celebration, and then you can come back here and have another one with us!"

"Yes!" Gibby cheered. "The scarf is back in action!"

"That does sound like a good idea," Carly said thoughtfully. "Okay then, sounds like a plan."

"Cool," Spencer said. "Now, will you please play Shook Roulette? It's not fun with just two people, especially when one's a Gibby."

"No!" Carly exclaimed.

….

"This book is boring," Sam moaned as she flipped though the novel she was supposed to be reading for Literature.

"You haven't even read the first page," Freddie pointed out.

"Neither have you."

"I'm not in the class!"

"So, then don't tell me that it's not boring!"

"I didn't tell you it wasn't boring, I just said that you haven't-"

"It's a stupid book, like you!"

"I'm not a book!"

"Yeah, you're a-"

"Enough!" Carly yelled, putting down her own copy of the novel. "Some of us are _trying_ to read."

"How can you read that garbage?" Sam said, disgusted.

"It's actually pretty good. You see, it takes place in this mental hospital and there's this really mean nurse and this one patient who tries to upset her and-"

"Unless there's a zombie or talking Chihuahua in it, I'm not reading," Sam said, throwing to book at Freddie's head.

"Ow!"

"Sam, you have to…yeah, I'm not going to even try," Carly said. "You guys want to go grab some dinner?"

"Um, Sam and I were actually going to see a movie in a few minutes," Freddie said.

"Oh," Carly nodded. "Never mind then. Have fun."

"I'll try…She's making us see _Blood Martians IV_," Freddie said.

"Ew," Carly cringed.

"It's the goriest one yet," Sam said happily. "Come on, Fredbug, I want to get good seats, and the line for snacks will take awhile."

Carly chuckled as the couple headed out. She spent the rest of the night watching a _Girly Cow_ marathon on T.V.. Around eleven, she decided to head up to bed.

The next morning, she woke to find herself alone in the bedroom. She figured Sam probably slept over at Freddie's, and Melanie just left early to go study or something. She looked over on her nightstand for her phone, but saw it wasn't there. She lazily got out of bed and headed into the living room, where she figured she left it. Sure enough, he pear phone was sitting on the couch. She unlocked it and was surprised to see that she had 14 missed calls. She logged into her voice mail to listen to the new messages.

"Carly," came Melanie's voice. "When you get this, come over to the hospital. Sam has to stay here tonight."


	68. Chapter 68

"How's Sam?" Carly asked, running into the hospital waiting room where Sam and Melanie sat.

"Um, why are you still in your pajamas?" Freddie asked, eyeing Carly's pink fish pajama pants.

"Because I ran here as soon as I got Melanie's message!" Carly exclaimed. "And how come you're worried about what I'm wearing when your girlfriend is in the hospital!"

"Carly, Sam's fine," Melanie said. "She's not dying or anything. She just had to get her appendix taken out."

"Huh?"

"During the movie," Freddie explained. "She started complaining about this pain in her side. We thought maybe it was because she was hungry, so we went to grab some food at Inside Out Burger, and she said her side still hurt, and then she told me that it had been bothering all day. I sort of figured after that that it was appendicitis, I mean, my mom's drilled the symptoms for nearly every illness into my head…"

"So she's going to be okay?" Carly asked.

"Yup," Freddie nodded. "She should be out of surgery any minute now."

Carly, breathing a sigh of relief, sat down next to Melanie and Freddie. About twenty minutes later, a nurse came out to tell them that Sam's surgery was successful, and that they could go in and see her.

The three followed the nurse up to Sam's room. When they entered, they saw the blonde lying on a hospital bed, staring at a jar.

"Hey," she greeted everyone as they filed into her room.

"Um, what is that?" Freddie asked, giving Sam a kiss.

"This," Sam said. "Is my appendix."

"That's gross!" Melanie cringed. "Please tell me your not going to put that in our room."

"Oh yes."

"No way!" Carly said. "It's going to have me nightmares."

"Don't call my appendix 'it'," Sam said indignantly.

"What should we call it?" Freddie asked.

"I named him Hammy."

"Hammy?" Freddie repeated. "Sam, how much Anastasia did they give you?"

"You have a problem with the name?"

"It's just…who names an appendix?"

"I do!"

"Alright, look, Freddie," Carly said quickly. "Don't get her all worked up right after surgery."

"I wasn't going to-"

"Just say you love the name and thinks it suits her appendix well!"

Sam grinned and looked up at her boyfriend.

"Hammy is a beautiful name for an appendix," Freddie mumbled.

"Good boy," Sam said, patting his arm. "Anyway, can I leave now? I'm hungry and this hospital food does _not_ sound good."

"You'll probably have to stay overnight," Melanie said. "Just to make sure nothing goes wrong."

"Ugh! Can you at least bring me a smoothie?"

"Sure," Melanie said. "Anyone else want one?"

"Me," Carly and Freddie said.

"So," Carly said, sitting down at the end of Sam's bed. "Does it hurt anymore?"

"It's a little sore," Sam said. "But nothing compared to before."

"Why didn't you say something sooner?"

"I thought it was nothing…Hey, look! It jiggles!"

"Sam," Freddie said, rolling his eyes as Sam shook the jar containing her appendix.

"I'm going to go puke," Carly said, running from the room.

"I'm bored," Sam said, setting down the jar. "I hate hospitals."

"It's just for one night," Freddie said, taking her hand. "The doctor just has to make sure you don't get any infections from the surgery. You'll be back home by this time tomorrow."

"Why can't I just leave tonight?"

"It's hospital policy."

Sam said nothing.

"Hey," Freddie said. "You want me to stay here tonight?"

"You'd do that?" Sam asked.

"Uh-huh," Freddie nodded.

"Okay," Sam said. "But in the mean time, you have to keep me entertained."

"I think I can manage that," Freddie grinned, as he leaned over the bed to kiss Sam.


	69. Chapter 69

"Okay, you have to see this new jacket I bought for our trip," Carly said happily, walking into her apartment with an armload of bags.

"Did you buy one jacket or thirty?" Sam asked as Carly dumped the pile of bags out of her hands.

"So I went a little overboard with the shopping," Carly shrugged.

"Where's Melanie?" Sam asked. "Didn't she go with you?"

"Yeah, but she stopped by Ella and Spencer's; she's borrowing Ella's suitcase. Speaking of which, have you packed yet?"

"Nah," Sam said, changing the channel of the television.

"Sam! We leave in less than two days!"

"And I'll be ready by then, calm down."

"I will not calm down," Carly said, walking over to the T.V. and shutting it off.

"Hey! I was watching-"

"Pack," Carly demanded.

"But-"

"Eh!"

"I-"

"Eh!"

"You-"

"I said Eh!"

"Fine, I'll pack," Sam mumbled, stomping off to her room. "But I'm bringing-"

"No," Carly moaned. "Not your ice cube gun."

"What's the point of going to a ski lodge without one?"

Carly rolled her eyes as she began sorting the new clothes she bought.

"Hey," Freddie said, walking into the apartment.

"Oh no," Carly said. "Sam just started packing and you're not going to distract her."

"Relax," Freddie said. "I just came to tell you that I got the directions to the lodge from Map Hunt. Here." He handed Carly a sheet of directions. "Sam's mom said we could borrow her van, right?"

"Yup," Carly nodded. "Although I _really_ think we should wash it first…apparently her mom never cleaned it after Frothy gave birth in it…three times."

"Lovely."

"Hey, nub," Sam said, walking out of her room.

"I said pack!"

"I'm taking a break."

"From what? Opening your suitcase?"

"I packed a shirt!"

"And I'm sure you must be exhausted," Carly laughed.

"I am. Fredhead, take me out for ham."

"How about 'please'?" Freddie asked.

"How about I haven't eaten anything for the past two hours so I wouldn't mess with me if I were you?"

"Er…yeah, okay, let's go."

"You want to come, Carls?" Sam asked.

"No, I do not," Carly said. "_I'm_ going to finish the last of my packing like you should be doing! I told you not to distract her, Freddie!"

"She's pretty persuasive!" he defended.

"Mama is. Now come on! I can feel my stomach deflating!"

….

"I hate you," Sam spat at Freddie.

"Sam, come on," Freddie said as he heaved the last of the suitcases into the van. "We'll hit a lot less traffic by leaving this early."

"It's five o'clock in the morning! This is too early to even qualify as early."

"You can sleep in the car."

"Why couldn't we just leave at noon or something?"

"Because," Freddie sighed. "The highway would be much more congested by then and it would tack on an additional three hours to our time at the very least."

"I _really_ hate you."

"I love you too, Sam," he said, shaking his head. "Are we all ready?"

"Yup," Gibby said. "I just peed and everything."

"Let's go then," Melanie said. "You're driving first, right Carly?"

"Uh-huh," the brunette said, sipping some coffee. "Alright, let's go! We're officially Canada bound!"

Everyone piled into the van and pulled out. As it was very early in the morning still, everyone besides Carly slept for the first part of the drive. Once Carly pulled into a service plaza after three hours, Sam took over the wheel, then Melanie, Gibby, and finally Freddie.

"It's right over there," Carly said as Freddie drove slowly through the snow-piled road. "That cabin by the pine trees."

"It looks so beautiful," Melanie commented.

"Look at that hill," Sam said. "I can't wait to go down that!"

"Do you even know how to ski?" Freddie asked.

"No, but it's strapping two planks to your feet and going down a hill! How hard can that be?"

"Very," Gibby said. "I went skiing with my mom when I was ten and I got into a really bad ski accident. I got a pretty serious concussion."

"That actually explains a lot," Freddie nodded as he pulled into the driveway of the cabin.

The cabin was only a short ways away from the recreation hall where they had to check in. Carly ran over there to inform the front desk that they had arrived while the others began to unload the car.

"I've always wanted to stay in a cabin," Melanie said, looking around.

"Why?" Sam frowned.

"I dunno, it just seems really cozy."

"I thought you wanted to stay in a castle?"

"Oh, I still do. Don't you remember I had that list of places I wanted to go when I was like six? A cabin during the winter was right under an old medieval castle."

"What six year old does that?"

"I did," Gibby said. "I wanted to go to Candyland!"

"We're all checked in," Carly said, running back into the cabin. "Wow, this place is smaller than I thought."

True, the cabin was not that big. There was a small living area with a sofa and two lounge chairs facing a T.V., a small kitchen with a gas stove and fridge. The bathroom was right next to the living area, and a queen bed was separated from the rest of the cabin by a half wall.

"So I guess Gibby and I will sleep in the living room," Freddie said. "You three girls can probably fit in the bed."

"Yeah, we can," Carly nodded.

Sam looked less than pleased with these sleeping arrangements, but immediately forgot her anger once Carly informed them that there was a huge buffet in the recreation area. She pulled her jacket back on and led everyone over…maybe some decent meat would make us for the fact that she had to share a bed with two other people.


	70. Chapter 70

"Really, did you have to spill your hot chocolate all over me?" Freddie hissed at Gibby, trying to mop some of the spilt beverage from his sweat pants. He had just been rudely awaken after Gibby had tripped over his slippers and dropped his mug of hot chocolate right in his lap.

"Well now I don't have any cocoa," Gibby snapped back. "So I guess we're both losers here!"

"Shhh!" Freddie said, nodding over to the bed where the three girls were still sleeping. "You'll wake them up, and trust me, you do _not_ want to do that to Sam."

"I'm bored," Gibby announced, sitting down on the couch. "What should we do?"

"_I _was going to try to go back to sleep," Freddie said.

"Oh, I know! We should build a snowman!"

"Um, no."

"Fine, I'll do it myself," Gibby said, grabbing his jacket. "Gibby out."

Freddie, unable to fall back asleep, decided to make breakfast.

He grabbed a pack of bacon from the fridge and turned on he stove. He was just placing the bacon in the frying pan when he felt a pair of arms wrap around his shoulders.

"Wow, Sam," he said, turning to see his blonde girlfriend. "Have you ever been up this early in your life?"

"I smelt meat," she said simply, kissing his lips.

"Are you still wearing my sweatshirt?" he asked, grinning.

"It's warm, okay? Now hurry up with my bacon!"

"Hey, after breakfast do you want to go for a walk through those woods out back? They look really nice."

"You just don't want to go skiing again," Sam smirked. "After you fell flat on your face about fifty times yesterday."

"Ha ha. Do you want to go or not?"

"Yeah, I'll go," Sam nodded, taking the plate of bacon that Freddie handed her.

After the couple finished their breakfast and grabbed their jackets, they set off for the woods.

"Wow, you really don't see trees like this in Seattle, do you?" Freddie said, looking around at the tall, snow covered pine trees.

"Nah, too much city," Sam agreed.

"It's pretty romantic, don't you think?"

"In a sickening sort of way, sure."

"Come on," Freddie said, rolling his eyes. "You can't say it's not beautiful."

"I never said that it wasn't."

"Anyway," Freddie said. "I was thinking last night, and well, I mean, I've said it abut a million times and all, but…I just wanted to let you know that I really love you, Sam. I don't know what I would do with out you."

Sam looked away, but Freddie could see her blushing.

"I love you too," she said softly.

Freddie grinned, and wrapped his arms around her small frame, pressing his lips to hers.

…..

AN- Yeah, so I watched ilove you last night…and I'm really confused. Are they broken up? At first I thought they weren't, because they kissed again, and the audience cheered when they said they would wait until midnight, but then I went on and looked at the pics, and they pretty much said that they were broken up, so, idk. I really hope they aren't, but if they did, you've got to admit we couldn't have hoped for a better break up, no matter how sad it was.


	71. Chapter 71

"The stupid thing is made for Canadians only," Freddie complained as him and Sam stormed into the cabin. Freddie had snow all over him, and Sam was laughing hysterically.

"Um, what happened?" Carly asked, zipping up her suitcase.

This was the gang's last day at the cabin, and they were scheduled to leave in less than an hour, and Sam and Freddie had decided to go on one last ski run that morning.

"He-he got knocked down by the ski lift!" Sam said, gasping for breath. "He rolled down the entire hill!"

"Are you alright?" Carly asked.

"I'm pretty sure I have about two tons of snow in my pants, but other than that…"

"You should've been there, Carls," Sam said. "Man, I wish I got that on video."

"Ha, ha," Freddie snapped. "Are we ready to go yet? I've had enough of Canada for awhile."

"Yup, Gibby's loading up the luggage and Melanie's signing us out."

"We're going right to Spencer and Ella's, right?" Sam asked. "I want my presents."

"It's going to be three in the morning once we get back to Seattle, Sam," Freddie reminded her, rolling his eyes.

"So?"

"Just get in the car you two," Carly told the couple. "Gibby's driving first so we can all relax first…or well, as much as we can. I still don't know how that boy got his license…"

….

"Man, I can't wait to get back to my own bed," Sam yawned as the girls tiredly walked into their apartment. "You two have cold feet."

"I'm to tired to argue with that," Carly said.

"Same here," Melanie agreed. "I don't think I'll be taking another road trip for a _long_ time."

The girls didn't even bother to unpack or undress before they fell into their beds. They slept until nearly one, when they were awoken by Freddie letting himself in.

"Ugh, why are you here?" Sam moaned, wiping sleep out of her eyes as she trudged into the living room with Carly and Melanie.

"Oh, sorry. Did I wake you up?"

"No," Carly said sarcastically, turning on the coffee maker. "Your blasting our T.V. on had nothing do with us being woken up."

"My mom's convinced that I brought back a ton of new diseases from Canada, so she's on a disinfecting spree," Freddie explained. "I had to get out of there."

"Well, we're going to have to back in little bit," Carly told him. "Remember; we're having our Christmas at Spencer's."

"He better have remembered to make ham," Sam said.

"I'm sure he did," Carly laughed. "We'll head over as soon as we get dressed."

"Sam and I have to drop by our mom's place first," Melanie said. "She said she has something to tell us."

"She's probably getting another tattoo," Sam shrugged. "Personally, I think she should get a shoe to go with the foot on her foot."

"We'll meet you there then," Carly said.

"How many tattoos does your mom have?" Freddie asked.

"Well, nine that are in places you can see," Sam replied. "But if you count the ones in other places…twelve."

Freddie shuddered. "Other places?"

"Yeah, you really don't want to know."

…..

"Man, it looks like you had fun in Canada," Spencer said as Carly showed him pictures from the trip.

"Yeah, it was great. I still wish you guys could've come, though," Carly said.

"Maybe next time," Ella smiled, sitting Ella in her highchair.

"Can we please open presents now?" Spencer moaned, looking at the pile of gifts. "It's been four days since Christmas, and those gifts have been _taunting_ me!"

"We have to wait for Sam and Melanie," Ella told him.

"I wonder what's taking them so long?" Carly frowned. "They've been at their mom's for almost an hour."

"Sam hasn't answered any of my texts either," Freddie said. " I hope nothing-"

Suddenly the door barged open and Sam stormed in, followed by Melanie.

"Hey," Carly said. "Is everything okay?"

"No!" Sam exclaimed. "I'm going to go puke."

"Um, what happened?" Freddie asked as Sam stomped into the bathroom.

"Well," Melanie said. "We went to our mom's and it turns out the thing she wanted to tell us was-"

"She got married!" Sam yelled, running back out. "To that warty gremlin!"

"Lewbert?" Freddie asked, astounded.

"Yes! They eloped in Fresno! He's my, ugh, step dad!"


	72. Chapter 72

"Sam, will you stop drawing up plans for Lewbert's death?" Carly sighed, looking over her best friend's shoulder at a very detailed sketch of the doorman getting eaten by what looked like very vicious piranhas.

"Nope," Sam said. "I'm good."

"Come on, Sam," Freddie said, sitting next to her. "You know putting Lewbert in the hospital isn't the right thing to do."

"When have I ever cared about that?"

"Okay, look, Sam," Freddie said. "I get that you're a little weirded out by your mom eloping and having Lewbert as your step-dad-"

"That's a understatement."

"But can't you at least give Lewbert a chance?"

"I've given him a chance for years! He's a creepy, pathetic little man!"

"But, maybe if you-"

"You know, I think piranhas just won't get the job done," Sam cut him off. "Maybe rhinos…"

"Fine, you know what, I'll speak your language, since you refuse to listen to me," Freddie sighed.

Sam looked up. "What are you talking about, Benson?"

"Well, with Lewbert being your new step-dad and all, that means that he's going to have to start being nicer to you, if he wants to keep up his marriage with your mom, right?"

"I guess, but him trying to be nice is still really-"

"You're not getting it," Freddie said, shaking his head. "Lewbert really loves your mom, which means he'll be willing to do anything to avoid screwing it up, and that includes keeping you happy. Sam, you pretty much have a green light to milk whatever you want out of this guy!"

"Freddie!" Carly exclaimed. "That's horrible! How could you-"

"That's brilliant," Sam said slowly. "How could I have not seen that? Wow, Fredmunch, looks like I'm rubbing off on you."

"Just promise me you won't go too far with it," Freddie warned her.

"We'll see," Sam grinned. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go start writing my list of demands…"

"You're just as bad as she is!" Carly told Freddie as Sam took the elevator upstairs.

"I guess the more time you spend with someone, the more you start to act like them," Freddie grinned.

…..

"Seven pounds of ham," Sam said proudly, slamming a huge bag of meat onto the counter. "Courtesy of Lewbert."

"You got him to buy you more meat?" Carly sighed, rolling her eyes as she grabbed a tube of lipstick from her purse and began applying it. "That's the third time this week!"

"Yeah, I've got to say, when he's giving in to my every demand, the man's not half bad," Sam said.

"I still say you've corrupted Freddie…By the way, have you seen my date earrings?"

"No. You and Joey are going out?"

"Nah, we're staying in to watch a movie," Carly replied. "Which, in case you didn't catch it, is your subtle hint to leave. He's going to be here any minute."

"Calm down, I'll be out of here in a sec," Sam said, rolling her eyes. "I just need to grab my pear pad and then I'll head over to Freddie's."

There was a knock at the door, and a second later Joey walked in.

"Hey, babe," he greeted Carly, placing a kiss on her lips. "You look hot, as always."

"Aw, sweetie, you're so cute when you're all flattery," Carly laughed, placing another kiss on his lips.

"Gross, I'm still here!" Sam exclaimed.

"Sorry," Joey apologized. "Anyway, Carly, I brought the movie."

"Great," the brunette grinned. "Why don't you go put it on in the living room and I'll pop us some popcorn?"

"Okay," Joey said, giving his girlfriend yet another kiss, causing Sam to make a gagging sound.

"You two are the most nauseating couple I've ever seen, no offense," Sam said as Joey headed into the living room.

"Yeah, why would I be offended by that?" Carly said sarcastically.

"All you two ever do is make out!"

"You've got to be kidding me," Carly said. "This from the girl who can't keep her hands off of Freddie for more than a minute!"

"Hey, I'm way less attached to Freddie than you are to Joey."

"You are not."

"Yeah, I think I am."

"Oh really," Carly said. "Care to make a little bet then?"

"Lay it on me," Sam replied.

"Okay," Carly said. "Let's see which one of us can go longer without kissing our boyfriends."

"You're on, Shay," Sam said. "But I warn you, Mama doesn't lose."

"We'll see about that. Let's see….whichever one of us caves first has to…go with Gibby to the liquid soap convention that's coming to Seattle in three weeks."

"Deal," Sam said, holding out her hand.

Carly shook. "Aw, Sam!" She wailed, letting go immediately. "You licked your hand?"

…..

"Can you say 'Carly'? Come on, Dina, say it," Carly cooed to the infant on her lap.

"No, don't say that," Spencer said, picking up his daughter and putting her on his own lap. "Say 'daddy'! 'Daddy'! It's not that hard, sweetie just say 'Daddy'!"

Dina stared blankly up at Spencer.

"Well, it was worth a shot," Spencer sighed.

"She's not even a year old yet," Carly reminded him. "Most babies don't talk in their first year."

"Yeah, I know," Spencer nodded. "I just want her first word to be 'Daddy'."

"Who knows," Carly smiled. "Maybe she'll be like you and say-"

"Okay, no need to bring up my first word catastrophe," Spencer said, getting up. "I'm going to got put Dina down for her nap."

"Alright. Do you care if I watch a move on Pay Per View?"

"Go ahead. The password's-"

"Everyone knows your password, Spence," Carly told her brother.

Spencer stuck his tongue out at her, and then retreated upstairs. Carly had just entered the password when the door flew open.

"Oh, hey, Freddie," Carly said.

"What did you do?" Freddie demanded, stomping into the apartment, slamming the door behind him.

"Um, what?"

"What sort of bet did you make with Sam? You know, the one where she can't kiss me?"

"Oh that," Carly laughed. "That's-"

"What have I done to you?" Freddie exclaimed. "Have I offended you in some way? Do you hate me? Is that it? Why, Carly? Why would you do this to me?"

"Calm down," Carly said.

"No! Sam and I haven't kissed in almost fifteen hours and I'm going insane! Call off the bet!"

"No way! I'm going to win this thing, no matter how long it takes."

"Why?" Freddie moaned. "Joey can't be happy with this!"

"Well, yeah, he was a little thrown off by it," Carly shrugged. "But he wasn't as worked up as you."

"Look, Carly, you know Sam, she's not going to ever give up," Freddie pleaded. "You have to be the one to cave first or this could go on forever! Please! For my sake!"

"Sorry," Carly told him. "I want to say that at least once in my life, I beat Sam Puckett at a bet."

"Nobody can do that!" Freddie exclaimed. "I've accepted it! You should too!"

"No can do. My mind's made up."

"But-but-No!" Freddie cried weakly. He fell onto the couch. "I'll get you for this eventually, Shay."


	73. Chapter 73

"I think that movie was by far the worst movie ever produced," Carly said as her and Sam walked into Bushwell Plaza. "Even worse than _The First Kiss_."

"Yeah, the blood looked totally fake," Sam agreed. "And you could tell that the punches didn't actually hurt."

"Hey, why's Lewbert here?" Carly asked, frowning as they saw the man sitting at the front desk. "I thought he took the weekend off."

Sam shrugged. "Guess he changed his mind…Here, I'll show you how easy it is to manipulate him."

"You're evil," Carly whispered furiously.

"You want to see or not?"

"…Yes."

"Hey there Lewbert," Sam said loudly.

"Get out of my lob-Oh, it's you." The girls could tell her had to try hard to force a rather peculiar looking smile onto his face.

"I thought you weren't working this weekend."

"That's next weekend! Don't you listen to a word that comes out of- I mean, no. You must have misunderstood me…Sam."

"Uh-huh," Sam nodded. "Anyway, Carly and I were just going to run up to the Spencer's place to order a few things online, but Carls forgot her credit card at our place and I lost mine in a dumpster."

"And?"

"Give us yours"

"What? Why in the name of-"

"Okay, okay," Sam said. "I'll just run back to my mom's place and tell her that I-"

"Here," Lewbert grumbled, thrusting his credit card over. "Take it."

"Thank you," Sam replied happily, snatching up the card. "Tell my mom her brother called from jail when you get home, okay?"

"Sam," Carly said as the girls headed up the steps away from the lobby. "That was unbelievable! You're blackmailing him!"

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Sam laughed.

"It is! It's-"

"Look, if you have such a problem with it then I just won't buy you those boots you've been wanting from ."

"I'll shut up."

The girls reached the eighth floor and were just about to enter Spencer's apartment when the Benson's door opened and Freddie walked out.

"Hey," he greeted the girls. "How was the movie?"

"Horrible," Sam replied. "But I got Lewbert's credit card. Wanna go have some fun?"  
"Heck yeah," Freddie nodded. "But how about first you and I-"

"Give it up, Fredhead. I'm not kissing you until Carly loses this bet."

"I'm not going to cave first," Carly said, unlocking the door.

"Really? I saw you practically devouring that picture of Joey last night."

"You swore you'd never talk about that!"

"Sam, come on, just lose the stupid bet," Freddie begged. "I'll buy you ham!"

"Lewbert bought me a ton of ham already."

"I'll let you hide one of my mom's spray cans."

"Nah, I already did that."

"Ugh!" Freddie exclaimed, throwing himself down on the sofa.

…..

"Ah, no! You can do it, NugNug!" Spencer yelled at the T.V. as he tried to make his character in the video game jump over the lazars being fired at him.

"Run all you want," Freddie said as his character chased after Spencer's. "You're still going to be intergalactic slime after I finish with you."

"This is pathetic," Ella said, walking downstairs. "Two fully grown men spending over six hours on a stupid video game on a Saturday night."

"It's not a game, it's a war," Spencer defended.

"Right. You know, this game, or _war_ thing was made for people with no lives," Ella said, rolling her eyes. "You're married to an _amazing_ chick," she said to Spencer. "And you, Freddie, have an attractive girlfriend. Why don't you go hang out with Sam?"

"Because her and Carly still have that stupid bet going on," Freddie mumbled. "You have no idea how hard it is being in the same room as that girl and not kissing her!"

"I think this bet is a marvelous idea," Spencer shrugged.

"You just like the idea of Carly and Sam not kissing any guys," Ella smirked.

"That is very true."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Freddie sighed, getting up. "My mom has the graveyard shift at the hospital again, and she likes calling our home phone to make sure I'm there. See you tomorrow."

"Bye, Freddie, and don't worry," Ella said. "Either Carly or Sam will cave soon. I went shopping with them today and they're really on edge."

"I hope so," Freddie said. He closed the Shay's door and walked across the hall. He was rummaging through his pocket for his key when he was suddenly spun around, and before he could even register what was happening, he felt a familiar, soft pair of lips pressed against his.

"Sam!" he managed to gasp once the two had finally broken apart. "The bet-you-you-Carly caved?"

"No," Sam said, wrapping her arms around Freddie broad shoulders. "But all I can say is that you're coming with me to that stupid soap convention with Gibby."


	74. Chapter 74

"That was the worst five hours of my life," Sam moaned as she stormed into her apartment, followed by Freddie and Gibby.

"You didn't enjoy the soap convention?" Carly smiled, looking up from her textbook.

"I did," Gibby said happily. "I even got a pair of boxer shorts that smell like liquid soap!"

"That's…nice?"

"I would've never thought there would be so many people into soap," Freddie said, sitting down on the couch. "But that place was packed! We had to wait thirty minutes just to get into the place!"

"I can't wait for next years," Gibby exclaimed. "Are you guys going to come and-"

"No," Sam cut him off. "I am never setting foot in that place again. Get Guppy or someone to go with you."

"Fine, but you'll be missing out," Gibby shrugged. He looked at his watch. "Oh man! Quickie Mart is getting a new supply of pudding in twenty minutes! I'm going to be late!"

"See ya, Gib-" Carly started, but he had already slammed the door shut.

"So many problems," Freddie said, shaking his head.

"Yup," Carly agreed. "So, what are you guys doing tonight?"

"Me and Melanie were going to go to prison to visit my cousin Cario," Sam said. "Why?"

"I was kind of hoping one of you could help me baby-sit Dina…Spencer and Ella are dropping her off soon."

"Are you afraid of Dina?" Freddie asked. "You never want to be alone with her."

"Pfft, that's crazy," Carly said. "She's a baby!"

"Carly…"

"Okay, fine! She doesn't like me! Whenever I'm alone with her she either cries of spits up! Freddie, can you stay and help me?"

"Dina does the same exact thing when I'm with her," Freddie pointed out. "The only person she likes other than Spencer and Ella is Sam."

"She's a smart kid, what can I say?" Sam smirked.

"Besides," Freddie continued. "I have to go with my mom to her…lady doctor."

"Sounds like a fun night," Sam said. "Sorry Carls, looks like your left with Dina on your own."

"Great," she sighed.

…..

"Hey, Carly," Ella said, walking into the girls' apartment with Spencer at a little past one in the morning. "We're-"

"Finally!" Carly exclaimed. "Your daughter didn't stop crying for an hour! She spit up on my favorite pair of jeans, and I'm pretty sure she tried to pull my ear off!"

"Aw, little Carly Shay couldn't handle an itsy baby?" Spencer teased his sister as he picked a sleeping Dina out of her playpen.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up," Carly said.

"Where are Sam and Freddie?" Ella asked.

"Sam went with Melanie you visit their cousin in prison," Carly replied. "And Freddie's with his mom."

Spencer and Ella frowned at each other.

"What?" Carly asked.

"You can't visit the prison on Saturday night," Ella told her. "And Sam can't be with Melanie; Melanie's with their mom and Lewbert in Olympia looking at new furniture for their mom's living room."

"And Freddie's home," Spencer said. "Mrs. Benson left last night to watch her sister's granddaughter."

"Are you kidding me?" Carly cried. "They left me here for no reason! What can they be doing this late at night that's so…Oh. Gross!"

Ella laughed.

"I don't get it," Spencer said.

Ella whispered something in his ear.

"Ah!" he yelled. "That's disgusting!"

"You're so immature," Ella smiled, rolling her eyes.

"Sam's practically my sister! I'm going to kill Freddie tomorrow!"

"I'll help you!" Carly nodded.


	75. Chapter 75

"Okay, I just have one more page to go for my Psychology paper," Carly said happily, re-reading her work on her laptop. "How about you, Sam? Sam?"

She looked over at her blonde friend and was less-than-surprised to see her sprawled out on the couch, her laptop powered off and her textbook being used as a pillow.

Carly rolled her eyes. "Sam," she said, nudging her shoulder. "Wake up. Your paper's due in one week. How much have you even written?"

"Some," Sam sleepily replied. "I put the header on…"

"That's it," Carly said firmly. "You're grounded. You can't leave this apartment until that paper is _done_."

"Who are you, my mother?" Sam frowned. "I'll get it done, Carls, just relax-"

"I will not relax! This paper is a third of your grade! I'm serious; you're staying right here until it's done. Now, I'm going to go pick up dinner. When I get back here, I expect to see at least a page written."

"Jeez, Carls, are you nineteen or ninety?"

"Sam, we only have three more months of school left; how horrible would it be if you failed now at the end?"

"I'm not going to fail…Fine, I'll write the stupid paper. You'd better pick me up a ham, though, Shay."

"Will do," Carly smiled. "Now get to work. I'll be back in twenty minutes."

…

"A C? Carly exclaimed as she walked over to Freddie after her Psychology class. "I spent three whole weeks on this paper and I get a C?"

"That's rough," Freddie said sympathetically.

"That means I have to get a 100 percent on the final exam to get an B for the class," Carly sighed. "Man, this really sucks."

"Where's Sam?" Freddie asked.

"The professor is handing back each paper individually," Carly explained. "She'll be out in a minute."

Sure enough, Sam walked out of the classroom shortly after.

"Professor Cast is nutty in the head," Carly said as Sam approached her and Freddie. "Don't worry about the paper, Sam. Cast clearly is out to fail all of us."

"What are you talking about?" Sam asked, holding out her own paper.

"An A?" Carly frowned. "You-You got an A?"

"Yeah, I guess when I'm forced to write, I'm actually not too shabby," Sam grinned.

"Nice job," Freddie said, giving her a quick kiss on the lips.

"So, what did you get?" Sam asked Carly.

"I-I got a C," Carly stuttered. "Maybe I should go talk to Professor Cast…Maybe he graded it wrong or something, I mean, if you got an A, there's no way I could've gotten a C."

Sam frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," Carly said quickly. "It's just, you know, when it comes to schoolwork, you-I-Well, I mean, Sam, you wrote your paper in two days and I spent weeks perfecting mine and-"

"So basically you're just better than me?" Sam said, crossing her arms.

"No! That's not what I mean-"

"Sure sounds like it."

"Sam, come on you barely did any research on your topic!"

"How do you know? Maybe I'm just better at this class than you? Have you ever thought about that?"

"Um, guys, why don't you-" Freddie started, but Sam and Carly ignored him.

"You know, maybe I would've considered that if I haven't had to be on your case all throughout high school and college about actually doing your work! If I hadn't forced you to sit down and write that paper you wouldn't have even done it!"  
"Carly, I-" Freddie begun, but once again, the two girls paid him no attention.

"You know what, Carly, I won't be needing you to force me to do anything anymore because I'm done with you!"

"Sam, don't-" Freddie sighed.

"Yeah? Well I'm done with you too!" Carly retaliated.

Both girls stood there for a moment, before turning and storming off in opposite directions, leaving poor Freddie standing there calling after them.


	76. Chapter 76

"Sam, come on, it's been two weeks," Freddie sighed as him and Sam sat on his couch.

"So?"

"You two are best friends," he said. "You need to make up."

"_I_ didn't do anything wrong," Sam snapped. "Carly's the one who needs to apologize."

"Look, I know Carly said some things but-"

"She called me stupid!"

"Yes, and that was wrong, but maybe you-"

"So what, are you taking her side?" Sam frowned.

"What? No! I'm just saying-"

"Do you think I don't know that I'm not as smart as you and Carly?" she yelled, standing up.

"Sam, I-"

"I know that Carly's ten times smarter than me! I've known that since elementary school when she got that award for her science fair project on tree frogs while I got an F on mine I did on different types of meat sauces! I've accepted it! And then finally, after years and years I do better than her on _one_ thing and she has to throw a fit! Did _I_ throw fits all the times she got A's when _I _got C's? No! Not even those times when I actually _did_ try! Carly's better than me at everything, I get it; but why does she have to rub it in my face?"

"Okay, first of all," Freddie said, standing up and walking over to Sam, who was now red in the face. "Carly is _not_ better than you at everything."

Sam rolled her eyes.

"You're way more creative than she is. You're more outspoken and hilarious, and you're not as superficial."

Sam shrugged.

"Sam, I don't think this is just about the essay grade."

Sam sighed. "It's just, I dunno, like I said, Carly always seems to get everything. She got the web show, the normal family, every guys attention back in high school…including yours."

Freddie blinked. "Sam, you know that-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know you got over her and you think of her as a sister and don't look at her romantically and blah, blah, blah. But it's like I'm always _her _sidekick! Maybe I'm sick of it!"

Freddie was silent for a moment and then he said, "You're right."

Sam looked up. "What?"

"Carly does get more attention than you do, and it's not fair. You deserve just as much attention as she gets, and you should _never_ have to feel like her sidekick. But…despite all that, you know deep down that the two of you are best friends."

"But you just said-"

"Sam, have you ever told Carly any of what you just told me?"

Sam shook her head.

"Carly may be a bit of a priss, but she's still Carly. She would never make you feel like this on purpose. You know what."

"I know," Sam mumbled, looking at the floor.

"Good," Freddie said. "So you'll go talk to her?"

"Nope."

"What? I thought we were making progress! I thought that deep, emotional escapade was leading you on the right track!"

"First of all, Fredward, Mama doesn't do _emotional_, you know that," Sam said, regaining her usual composure. "Second of all, I'm still right. _Carly_ needs to apologize."

She grabbed her bag and headed to the door.

"Where are you going? My mom won't be back for another hour!"

"To get some food from Spencer's! I can't stand this organic chiz your mom buys!"

…

Carly, Sam and Melanie were eating breakfast in the living room in complete silence. Carly sat on one side of the couch while Sam sat as far away as she could on the other side, leaving Melanie between the two.

"So," Melanie said, trying to stir up a conversation. "There's this new pizza place by my school. You guys want me to pick up some for dinner tonight?"

Neither girl answered, and just continued to eat their bagels.

"Um…did you two see that new guy that moved in below us? He has a pet rabbit's that's the cutest thing you've ever seen."

Still, the girls did not respond.

"Yeah…this is useless," Melanie sighed, standing up. "Well, I'm going to class. Sam, you'd better get going if you're taking mom to get that toe looked at."

Sam sighed, and stood up as well, stuffing the last of her bagel in her mouth.

"See you, Carly," Melanie said as she grabbed her car keys from the counter.

"Bye, _Melanie_," Carly said as the twins headed out the door.

Carly finished up her bagel, and was just about to turn on the television, when there was a knock at the door.

"Oh, hi Freddie," Carly said, opening the door. "Sam just left."

"I know," he nodded. "Can I come in anyway?"

"Yeah, sure," she shrugged. "There's bagels in the fridge if you're hungry."

"No thanks…anyway, can I talk to you about this whole fight with Sam?"

"Ohhhhh, I see. You came over here to try to get me to talk to Sam again," Carly said crossing her arms. "Well, you can forget it. I'm not going to-"

"Look, just hear me out," Freddie begged. "I talked to Sam the other day and I think you really need to hear what she had to say."

Carly pondered this for a moment. "Fine," she said. "But I'm still not going to change my mind."

"Well, see, Carly, Sam was just a little…upset about how you reacted to the whole essay thing because, well…it was the first time she outperformed you. At anything."

"What are you talking about?"

"Sam told me that since you guys were little, she's always been overshadowed by you…and I kind of see her point."

"Overshadowed?" Carly frowned.

"You always got the better grades in school, so teachers favored you," Freddie explained. "People always consider you to be the star of iCarly, and her to just be your assistant...I guess she's always just shrugged it off, though. But when she finally did do better than you on one thing…you kind of belittled her and made her feel like she was stupid."

Carly was quiet for a minute. "I made her feel stupid?"

"You _did_ say that the only reason she even did the paper on her own was because you made her."

"I really said that?"

Freddie nodded.

"And…she really feels like I'm overshadowing her all the time?"

Freddie nodded again.

"But…that's ridiculous! Sam's better at a ton of stuff! She's a better dancer and singer and artist and-"

"I know that," Freddie said. "But she still feels that way."

Carly sighed. "I never meant for her to feel that way. She's not stupid at all. She's so smart. I-I was just mad at my grade, that's all. I don't know why I said what I said. And I definitely don't want her to feel like I'm better than her."

"I know you don't," Freddie told her.

Carly looked at the ground. "I'll talk to her tonight."

"Thanks, Carls," Freddie said, hugging his friend. "I hope you two work things out."

….

Sam got back from taking her mom to the doctor shortly after six that evening. It had been a long day and she was starving. Grabbing a can of ravioli from the cupboard, she dumped it into a pot and placed it on the stove.

"Um, Sam?" Carly said, walking into the kitchen.

Sam looked up.

"Can I talk you?"

Sam shrugged, taking a spoon to stir her food with.

"I'm sorry, okay?"

Sam turned around. "What?"

"I-I was thinking about it and I was a total jerk that day at school," Carly sighed. "I was just a little mad that I got a bad grade. It was wrong to say you didn't deserve your A. I'm sure your paper was better than mine, and that's why you got the better grade."

Sam frowned. "Did Freddie come over and talk to you?"

"Um…no?"

"He did! I'm going to kill that boy!"

"Sam, he told me how you were feeling, and I had no idea. Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"Because it's stupid!"

"No it's not! Sam, I sorry that I ever made you feel like I was better than you. I was never trying to do that on purpose. You're my best friend."

"Yeah, I know," Sam said. "It's just…I finally beat you at something. It felt good. And then when you started saying that there was no way that I could be better at the class than you-"

"I know, I know," Carly sighed. "I'm sorry. For everything."

Sam smiled. "I am too."

Carly grinned and held out her arms for a hug.

"Ugh, why does everything with you have to end in a hug?"

"Come on, you know you want to."

Sam rolled her eyes, but complied and returned her best friend's embrace.


	77. Chapter 77

"Come on, come on, Dina, come to daddy," Spencer cooed the baby girl.

"Wow, I can't believe she's walking now," Freddie commented as Dina waddled over to her father.

"Yeah, it seems like just yesterday she could barely hold her head up," Sam agreed.

"Just a couple more weeks until her first birthday," Ella said, handing Dina a bottle of formula.

"Which also happens to be your two year anniversary," Spencer said, nudging Freddie in the shoulder. "Any plans? We promise we won't interrupt them this year."

"Nah, just dinner and a movie," Sam replied. "Short and simple."

"That's sweet," Ella smiled. "But you know what else is happening soon? You guys are finishing college!"

"Shoosh yeah, done with school forever," Sam said, pumping a fist in the air.

"Except we have to work, you know," Freddie reminded her.

"I know, but I actually enjoy writing scripts and doing all that stuff. Plus I'm getting paid."

"I remember my first paying job," Spencer said nostalgically. "It was right after I dropped out of law school; this guy paid me to make a sculpture of a penguin for him."

"A penguin?" Ella repeated.

"Yup. Got paid twenty four big ones."

"Wow, that must've been one pathetic penguin," Sam said, picking up Ella from the floor.

"He was beautiful!"

"So guys, where's Carly?" Ella asked.

"Out with Joey," Freddie replied.

"Joey, you know, I actually like that guy," Spencer said approvingly.

"Only because he gave you a free waffle iron from the store he works at," Sam grinned.

"I have never had fluffier waffles."

"Can you make me some?"

"It's nine at night, Sam," Spencer said.

"So? When have I ever cared about the 'proper time to eat foods'?"

"Fine," Spencer sighed, getting up. "Anyone else want some waffles?"

"I could go for some," Freddie said as Ella nodded.

"So, Sam, did your mom tell you that grandma is selling her boat?" Ella asked her cousin as Spencer went into the kitchen.

"No way, I love that thing," Sam exclaimed.

"Your grandma has a boat?" Freddie asked.

"Yeah, she used to take us on it all the time when we were little. My mom wouldn't let me on after last time, though."

"Why not?"

"I pushed Melanie off."

"I see."

"So why's she selling it?" Sam asked Ella.

"She needs the money to pay for her little trip to Vegas that she took last month. Anyway, my mom said that before she sells it she'd let us take it out one last time. What do you guys say? Sound like fun?"

"Yeah! Let's go next weekend," Sam said eagerly.

"I'm in," Freddie said.

"Me too," Spencer said from the kitchen. "I haven't been on a boat since I won that one from-Ah!"

The plate of waffles Spencer was carrying over suddenly burst into flames. Ella, now very used to this phenomenon, barely batted an eyelash as she got out the overused fire extinguisher and put out the fire.

"Wow," Sam said once the flames were put out. "You'd think you'd have gotten past this stage by now."

"This is nothing," Ella said. "Last week he managed to set his socks on fire."

"Were they on your feet?" Freddie frowned.

"No, I was making sock puppets," Spencer replied. "I'd show them to you, but, well, fire kind of destroys cotton."

…

"Hey, Carls," Sam said, walking into the apartment. "Is there any chicken left from last night? I'm starving."

"Yeah, there should be some in the fridge," Carly called from the living room.

"What are you doing?" Sam asked, taking a bite of a fried chicken leg as she sat down next to her best friend.

"Just visiting the iCarly site," Carly answered. "You know people still comment on our videos?"

"Yeah; me and Freddie have gone on once or twice."

"I really miss it," Carly sighed.

"Yeah, me too," Sam agreed.

"Hey," Carly said, looking at Sam grinning. "I've got an idea…"


	78. Chapter 78

"You got the marbles?" Carly asked Sam.

"They're right next to the bucket of fake teeth," Sam answered. "How much longer do we have?"

"Four minutes, twelve seconds," Freddie replied. "Here," he tossed Sam her signature blue remote. "I've synced it with tonight's sound effects."

"Where's Gibby?" Carly frowned.

"I think he's still in the bathroom getting on his costume," Sam said.

"Gibby? Are you done yet?" Carly yelled.

"The zipper's stuck!" Gibby yelled back from the bathroom.

"Freddie, go help Gibby," Carly told him. "Sam, help me finish pouring this soap into the container…"

"Dude, you've been freaking out about this all day," Sam said to her best friend. "It's just a web show; we've done it about a million times before."

"I know," Carly sighed. "It's just that it's been almost two years since we've done iCarly, and I just want to make sure everything goes perfect tonight."

"Don't worry, kid," Sam said, patting Carly on the back. "We've got an awesome show planned. Besides, if every thing _is_ perfect, then it's not really iCarly, is it?"

"You've got a point," Carly laughed.

"We ready to start?" Gibby asked, coming back into the studio, wearing a cowboy outfit, followed by Freddie.

"Yup," Freddie said, looking at his watch and grabbing his camera. Carly and Sam stood in front of him. "In five, four, three, two…"

"Welcome back!" Carly and Sam cried, looking right into the camera.

"It's been almost two years since we've done this," Carly smiled. "But Sam, Freddie and I decided we missed doing to show, so we're back for one night!"

"For all of you who have been on this past week and saw our announcement to tune in tonight, thanks so much," Sam said, stepping beside Carly. "And for those of you who haven't…well, it's your loss!"

"Indeed it is," Carly nodded. "Because we have so much to do tonight…I _did_ have index cards will tonight's itinerary on them but Sam felt the need to use them to scrape gum off her shoes."

"Let that be a lesson to all you chewers out there not to litter," Sam said.

"So I guess we'll just start out by doing some new segments of our old bits…Gibby, get out here!"

The four young adults enjoyed themselves as they acted out scenes from The idiot Farm girl and SuperBra, did a random debate, painted Gibby's eyebrows, tossed water balloons filled with grape jelly out the studio window and saw how many marshmallows they could fit into Gibby's mouth, which incidentally turned out to be 31.

"Okay," Carly said as Gibby spat out a big glob of marshmallow. "We only have one more thing left to do here tonight, but before we do it, we thought it would be cool if we did a sort of call in session. You guys can web chat us and ask us any questions that you might have had since the last iCarly."

"Here's one," Freddie said, pressing a few keys on his laptop. "You're on with Frankiepox101 from Rhode Island."

"Hi, Frankiepox," Carly smiled as a teenage girl appeared on the large monitor.

"Hey, you guys," the girl replied. "I'm a huge fan of iCarly."

"Aw, thanks," Carly said.

"Anyway, I was wondering if you guys are going to start doing the show again on a regular basis?"

"Uh, no," Sam said flatly. "This is a one time thing, people…But we all decided that we would leave the site open for you guys to post your own funny, random videos. True, it probably won't be nearly as entertaining as us, but it should be enough to hold you guys through the rest of your lives."

"Alright, moving on," Freddie said, pressing another key on the laptop. "Here's another one…Jellybeanluv89."

The image of a young woman about Carly and Sam's age materialized onto the screen.

"What's up, Jellybeanluv?" Carly asked.

"Well, as I'm sure you can assume, I'm a huge iCarly fan," the girl stated.

It was fairly obvious. The girl was wearing a shirt with Sam and Carly's faces on it, and what could be seen of her room was plastered in various pictures from .

"But I'm also a _huge_ Seddie fan," she continued. "So I've got to know; are those two still a couple."

Sam opened her mouth, no doubt to make some sort of wise remark, but Carly stepped in front of her.

"Yup," Carly nodded, grinning. "Sam and Freddie are still a couple. And in just a few weeks, they'll be celebrating their two-year anniversary."

"Yes, it's fantastic," Sam in a dull voice, rolling her eyes. "Next question!"

"Here's Tastysox15," Freddie said as the monitor changed to show a teenage boy.

"Hey, iCarly," Tastysox grinned. "I can't believe I'm actually watching this web show again; it's been hilarious, just like the good old days."

"Thanks so much," Carly replied. "Do you have any questions for us?"

"Actually, I have two," the boy answered. "First, I was sort of curious as to what you three are doing now that you're out of high school."

"Well," Carly began. "Sam, Freddie and I were planning on going to universities, but then we got contacted by the head of admissions at our local community college. His brother is the producer of the T.V. channel Klasky Splat, and told us that after we completed two years of school, he'd like us to work at the studio."

"And in just a few more weeks when we finally get out of college, we'll be making six figures each baby," Sam said, smirking into the camera.

"That's so cool," Tastysox grinned. "And now for my last question…I was wondering what happened to Spencer?"

"I am so glad you said that, Tastysox," Carly said. "Because he'll be helping us out with our last bit tonight. Spence, get out here!"

Spencer, who had been waiting outside the studio for his cue, walked in, along with Ella.

"You guys all remember Ella, my sister-in-law and Sam's cousin?" Carly said to the audience as the two waved. "The poor soul who's stuck with Spencer for the rest of her life?"

"Hey!" Spencer exclaimed.

"Just kidding," Carly laughed. "Anyway, for our last bit, Sam, Freddie and I arranged a sort of…test."

Freddie pointed the camera at three low tables that had been set up on the other side of the studio, each containing a sort of small, plastic block.

"The idea of the test," Sam said. "Is to see which contestant can open his block to get to the cookie inside."

"_That's_ the test?" Spencer scoffed. "You guys said it would be challenging!"

"And let's meet our contestants," Sam continued, ignoring Spencer. "Player one, weighing in at 167 pounds…Spencer Shay!"

"I cannot _believe_ you just said my wait out loud on the Internet," Spencer hissed, sitting down on the floor in front of the first table.

"And next," Carly said. "He's the proud owner of more than fifty gallons of liquid soap…Gibby Gibson!"

"Liquid soap for the win!" Gibby cried, sitting down next to Spencer.

"And our last contestant," Sam said. "Is someone you all have never seen before…Her daily activities consist mainly of eating and sleeping…Introducing Dina Shay!"

Ella, who had left the studio briefly while the girls were introducing Spencer and Gibby, came back in, this time with Dina in her arms.

"Say hello to Spencer and Ella's baby daughter," Carly said as Sam pressed the applause button on her remote.

Ella said Dina down at the third table.

"Alright, the clock is running," Sam said. "Go!"

Spencer and Gibby immediately grabbed their boxes and began pulling on them, but to no avail. Dina, on the other hand, didn't pick up her box until after a good minute had passed. But when she did, she simply looked at it for a second, and then happily slammed it against the table, causing it to open and the cookie to fall out.

"And we have our winner!" Sam yelled, pressing the applause button once more as Dina began stuffing the cookie in her mouth.

"Well, there you have it," Carly laughed as Spencer and Gibby sputtered in amazement at their loss to an infant. "It seems that Dina Shay is smarter than bother her own father and a Gibby."

"Although that _really_ isn't saying anything," Sam said.

"And with that," Carly said. "It looks like this reunion episode of iCarly is over. Thanks so much to all our old fans for tuning in, you guys are amazing!"

"Try not to be too bored without us in your life," Sam grinned. She pressed a button on her remote, and the Random Dancing theme came on, and everyone began dancing until Freddie finally gave them the all clear sign.

"Alright," Spencer exclaimed, picking up his plastic box, which had yet to be open. "How the heck did she do it?"

"Yeah," Gibby echoed, also picking up his box. "I want my cookie."

"Ask Dina to help you," Ella smirked. "Anyway, you guys were great! We were watching from downstairs while we were waiting to come up."

"Thanks," Carly replied.

"Hey, how many viewers did we get?" Sam asked Freddie.

"Over one million," Freddie said proudly. "Looks like iCarly can stand even the test of time."

"That's insane!" Sam exclaimed. "We should go out for food to celebrate."

"Aw, but I was going to go to the mall," Carly said. "But I guess I can go later…let's head to the Groovy Smoothie!"

"Why do you want to go the mall anyway?" Sam asked as the group headed into elevator.

"Because I need to shop for a new bathing suit for our boat trip on Saturday," Carly said as if it was the most obvious thing on the planet.

"You have like a million bikinis, Carly," Sam said, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, but Joey's coming, and I want to look nice," Carly said. "Come with me; it'll be fun."

"As fun as that sounds," Sam said sarcastically. "Nubby over there promised me he'd take me to that new slasher movie, and it starts at nine."

"You'd really rather watch guts and blood than look at bathing suits?"

"Are you really surprised?" Freddie asked, putting an arm around his girlfriend.

"Not at all," Carly sighed.


	79. Chapter 79

"Perfect weather for boating," Carly said, looking out her apartment window. "Sunny, temperature's in the eighties, and there's not a cloud in the sky."

"Yeah, we really lucked out," Melanie nodded in agreement, pulling a pink sundress over her new white bikini. "Yesterday it rained for hours. I like your bathing suit, by the way."

"Thanks," Carly grinned. Like she had said, she purchased a brand new bikini from the mall. It was pink with white polka dots. "Yours looks nice too. Sam? You ready? Ella said we have to be there by eleven."

"Yeah," Sam said, walking out of the bathroom. "Let's go."

Sam was wearing a pair of shorts and a tank top over her own swimsuit. Carly had begged Sam all day yesterday to let her take her shopping for a new one, but Sam refused.

The girls were going to take Sam's car, and after Carly grabbed the picnic basket from counter, they set off to the dock. They were the last to arrive; Freddie, Joey, and Melanie's boyfriend, Ryan, were waiting by the large sailboat, along with Spencer, Ella and Dina.

"Finally," Spencer said as the three walked over.

"Sam didn't wake up until ten thirty," Carly explained.

"Wow, I forgot how big this boat was," Melanie commented as everyone began to load onto it.

"Yeah," Sam agreed. "Well, I'm gonna take a nap." She plopped down on one of the lounge chairs.

"You _just_ woke up," Freddie pointed out, sitting down next to her.

"Mama's gotta work on her tan," she replied, pulling off her tank top to reveal her purple bikini.

"You wanna stop staring, nub?" she asked, noticing Freddie's eyes growing wider.

"Not particularly," he grinned, pulling Sam up from her relaxed position to kiss her.

"We've been on this boat for less than five minutes and you two are already making out?" Ella said, rolling her eyes as Spencer began to steer the boat out to sea.

"Shut up," Sam snapped, pulling Freddie in for another kiss.

It was pleasureful experience for everyone, being on a boat in the middle of the ocean. The group spent the afternoon laughing at stories, fishing off the side of the boat, and enjoying the sun. Everyone was disappointed when the sky began to darken and Spencer turned the boat to head back to the dock.

"I can't believe I actually caught a fish," Freddie said happily to Sam.

"Yeah, and it only took you about two hours," Sam teased, looking into the ice box which Freddie had filled with water for his fish to swim around in. "You know, you're supposed to eat it."

"I know," Freddie smiled. "But I thought it might be fun to bug my mom with it first. You know how she feels about animals and their germs."

"I've never been so attracted to you," Sam laughed, wrapping her arms around her boyfriend's strong neck.

"Yo, lovebirds!" Carly yelled. "Everyone's off the boat but you!"

Sam and Freddie looked up and realized that the boat was now stationed at the dock and they were in fact the only ones left on it.

"This was great," Ella said, shifting a sleeping Dina on her hip. "But Spence and I are going to head home to put Dina down."

"See you later," Carly called after them.

"We'll see you guys at home," Melanie said. "Ryan and I are going to go back to his place to use his pool, seeing as we're already in our bathing suits."

"I guess that leaves us four," Carly said. "Joey, you want to come with Sam, Freddie and me? We're going to go back to our place and play that new dance game."

"Sounds fun," her boyfriend smiled. "But I've got to get home. I promised my little sister I'd read to her before she went to bed."

"Aw, that's sweet," Carly said. "Tell Beth I said hi."

"Will do, babe," he nodded, leaning down to kiss her. "See you tomorrow. Bye Sam and Freddie."

"Oh my gosh, he's perfect," Carly cooed as they headed back to Sam's car. "How cute can you get?"

"I didn't know he had a little sister," Freddie said.

"Yeah, I've met her, and she's the most precious little girl. Joey's parents adopted her from Russia two years ago when she was four."

"Cool, does she have that weird accent?" Sam asked. "I love hearing Russian people talk!"

"Nah, her English is really strong, if I didn't know, I'd think she was born here."

"Bummer."

Sam pulled into the parking lot of her and Carly's apartment a few moments later.

"You guys head up and turn on the game," Carly told them. "I'm just going to run over to the lobby and check our mail."

"K," Sam nodded. "Come on, Fredfrie, let's go. Although I don't know why you two even bother; you guys can't even keep up with me."

"Hey, Sam?" Freddie said as the couple started up the stairs. "I wanted to ask you about something."

"What's up?"

"Well," Freddie started. "I was talking to my dad last night and it turns out he's going to be in Canada in the weekend after our anniversary for a business trip and he invited me up to see him."

"Oh," Sam said. "Are-Are you going?"

"Yeah. I haven't seen him in years and I kind of miss him. Anyway, I was sort of thinking that the two of could go together."

"Together?"

"Yeah," Freddie nodded. "That way you could meet him; I've told him a lot about you and I think you two would really get along. I mean, you don't have to go if you don't want to; I totally understand if you'd rather-"

"I'll go," Sam said.

"Really?" Freddie grinned.

"Yeah. I actually want to meet this guy. I mean, I already know you get your dorkish genes from your mom, I've got to see where the sliver of normal ones came from."

"I don't know whether or not I should be offended," Freddie laughed.

"You should," Sam said.


	80. Chapter 80

"We're free!" Sam said loudly as the trio filed out of their last final exam. "We are officially done with school forever!"

"It's so exciting," Carly grinned. "Just think; we're now out in the work world!"

"Not until the first of June," Freddie reminded them. "That's when we start at the T.V. station."

"At least we get a good three week vacation before that," Sam said.

"Oh my gosh, that reminds me," Carly said, stopping in her tracks. "I totally have nothing to wear to work!"

"What?" Sam said, rolling her eyes. "You have about a million outfits, which take up _my_ closet space, by the way."

"But I don't have any business clothes," Carly said. "And neither do you, come to think of it…I need to get to the mall."

"But you have three weeks," Freddie pointed out. "I thought we were all going to grab some lunch right now."

"Believe me," Sam said. "She'll be shopping for those entire three weeks."

"Do you want to come with?" Carly asked Sam as she drew her car keys from her bag.

"Eh, why not?" she shrugged. "But I'm not buying any of those ten inch heels."

"Sorry about canceling our lunch plans, though, Freddie," Carly said. "How about the three of us get dinner instead?"

"Sure," Freddie chuckled. "Have fun shopping."

"Later," Sam said, kissing him quickly before getting into the passenger side of Carly's car.

…..

"Oh! What about this?" Carly asked, holding up a baby blue ruffled blouse. "It would look really nice with those white pants and heels I just bought."

"You know," Sam said. "I tell myself every time I go shopping with you that I'll never do it again, and yet here I am…"

"You know you love it," Carly smiled. "Hey, look, dresses!"

"Why do we even have to wear business clothes," Sam said as her and Carly looked through the racks. "

"Because this is the professional world, Sam," Carly explained. "We have to look nice."

"You just like the idea of buying a whole new wardrobe."

"Well…yeah," Carly admitted. "So when do you and Freddie leave for Canada?"

"The twenty-third," Sam replied. "And we come back the twenty-eighth."

"You nervous? I mean meeting his dad in and of itself is a big step, but this is also your first trip together."

"What are you talking about? We went to the ski lodge last winter."

"Yeah, but that was with everyone," Carly said. "This is just the two of you; it's much more romantic."

"I guess."

"I wonder what his dad is like," Carly said, looking at a gray dress.

"Hopefully nothing like his mom."

"Does Freddie ever talk about him?"

"Once in awhile," Sam shrugged. "They talk on the phone and send emails and all that chiz, but they haven't seen each other in years."

"Wow," Carly commented. "You know, Freddie must _really_ love you if he wants you to be with him when he sees him, then. Man, I wish I had something like that with Joey."

"What do you mean? You guys have been going out for like four months," Sam pointed out.

"I know," Carly sighed. "And I really do like him…but we're not nearly as connected as you and Freddie. I know that you've been dating way longer than us, but still, it's like I don't really know what much about him. I know he lives with his parents so that he can help out his little sister while they're at work, but yesterday I _just _found out his mom is actually is step-mom and that his biological mom died in a car crash when he was eight. Wouldn't you think he would've told me, his girlfriend, something like that sooner?"

"Come on, Carls, you're being ridiculous," Sam assured her best friend. "Does Joey know every little detail of _your_ life? I mean, did you tell him that _your_ mom died when you were two?"

"Well, no," Carly admitted.

"So then why the heck are you freaking out?"

"I don't know," Carly admitted. "I guess I'm not really used to being in a long term relationship. This _is _my only one that's lasted more than a month."

"There you go, kid," Sam said, patting her back. "Now can we _please_ get out of this store? If I have to see one more leather skirt I'm going to die."


	81. Chapter 81

"Have fun you two," Carly said as Freddie finished loading Sam's suitcase into the back of his car.

"Yeah, call us when you get there so we know you got there safely," Melanie said.

"Will do," Freddie said, closing the trunk of his car. "You all set, Sam?"

"Yup," she nodded, hopping into the passenger seat. "We're Canada bound, baby."

After bidding Melanie and Carly goodbye, Freddie backed out of the parking lot of the girls' apartment and started driving towards the freeway.

"So how long until we get to our hotel?" Sam asked, fiddling with the radio.

"Six hours and twenty three minutes, according the site where I got the directions," Freddie replied.

"Is your dad staying at the same place as us?"

"Nah, it was completely booked," Freddie said. "Our hotel is about ten minutes from his."

Since Freddie had insisted they start the trip at five in the morning, Sam slept for a good portion of the car ride. She awoke just as Freddie was crossing over into Canada.

"Ick, I hate Canadian road sign," Sam said, yawning.

"What's wrong with them?" Freddie asked.

"They're a different color than ours."

"You're ridiculous," Freddie chuckled. "Anyway, I'm going to take a wild guess and say your hungry?"

"Gee, aren't you intuitive," Sam said, rubbing her stomach.

"Good; we're supposed to meet my dad at some diner around here…Oh, I think that's it."

He pulled into a small, wholesome looking restaurant called The Maple Leaf.

"Real original name," Sam commented as she got out of the car. "Do you see him?"

"Not yet, come on, let's get inside and get a table."

The couple headed into the diner and took a seat at a table near the door. They each ordered a root beer and then sat in silence.

"Are you nervous?" Sam finally asked.

"A little," Freddie admitted. "But I always am before I see him, you know, because it's been so long…"

Suddenly the bell above the door dinged, and a tall gentleman walked in. He looked around the diner, and then, spotting Freddie, walked over to the table.

"Well look at you," the man said as Freddie stood up. "My gosh, you _cannot_ be the same kid that I saw three years ago." He pulled his son into a hug. "Good to see you again, son."

"You too, dad," Freddie said as the men pulled away.

"And this has got to be Sam Puckett," he said, looking at the blonde. "I'd recognize her from iCarly anytime. Plus I've heard so much from Freddie." He extended a hand to Sam.

"Er, hi, Mr. Benson," Sam said, shaking his hand.

"Call me Rob," he said. "Whenever I hear Mr. Benson, I think I'm at work and that just depresses me."

"Um, aren't you here on a business trip, though?" Freddie pointed out.

"Minor detail," Rob shrugged. "So Sam, Freddie tells me that you guys are starting work next week."

"Yeah," Sam nodded. "Me and our friend Carly are going to be writing scripts for Klasky Splat and Freddie's going to be doing the technical stuff."

"I've got to say, I'm not surprised you got that deal," Rob said, leaning back in his chair. "I've seen that web show of yours…If Klasky Splat didn't sweep you up, some other channel would've definitely, like maybe the Dingo channel…Speaking of which, have you ever heard the rumor that they keep the frozen head of-"

"Anyway," Freddie said. "Did you see that picture of my car I sent you last week? Bought that baby all by myself."

"It's a sweet ride, son," Rob nodded. "But let me ask you this: did you mom freak out?"

"Oh yeah," Sam grinned.

"Excellent," Rob laughed.

Sam looked closely at Rob Benson. She certainly could see the resemblance between him and Freddie. Their hair stuck up the same way, they had the same eyes and they both tapped their foot in the same fidgety way while they ate lunch.

Sam liked Rob. He was funny and he seemed to take joy in raising Mrs. Benson's blood pressure, something she would do more often at home, but Carly claimed "it was unethical".

"Well, I'm stuffed," Rob said, pushing away his plate, which had once contained a rather sizeable slice of pecan pie. "You two have any plans for the rest of the day?"

"Nope," Freddie said.

"Well, I've got to go to a meeting right now," Rob said, standing up. "But I'll be done by five. After that how about I treat us all to a movie? Canada's got some pretty funny flicks."

"Sounds good," Sam said.

"Yeah, we'll head back to our hotel then," Freddie said.

"Great, I'll pick you up at five thirty," Rob said. "It's been good seeing you again, Freddie, and nice meeting you, Sam."

"Wow," Sam said as Rob left the diner. "For someone with half your DNA, he's pretty cool."

"Oh ha, ha," Freddie said, rolling his eyes. "Come on, Puckett. Let's get to our room."


	82. Chapter 82

Freddie yawned as he slowly woke up. He glanced over that the hotel clock that sat on the bedside table next to him and saw it was almost eleven.

"Sam," he mumbled, shaking the sleeping blonde next to him lightly. "Come on, wake up."

"What time is it?" she grumbled sleepily, sitting up.

"Eleven."  
"Wake me up at one."

"That tour of the maple syrup factory is at twelve," Freddie pointed out.

Sam was suddenly wide-awake. "Let's get moving, Benson."

Freddie chuckled. "Okay, but I get the bathroom-"

The bathroom door slammed shut.

"First."

Freddie got out of bed grabbed his phone. He had just began a game of vegetable slicer when his it rang.

"Hello?" he said.

"Hey, Freddie," Carly said on the other line. "How's Canada?"

"Really good. We didn't get home until after two last night, though; my dad bought us tickets to a hockey game and it went into overtime."

"Sounds fun. By the way, I called Sam's phone and she didn't answer."

"I think she left her phone in my car. Did you want to talk to her?"

"Yeah, is she there?"

"She's taking a shower-Hold on," he said as Sam walked out of the bathroom, wrapping a towel around herself. "She's right here."

"It's Carly," Freddie told his girlfriend. He tossed her the phone and than grabbed his clothes and headed into the bathroom.

"What's up, Carls?" Sam said as she began to dress one-handedly.

"Can you get somewhere where Freddie can't hear you?" Carly asked.

"Um, he actually just went into the bathroom," Sam frowned. "What's going on?"

"Well, last night, his mom was making some sort of casserole," Carly started. "But she got called down to the lobby to sign for a package, so she came over to Spencer's, where I was hanging out because Ella was visiting her parents with Dina, and told me to keep an eye on it while she was gone."

"Right," Sam said. "And…?"

"Well, I-I thought-it didn't seem like- I thought she would be gone only a second," Carly said, her voice shaking. "So I didn't really bother to go over…But I guess there was something wrong with her package or I don't know, but she was actually down there a really long time…And well, after a half hour the fire alarm went off and while me and Spencer were running out into the hallway towards the stairs we saw a lot of smoke coming from under the Benson's apartment door."

"Carly," Sam said slowly. "_Please_ tell me that it wasn't a bad fire."

The other line was silent.

"Carly…" Sam repeated.

"It-It was pretty bad," Carly said softly. "A lot of his stuff got ruined."

"A lot? Well, what was saved?"

"Well…nothing. Their apartment is completely ruined."

"But-But don't they have insurance or something?"

"Yes, and they're getting their damages covered, so there's not really a financial issue," Carly said quickly. "But they're still without a home."

"Chiz, Carls," Sam said, sitting down at the edge of her bed. "Freddie's going to be devastated."

"I know," Carly moaned. "That's why I wanted to talk to you. I think he'd take it best coming from you."

"Yeah, maybe," Sam sighed. "Okay, I'll tell him."

"Make sure you tell him I'm so sorry, and that if there's anything he wants me to do, just name it," Carly said. "I feel horrible."

"It was an accident, Carly," Sam told her. "Freddie won't be mad at you over that. His mom, on the other hand…"

"Tell me about it," Carly said. "She staying with Spencer and Ella, and I slept over there too, and I swear, I thought that woman was going to murder me in my sleep!"

"Just watch your back," Sam smiled. "Anyway, I'll talk to you later."

"Okay, thanks for talking to him for me."

Sam turned off Freddie phone and tossed it onto the bed just as Freddie walked out of the bathroom, fully dressed.

"Alright, you ready to go?" he asked, giving Sam a quick kiss on the lips. "You know, usually I don't see why you're so obsesses with certain foods, but I see what you mean about maple syrup. I mean, it's just so darn good!"

"Um, Freddie?" Sam said.

"And it makes even pancakes, which are amazing on their own, taste better! And on waffles it just-"

"Freddie," Sam said, cutting him off. "I-I need to talk to you."

"What's up?" Freddie said.

Sam took a deep breath. "There-there was a fire at your apartment last night."

Freddie blinked. "What?"

"Apparently one of your mom's casseroles burned and your whole apartment caught on fire."

Freddie sank down on the edge of the bed. "Is-Is my mom okay?"

"Yeah," Sam said quickly. "She was downstairs when it happened."

"Good," Freddie nodded, still looking shocked. "Is-Is everything-you know,"

Sam nodded.

Freddie buried his head in his hands.

Sam had never seen Freddie like this before…She sat down next to him and wrapped her arms around his muscular body. "It's okay," she whispered. "It's going to be okay."


	83. Chapter 83

"I'm really sorry you have to cut the trip short," Mr. Benson said as Freddie loaded the suitcases into the car. "But I know you don't have a choice. You sure there's nothing I can do to help? I can write and check or-"

"Don't worry about it, dad," Freddie said, closing the trunk. "We have insurance. My mom told me she got a check for all the damages last night."

"Well, okay," Mr. Benson nodded. "You just let me know if there's anything you need."

"Will do," Freddie nodded. "I'll call you when we get back into Seattle."

"Okay, son," Mr. Benson said, giving Freddie a hug. "I'll try to head up to visit soon. Sam, it's been a pleasure meeting you. My son's a very lucky guy to have someone like you."

"Thanks," she smiled as Mr. Benson gave her a hug as well. "Nice meeting you too."

"Have a safe trip," he said as the couple got into the car.

"So how was your mom holding up last night when you talked to her?" Sam asked. "She can't be thrilled about staying with Spencer and Ella."

"She was sort of hysterical," Freddie admitted. "But hopefully now that the insurance check came, we can start getting the place fixed back up so she can move back in."

"Are you going to stay with her?" Sam asked.

"I guess," he shrugged as they pulled onto the highway. "But our old studio where she's sleeping is the only empty room and I'm not really excited about sleeping in the same room as her…I guess I can crash on the couch but-"

"You know," Sam said. "We _do_ have that sofa bed back at the apartment. If you wanted to…"

"You asking me to move in with you?" Freddie grinned.

"It _would _give your mom a heart attack, which is always fun," Sam said. "Besides, it's not like your really moving in. There are two other people living there. It's more like a…temporary arrangement. So, do you want to?"

"Well, yeah," Freddie nodded. "But shouldn't you ask Carly and Melanie first? I mean, they live there too."

"Carly's the reason the fire started in the first place, so she'll let you stay out of guilt," Sam said. "And Melanie's too nice to say no."

"Alrighy then," Freddie said. "I guess we're roomies now."

"Yeah…not if you ever say that again."

"Fine."

….

"Hey, you guys!" Carly said as Freddie and Sam got out of their car in the parking lot of Bushwell Plaza.

"Hey, Carls," Sam said as her best friend gave her a hug.

"Freddie," Carly said, releasing Sam. "I'm so sorry that I-"

"Relax, Carly," Freddie said. "I'm not mad or anything. I know it was an accident. No one was hurt. I mean sure, I'm kind of going to miss my things, but…" He broke off and sighed. "Well, can we go see it?"

"Um, yeah, but Freddie, do you really want to?"

"Yes," he nodded.

"Okay," Carly said. "Come on."

Carly led them up to the Benson's apartment. The front door was marked with yellow tape. Carly carefully opened the door.

Just as Carly's room had years before, the apartment now stood in charred runes. There were piles of burned furniture and the wallpaper was blackened beyond recognition.

Freddie looked around, picking up crisped remains of pictures and other objects that had not yet been cleaned up. Silently, he headed back to his room.

His room was just as destroyed as the rest of the apartment. All his Galaxy Wars posters were gone. So were his multiple laptops and fencing trophies and yearbooks and pictures. Everything.

He kneeled down by the remains of some of his old Galaxy Wars action figures. He couldn't even tell which was which anymore…

Sam kneeled down next to him. "You okay?"

"Yeah," he nodded, standing back up. "It's okay."

"You're mom called a bunch of contractors a couple of hours before you got in," Carly said. "They're coming by to look at the place tomorrow."

"That's great," Freddie said. "Where is my mom, by the way?"

"She went out to start shopping for new furniture," Carly replied. "Spencer said you're more than welcome to stay with him, by the way. He said you can-"

"Actually, Carls," Sam said. "I told Freddie he could stay with us. You don't mind, do you?"

"No," Carly said. "I can't believe I didn't think of that. But, um, how's your mom going to react to you staying with your girlfriend?"

"That," Freddie grinned, slinging an arm around Sam. "Will be fun to find out."


	84. Chapter 84

"You're what?"

"Mom," Freddie sighed. "Calm down. You're overreacting."

"Overreacting?" Mrs. Benson exclaimed. "My sweet, innocent son wants to move into his girlfriend's apartment where they'll…cannodle in sin!"

"Mom, there's two other girls living in the apartment-"

"Oh my goodness!"

"No, mom," Freddie said, taking a deep breath. "Carly, Melanie and Sam will sleep in their bedroom in their beds while I sleep in the living room on the sofa bed."

"When did this situation even come up?" Mrs. Benson said. "I don't see why you can't just share my room at the Shay's."

"Because I'm not a little kid anymore, mom," Freddie said. "I'm twenty years old. And it's such a better situation. Carly, Sam and I will be heading to the same job everyday, so we can all just carpool. I've got to say, when Sam suggested it on our way home from Canada, I was really impressed with the idea and-"

"On your way home from Canada?" she frowned. "You-you mean to tell me that you went out of the country with her!"

"Mom, please, that's not the point," Freddie said quickly, hoping his mom wouldn't have a heart attack. "Look, I'm going to stay with them. I've already decided that."

"But-"

"The apartment's not that far a drive from here," he said, smiling. "I'll visit everyday. Promise."

Mrs. Benson sighed. "Okay."

…

"This is everything?" Carly asked as her and Melanie helped Freddie bring his bags into the apartment.

"Yup," Freddie nodded. Since most of his belongings were destroyed in the fire, he only had the clothes he had purchased since, and his laptop and camera, which thankfully, he had brought with him to Canada. "Where's Sam?"

"Sleeping," Carly said. "She'll wake up around noon."

"I'm up, chill you wagon," Sam said, shuffling out to the kitchen still in her pajamas.

"Chill my wagon?" Carly repeated.

"So, did your mom flip when you told her you were moving here?" Sam asked, giving Freddie a quick kiss.

"Yeah, but I think she's fine now," Freddie nodded. "She's just going to miss me, that's all."

"That's so sweet," Melanie smiled.

"In a nauseating kind of way, sure," Sam shrugged. "Anyway, nub, since you're living here, you're in charge of making me breakfast."

"He can't," Carly told her. "Because _someone_ forgot to go grocery shopping. All we have in the fridge is a bottle of ketchup and some red peppers."

"Eh," Sam said. "That will do." She headed over to the fridge.

"Um, okay," Carly said, slightly disgusted at her friend's breakfast choice. "Anyway, I was thinking that all four of us could go out tonight and do something. Maybe dinner and a movie?"

"Can't," Melanie said. "Sam and I are going out to eat with our mom and Lewbert."

"I'd totally ditch that," Sam said. "But Melanie's blackmailing me."

"With what?" Freddie grinned.

"You don't need to know," Sam snapped. "How about we do the Groovy Smoothie for lunch?"

"Sounds good," Freddie agreed.

"Cool," she said, taking a bite of her ketchup covered red pepper. "Let's go."

…

"See, now Barbra is going to date Chase, but only to make Timothy jealous, because she's in love with him," Carly explained.

"Uh-huh," Freddie nodded, not looking up from his laptop screen. "Man, my battleship exploded again."

"And now Courtney is going to think Barbra _is_ in love with Chase, but Courtney's only going out with Timothy in the first place to make Chase jealous."

"You know, I'm not going to lie," Freddie said, looking up. "I'm super bored by this."

"What? It's the love story of a century!"

"Yes…and at what part of this movie did you think I turned into a girl?"

"Oh my God, you're exactly like Sam," Carly laughed. "She made me turn this off last night, which is why I have to watch it while she's out. Don't worry, there's only five minutes left."

"That's cool. I'm gonna grab a soda; you want one?"

"Diet, please."

Freddie headed into the kitchen just as Sam and Melanie returned.

"Hey, how was dinner?" Freddie asked.

"Disgusting, my mom and Lewbert made out the whole time!" Sam exclaimed. "I couldn't even eat my ribs!" She pulled out a to go box and settled down on the couch and began to chow down.

"It wasn't that bad," Melanie reasoned, sitting down next to her sister.

"Yes it was. And it's your fault for making me go!"

"Mom invited us! What was I supposed to do? Say no?"

"Um, yeah."

"Sam," Melanie sighed. "You're impossible. Come on, you got free ribs out of it."

"That's true," Sam shrugged. "But you're never dragging me out with Lewbert again."

"Fair enough," Melanie nodded, getting up.

"Hey, can I have some ribs?" Freddie asked, taking Melanie's seat.

Sam looked at him. "_My _ribs?"

Freddie smirked, and leaned forward and took a bit from the rib in her hand.

"You didn't!" Sam gasped.

Freddie, who had barbecue sauce all over his mouth, grinned. "What are you going to do about it?"

Sam leaned forward and licked the barbecue sauce off his lips, kissing him deeply. Freddie responded eagerly by lifting her onto her lap as he kissed her back.

Carly and Melanie, who were watching this from the kitchen, looked at each other.

"You think we should leave?" Carly asked.

"Definitely," Melanie nodded, grabbing her keys.


	85. Chapter 85

It was a little after two in the morning as Sam walked through the living room towards the sofa bed where her boyfriend was currently sleeping.

"Freddie," she said, shaking his shoulder. "Freddie, wake up!"

"Sam, I'm sleeping," he mumbled, looking at his digital watch. "We don't have to be up for work for five more hours!"

"I can't sleep."

"That," Freddie said, sitting up and wiping the sleep out of his eyes. "Has got to be a first." He moved over to make room for her. "What's up?"

"I'm…nervous about work tomorrow."

"Really?" Freddie said, surprised. Sam had way more confidence than he would ever have; she never got nervous. "Why?"

"Because, it's work," she said lamely. "It's going to be hard and stuff."

"Well, yeah, but you'll get used to it the longer you go," Freddie reasoned, putting an arm around her.

"What if I don't?" Sam said. "We both know I wasn't good in school. The only reason I got through it was because you and Carly pushed me. And with school they couldn't kick me out unless I completely failed. But at work if I make one mistake they can fire me!"

"Sam, no one's going to fire you," he assured her. "And at work you're going to be doing something you're so good at; making people laugh. If anything they'll give you a promotion."

"A promotion…" she repeated. "That does sound nice."

"Plus they give you a whole hour for lunch," Freddie said. "Instead of the half hour high school gave us. You'll be more energized."

"A whole hour?" Sam grinned. "No one told me that!"

"You'll be fine, Sam," Freddie said, kissing the top of her head.

The next morning, Carly found Sam asleep in Freddie's arms.

"Aw, that's sweet," Carly smiled. "Yo, Benson! Puckett! Up and at'em!"

The couple jumped awake.

"What time is it?" Sam said, slowly getting up.

"Seven. We have to leave in half an hour so hurry up and get dressed. There's muffins on the counter for breakfast and I'm going to put a fresh pot of coffee on. Coffee…can you believe it? We're such adults!"

"Yeah, cause we never drank coffee before," Sam said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"You know what I mean," Carly said.

"Yeah, this is different coffee," Freddie said, folding the sofa bed back up. "It's suddenly ten times better now that we work."

"Oh shut up, both of you and get dressed."

Once everyone was dressed and fed, the trio headed out to Carly's car. The Klasky Splat studio was twenty minutes from the apartment. They drove up to the large studio, gave their names to the security guard at the front gate, and drove in.

"Okay," Carly said to Sam and Freddie as they entered the building. "We're supposed to meet Daniel Hartman in this lobby and he'll give us a tour of the building and introduce us to our co-workers."

"Where is he?" Freddie said, looking around the bustling lobby.

"Well, here they are in the flesh," Daniel Hartman said, walking over to the three. "The iCarly trio. Welcome to the studio." He held a hand out.

"Hi," Carly said, shaking his hand. "We're so excited to be here."

"We're excited to have you," Daniel replied. "Are you ready to get started."

"Yup," Freddie nodded.

"Fantastic," Daniel said. "I'll just show you around."

He took the three around the building, showing them the writing lounges, the filming sets, the preview rooms, and, much to Sam's delight, the enormous cafeteria.

"Here's where you'll be working, Mr. Benson," Daniel said, opening the door to the editing bay. It was filled with all sorts of computers and other gadgets that made Freddie's mouth water.

"You'll be working with the rest of our technical staff," Daniel told him. "Mr. Campbell over there is the head. He'll give you the low down of what's going on, won't you, Mr. Campbell?"

"You bet," the man sitting at the computer nearest to the door.

"I'll let you get started here," Daniel said. "If you ladies would just follow me, I'll take you to our writing room."

After bidding Freddie goodbye, the girls followed Daniel to a hallway. He led them into the room at the end of the corridor, which had a long table with three men and two women sitting around it.

"This is where we come up with new ideas for television series," Daniel said. "These are some of our top writers, Mr. Gordon, Mr. Calloway, Mr. Samuel, Ms. Rouge and Ms. Thompson."

The five smiled at Carly and Sam.

"They've been in a bit of a slump," Daniel continued. "And we're hoping you'll be able to help them out of it."

"Two comic genius's like you guys should help us out of it in no time," Ms. Thompson smiled. "We're all big fans of iCarly and we've been looking forward to having you two on board."

"Thanks," Carly grinned. "We can't wait to work with you all."

"Yeah, it should be fun," Sam nodded.

"If you have any questions, feel free to ask," Daniel said. "I'll see you guys around."

Carly and Sam smiled at each other as they joined the others at the table. They were now officially part of the work force.


	86. Chapter 86

"Man, will you look at this place," Sam said, staring around at the massive cafeteria. "Look, they have a whole area with lunch meat! You know I love thinly sliced meat!"

"Yes, I know," Carly grinned. "This is a big moment for you, isn't it?"

"Look at all those deserts!"

"Come on, let's get in line before all your precious food goes," Carly said, grabbing the blonde's wrist.

It had been a very successful morning for the girls. Their co-workers were all extremely friendly and made them feel right at home in the office. Pitching a new idea for a television show proved to be much more difficult that it seemed, however, for they had to take into account demographics, current interests, themes, and marketing, but they managed to come up with one fuzzy idea that, with some work, could become something.

"Freddie has the same lunch hour, right?" Carly asked as she grabbed a salad.

"Yeah, he just texted me saying he was heading over right now," Sam replied, grabbing a fried chicken platter.

Carly and Sam found a small table in the middle of the cafeteria and sat down.

"I can't believe how many people work here," Carly said, looking around at the hundreds of people. "I knew this is was a huge studio, but _wow_."

"And we're already higher ranked than about half of them," Sam grinned. "Man, it rocks to get special treatment."

"Hey, we worked for it, remember," Carly said. "All those years of doing iCarly really paid off."

"Yeah, yeah. Hey, have you seen the bathrooms yet? They're huge! They even have a couch in there!"

"Hey, hey," Freddie said, sliding his tray next to Sam.

"Hey," Carly smiled as Sam and Freddie exchanged a quick kiss. "So, how is it working in the tech department?"

"Awesome," he said, taking a bite of his chicken Parmesan. "They have this neat software that lets you zoom in on a series of pixel frames and literally see every grain of the picture!"

"Gee, fascinating," Sam said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"How's the writing coming along?" Freddie asked, ignoring his girlfriend's comment.

"It's actually really fun," Carly told him. "It's more challenging that coming up with new bits for iCarly, but I like it a lot."

"Same here," Sam nodded. "Who would've ever thought I'd be at work and not want to jab my eyeballs out?"

"Here's to our amazing new jobs," Carly said, raising her bottle of Blix.

Her, Sam and Freddie clinked their bottles together.

Once their lunch hour was finished, Sam and Carly headed back to their office while Freddie went back to his. For the rest of the day, Carly and Sam continued to work with the other five, pitching idea after idea. By the end of the day, though, only two ideas were listed on the whiteboard, where the writers would later analyze them and see if they could come up with a decent character variety and plot, and then begin writing a rough draft of the pilot.

"We got _a lot_ more done with you two today than we did the past two weeks," Alice Rogue said.

"Thanks, you guys are really good at this," Carly said politely. "And funny."

"See you tomorrow then," Carl Gordon smiled.

"Sure thing," Sam replied, grabbing her bag. "Later."

"Well," Carly said, walking with Sam out to the parking lot. "What did you think?"

"I can deal with it," Sam said.

"Everyone's so nice," Carly said. "Even though we just met them."

"Well if they watched iCarly they knew I would've slugged them across the face if they started anything with me," Sam said.

"Sam, you know you can't beat people up here," Carly sighed. "In high school all you would get was a detention. Here, you'll go to jail. Not juvie. Real, hardcore jail."

"Relax, I'm not going to hit anyone…unprovoked."

"I guess that will have to do," Carly said, rolling her eyes.

Freddie was already waiting by the car. "Hey," he said. "Spencer just called. He invited us all over for spaghetti tacos and pie. He wants to hear all about work."

"Sweet, I'm starved," Sam said.

"What, the three servings of fried chicken didn't fill you up?" Freddie asked.

"Not even a little."

Carly drove to Bushwell Plaza with Sam and Freddie bickering all the way.

"Aw, look at the tiny businesspeople," Spencer exclaimed when the trio walked into the apartment.

"I was promised spagehetti tacos," Sam said, picking up Dina from her playpen.

"They're on the counter," Ella said. "So, how was the first day?"

"So great," Carly said. "I think we'll actually look forward to going to work."

"Really?" Spencer said. "Sam?"

"I wouldn't say 'I'm looking forward to it'," Sam said, staring on her second taco. "But I won't be miserable."

"What about you, Freddie?" Ella asked.

"I really like it," Freddie nodded. "They have such a great editing system. Right now I'm working with a few other guys adding to piece together the new opening theme for _American Damzel_ ."

"The show about the camel?"

"That's the one."

"Cool chiz," Spencer said approvingly.

Just then, Marissa came downstairs.

"Freddie!" she cried. "How long have you been here without telling me?"

"About two minutes, mom," Freddie said. "We just got back from work."

"Oh, the work you wouldn't let me drive you to?"

"Mom, it's not elementary school," Freddie sighed. "You don't just drop people off in front of it!"

"I wanted to make sure they were up to safety standards!"

"Mom!"

"Marissa," Ella interjected. "Lewbert called about half an hour ago to tell you a package came. I think it's the wall samples you wanted to look at."

"Oh, goody!" Mrs. Benson said happily. "Nothing makes a rejected mother feel better like looking at wallpaper!"

"You're not rejected," Freddie said, rolling his eyes.

"Then let me drive you to work!"

"No!"

Mrs. Benson huffed in reproach and looked over at Sam. "This is all your fault."

Sam smiled, much to Mrs. Benson's annoyance, and she stormed out of the apartment.

"Well, at least she didn't call me a destructive witch today," Carly said. "She just blatantly ignored me."

"Lucky you," Freddie mumbled. "I hope the apartment gets finished soon. I'm sorry she has to stay here."

"Don't worry about it," Spencer said. "But, um, out of curiosity, do you have _any_ idea when that apartment's going to be done?"

"Within a month, according to the contractor," Freddie assured him. "How much of a nightmare has she been?"

"Well, yesterday she took it upon herself to boil every piece of silverware here," Ella said. "And re-cook the steak I made to make sure there were no parasites."

"Plus yesterday she gave Dina a lecture on personal hygiene after she found her with her feet in her mouth."

"Oh yes," Freddie sighed. "She believes that babies need to be just as civilized as the rest of the population. When I was little she used to dress me in tiny little tuxes."

Sam burst out laughing.

"Yeah, she's too many types of crazy," Ella agreed. "Which is why I wanted to make sure she was gone before I told you that…I'm pregnant."

Sam stopped laughing. "Again?"

"What do you mean again?"

"Congratulations!" Carly exclaimed, jumping up. "Oh my God, I get to be an aunt all over again!"

"Yeah, it's great," Freddie smiled.  
"Yeah, it is," Sam nodded. "You hear that, Dina, you're gonna be a big sister."

"It's a little sooner than we planned," Ella admitted. "But, well, there's nothing we can do now. The baby's due in December and-"

"December?" Freddie frowned. "But that's only six months away."

"Well, I'm actually just beginning my second trimester," Ella explained.

"And you didn't tell us?" Carly said.

"Well I wanted to make sure everything was okay with it," Ella said. "Plus with Sam and Freddie jetting off to Canada and the fire and you guys staring work…"

"Eh, that just means we have to wait less," Sam shrugged.

"Where's this baby going to stay, though?" Freddie asked.

"Well, if it's another girl we were going to have her and Dina share a room," Spencer said. "Carly's old bedroom is huge, after all. And if it's a boy I'm going to clean out your guy's old studio and set up the bedroom there."

"Where will you put all your sculptures then?" Sam asked.

"Eh, I'll just put them around the apartment. You know, liven the place up."

"I'm so happy for you guys," Carly squealed. "You're having a new baby, we've got the best jobs in the world…my God, we're all doing so great!"

"Don't jinx us, Carls," Sam warned. "Next thing you know, a giant meteor will come crashing down to earth just to create some irony."

"And this is what happens when you watch those dumb alien invasion movies," Freddie said.

"Hey, they're better than _Galaxy Wars_!"

"Take that back!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"This is what I live with," Carly sighed.


	87. Chapter 87

The iCarly gang's first month at the Klasky Splat studio sped by. Freddie was enjoying editing special effects for the network's shows, taking advantage of the high tech software the studio had to make his work stand out.

Carly and Sam and the other five writers had finally pitched a successful series idea. It was about a group of friends that basically just hang out and deal with the everyday pressures of life. It was simple, but it left a lot of room for creativity. The seven were now currently working on completing the first few episodes while the casting agents showed them audition tapes to pick their cast from.

"You know," Carly said as the writers watched their two-hundredth audition tape. "I really liked Karen Hames for Monique. She had the spunk I really see in the character."

"I've got to agree with you," Gale Thompson nodded. "She's the only one that's really stuck with me so far for the part."

"Yeah, she even looks just like I pictured Monique," Sam said.

The other writers agreed as well.

"Fantastic," Alice smiled. "Well, at least we've got one narrowed down, now just five more."

"It's a lengthy process," Tim Calloway explained to Carly and Sam. "I was one of the writers for _Hillary 202_ and we were working on it for ten months before the pilot finally aired."

"I say we take our lunch break now," Gale said. "And then we start looking for our Beebe."

By the end of the day, Carly and Sam were thoroughly exhausted.

"Man, I have _a lot_ more appreciation for what I see on T.V. now that I now how hard it is for the writers," Carly said, dragging her feet to her car. "Where's Freddie? I want to get home and take a bath."

"He's coming now," Sam said, getting into the passenger seat.

"I got to meet the cast of _Two Too Many_!" Freddie said excitedly, getting into the car. "I had to go over to their filming studio and set up a green screen for them!"

"Did you get me Phil's autograph?" Sam asked.

"Um, no."

"Then I really don't care."

"Sam," Carly scolded her best friend.

"Relax, he knows I'm kidding."  
"Yeah, I can sense her tone perfectly now," Freddie said. "Like last night she called me a total geek wad for ordering a mini battle star from _Galaxy Wars_, but I knew she was just kidding."

"Yeah…kidding," Sam said, rolling her eyes.

"Anyway, Carls, do you think you can drop me off at Bushwell Plaza? My mom just texted me saying the apartment's finally done and she wants me to go see it with her."

"Oh, great," Carly said. "I wonder how it looks."

"The contractor said he was going to try to keep it just like the original," Freddie said.

Once the three arrived, they headed up to the eighth floor where Lewbert and Melissa were waiting in the hallway.

"Finally, I've been waiting for twenty whole minutes!" Lewbert exclaimed, unlocking the apartment door. "But this one insisted I wait for you!"

"Oh, hey, you're here," Melanie said, coming out of Spencer and Ella's apartment with a sleeping Dina on her hip.

"What are you doing here?" Sam asked her sister.

"Spencer and Ella asked me to baby-sit while they were at Ella's doctor," she explained.

"Yes, everyone's here, whoopee!" Lewbert said, throwing the door open as he thrust the key in Mrs. Benson's hand. "Now hurry up so I can get home to my wife who has me some chicken casserole on the table."

"Nice, she cooks for the guy with the wart but not for us," Sam muttered to Melanie.

"The place looks great," Carly commented, poking her head inside.

"That's as far as you go, Missy!" Mrs. Benson barked. "I don't need you burning down the apartment all over again!"

"Mom, the oven isn't even on," Freddie said.

"But if it was I'm sure Ms. La-De-Da over here would just stroll on out of here while the place went up in flames!"

"Mom, let Carly in," Freddie sighed.

"Fine," she sniffed. "But you keep away from the kitchen!"

"They did a really great job fixing the place up," Sam said. "You can't even tell it burned down."

"Yeah, yeah, so is it good? Can I get out of here?" Lewbert demanded.

"Hold on," Freddie said. "There's only one bedroom in this place. Our old place had three."

"He's right," Melanie nodded. "The living area is huge, but the bedroom that used to be right next to it is gone."

"Fine, I'll call the contractor again," Lewbert huffed. "I guess he can tear it down and-"

"Tear it down?" Marissa exclaimed "But that will take months to get everything fixed again. Freddie will just share a room with me."

"Mom, we've been over this," Freddie sighed. "I love you, but I'm not sharing a room with you."

"Well then where are you going to stay? I'm not having you sleep on a couch for months!"

"Hey, didn't you tell my mom the studio apartment downstairs just opened up?" Melanie said to Lewbert.

"Yeah? So?"

"So," Sam said, smiling. "Freddie can move there by himself. Without Crazy."

"My little Freddikins on his own? I hardly think so!" Mrs. Benson exclaimed.

"Mom, please," Freddie cringed. He turned to Lewbert. "Could I see the apartment?"

"When did I turn into a tour guide?" "I'm just showing places left and right!"

"Dude, show it to him or I'll tell my mom it was you who ate her fancy lamb," Sam said.

"But I didn't!"

"So?"

"Fine," Lewbert fumed. "Come on. But make it snappy!"

…..

AN- Can you tell I'm hue fan of Friends? Anywho, two new episodes of iCarly next week? Happy Day!


	88. Chapter 88

"Dang, this place is small," Sam commented as her, Carly and Melanie followed Freddie and Lewbert into the studio apartment.

Sam was right. The place was smaller than Freddie's old bedroom had been. A small kitchen, big enough only to fit a fridge next to the stove, was connected directly to the living area, which apparently also doubled as the bedroom. The only door besides the front one was to a bathroom that was even more crammed than the rest of the place.

"I come all this way for you all to just insult the place?" Lewbert exclaimed.

"It's nice," Freddie commented. "Er, how much does it cost?"

"It's a fifth of what your old apartment cost per month," Lewbert snapped. "Are you interested or not."

"I'm not going to decide right now," Freddie said. He turned to the girls. "You guys don't mind if I stay with you for a few more days, do you?"

"No," Carly said. "Stay as long as you need."

"Well, this was a gigantic waste of time," Lewbert fumed. "Now out! I want to get home!"

…

"I love it when they put the pepperoni under the cheese," Sam said happily biting into her slice of pizza the four had picked up after coming back from Bushwell Plaza. "It's such an unexpected surprise."

"Not when you specifically tell the chef to do it that way," Freddie pointed out.

"Let me have my moment, Benson."

"I love Ramone's Pizza," Carly said, finishing off her second piece. "But it always makes my hands so greasy." She headed off to the bathroom to clean her hands.

"I'm going to head out," Melanie said. "I'm meeting Ryan to study. See you later."

"So," Sam said as her sister shut the front door behind her. "Do you think you're going to get that studio apartment?"

"I don't know," Freddie said. "It's a little small. I can't keep staying here, though. I feel bad mooching off you guys."

"Eh, I mooch off people all the time," Sam shrugged. "It's great."

"I think I probably will get it, though," Freddie said. "There aren't a lot of vacancies in the city. It's just…"

"What?" Sam frowned.

"Well, I wanted a bigger place. You know, one where you can't cook on the stove while sitting in the living room. Somewhere big enough for two people so you know…maybe you could've moved in."

Sam tried to ignore the beat her heart skipped. "You-You wanted to move in together?"

"We still can, you know," he said. "It's just, I don't know if you'd be comfortable. I'd love to have you with me all the time, you know that. But considering the fact that you can literally reach out and touch all the walls from the middle of the apartment…"

"It'd be way too small," Sam smiled. "I know."

"I'm sorry," Freddie said. "I've been sort of looking for places for the past few weeks but their either way out of Seattle or cost too much."

"Freddie, don't worry about it," Sam said. "It will be just like when you lived with your mom. We'll see each other at work every day and it's not a long drive at all. Besides, this way is better now. We won't have to worry about your mom all the time."

"True," Freddie grinned. He kissed Sam. "I'm going to call Lewbert tomorrow and tell him I'll take the place."

….

Freddie had purchased the studio apartment from Lewbert. While it was very small, Freddie still felt a tinge of excitement at the idea of living on his own for the first time in his life.

"That's everything," Freddie said, boxing up the last of his belonging from the girls' apartment.

"You sure?" Sam asked. "I don't want to trip on some _Galaxy Wars _nerd thingy tonight."

"I've got everything, don't worry," Freddie laughed. "But, um, I do have something I want to give you." He pulled a key out from his pocket and gave it to Sam.

"What is it?" she frowned.

"A key to my place," he replied. "I made a copy this morning. Since the place is too small for you to officially move into, I wanted to let you know that you're welcome over anytime you want."

"You know I could've just picked the lock to get in," Sam said, grinning.

"Well yeah, but I felt this was more legitimate," he shrugged.

"I guess," she said. "Thanks. So, when can you officially move in?"

"Anytime," he said. "I finished the paperwork this morning."

"So," she said. "I can use this right now?"

"Yeah. You want to come over and help me unpack?"

"I'll come over," Sam said, smiling. "But not to unpack."

"Then what would we…oh!"

Sam laughed and grabbed Freddie's hand. "You're so slow."

"Let's just go," he said, pulling her out of the apartment.


	89. Chapter 89

"I still can't see anything?" Sam frowned, staring at the ultrasound picture Ella showed her.

"What do you mean? The outline of the head's right there!" Ella said.

"That's a head? It looked like a balloon."

"What would a balloon be doing inside me?" Ella asked.

"I don't know! That's why I was confused! Anyway, did you find out the sex?"

"Yeah," Ella said. "And well…I wanted to tell Spencer first, but he just texted me and said he's going to be late, and I have to tell _someone_. Just don't tell anyone else, okay?"

"Okay, okay. Tell me!"

"It's a boy."

"Cool, so you'll have on of each," Sam said.

"Which means Spencer will have to get started making the studio a bedroom," Ella said. "I just hope he can find someone to sell all those sculptures to. I don't want to have them all around the house."

"You don't like them?" Sam asked.

"I do. Well, most of them. But come on, would you want a sculpture of a mechanical bunny in your living room?"

"Actually…"

"Then you buy it," Ella said, rubbing her swollen abdomen. "Because if it's still here in four months when the baby comes, I'm throwing it out the window."

"Poor bunny," Sam said. "Hey, do you have anymore ranch dressing? These chips are kind of bland?"

"Yeah, in the fridge," Ella said. "So, Carly tells me you've been spending a lot of time at Freddie's new place."

"Uh-huh. And?"

"I just think it's so cute how in love you are with him, that's all," Ella grinned.

"Hey, it's free food and cable."

"Right, so the entire time you're there all you do is eat and watch T.V.?"

"Shut up," Sam said, turning bright red.

"You know, I was cleaning out my inbox yesterday," Ella continued. "For like, the first time ever. And I found the email you sent me telling me to watch your first ever iCarly web show."

"Really?" Sam said boardly, dunking her potato chips in the ranch.

"I printed it out," Ella went on, grabbing a sheet of the kitchen drawer. She cleared her throat. "Hey, El. So last week my friend Carly and I had to tape a bunch of auditions for my school's talent show thingy. There were actually some good acts, but my stubrag of a teacher wouldn't let the ones we wanted compete, so me and Carly decided to make a web show and show what we want on it. It's called and our first show is going to be tomorrow night. This nerdy kid who lives across from Carly's going to help us with the filming thing and all that. Man, you should see this kid. His name is Freddie Benson and he's exactly how you'd imagine a nub to be. He's obsessed with all sorts of techy chiz, a total mommy's boy, and he has a huge crush on Carly. There's no way Carly would ever go out with someone like him, though. No one would, unless they were a total loser who was extremely desperate. Anyway, like I said, go to tomorrow and check out the show. See you at Grandma's next Christmas."

"Give me that," Sam said, grabbing the paper from Ella.

"Like I don't have it saved on my computer," Ella grinned. "So I guess you're a totally desperate loser, since you're dating Freddie, after all."

"I swear, if you weren't pregnant I'd punch you," Sam said, ripping up the email.

"Come on, it's funny!" Ella laughed.

"I'm out of here," Sam said, grabbing the bag of chips.

"You going to Freddie's?"

"…maybe."

"Come back for dinner," Ella said. "I'm making fajitas."

"Yeah, yeah."

Sam took the elevator down to Freddie's floor. She was about to open his door, but before she could, a man came out.

"Thanks for everything," Freddie said, shaking the man's hand. "Oh, hey, Sam. This is Socko's cousin. He was just helping me unclog my sink."

"Yeah, I, um, have my own plumbing business," Socko's cousin said.

"Well, I'll give you call if I need anything else, Mario," Freddie said quickly. "Bye."

"What was wrong with your sink? It was working fine this morning," Sam said.

"Yeah, but my mom brought me down some of her chicken soup and I think it really hurt it."

"Her soup is terrible," Sam nodded, sitting down on the couch. "Anyway, I'm gonna crash here for awhile. Carly and Melanie are having some sort of spa day at my place and it smells like the inside of a flower in there."

"That's cool," Freddie said. "But I was just about to have a _Galaxy Wars_ marathon."

" Of course you were."


	90. Chapter 90

"I'm so glad we get to see dad this tomorrow," Carly said, mixing cake batter in the kitchen.

"I know," Spencer said. "Too bad he can't drive up to Seattle, though," Spencer said. "I'm not looking forward to the drive down to San Francisco, but at least we'll get to see him on his birthday. How's the cake coming?"

"I just need to put it in the oven," Carly said, pouring the batter into the pan. "Oh, shoot. I got chocolate on my shirt."

She walked over to the sink.

"Wait!" Spencer yelled. "Don't turn that on!"

"Why?" Carly asked, slightly surprised.

"It's backed up. A bunch of gross chiz comes out when you turn it on."

"Oh," Carly nodded. "You should get Mario over here to fix it."

"Mario?" Spencer frowned.

"You know, Socko's cousin," Carly said.

"Socko doesn't have a cousin named Mario."

"Yeah, he's a plumber," Carly said. "Sam said he was at Freddie's fixing _his_ sink last week."

"I've met each and every one of Socko's thirty-one cousins," Spencer said. "And I'm positive there's no Mario."

"Really?" Carly said. "That's so weird. Why would Freddie tell Sam that?"

"I don't know," Spencer shrugged. "Maybe he knows another Socko with cleverly named family. I'm gonna go put Dina down for her nap."

Carly opened her mouth, but Spencer had already run out of the room.

"Dina's not even home! She's with Ella!" Carly called after him.

…

After she had finished baking a birthday cake for her father, Carly drove back to her apartment.

"Hey," she greeted Sam. "What's up-Ah!"

A cat had jumped from the counter towards her. Thankfully, it missed.  
"What-What?" she sputtered.

"Come on, Carls, you remember Frothy," Sam said.

"What's he doing here?" Carly asked.

"My mom and Lewbert went out of town so they dropped him off here," Sam said. "I've been trying to train him to attack Lewbert with these pictures of him, but so far he's just getting annoyed."

"Uh-huh," Carly nodded. "Where's Freddie? I thought you were hanging out with him."

"He left to pick up some pizza," Sam replied.

"Cool. I'm just go finish packing for tomorrow."

"Oh yeah, you're going down to San Francisco to see your dad for the weekend," Sam said. "You know, they have a really great tattoo parlor there."

"Right, I'll stop by," Carly laughed.

"Hey," Freddie said, walking in the front door with two pizzas in his hand. Frothy hissed at him.

"I thought you said you were training him to hate Lewbert," Freddie said as Frothy scratched at his leg.

"Maybe he thinks you resemble Lewbert," Sam shrugged.

"Ha, ha," Freddie sneared. "You do realize that means you're attracted to Lewbert, then."

"Ah, images!" Sam said, getting up and grabbing a box of pizza. "Fine, I was kidding."

"Nicely played," Carly grinned.

"You're not having any pizza?" Sam asked.

"Nah, I ate at Spencer's. Sam, what did you do with that shirt you borrowed last week? I want to take it with me to California."

"Um…I think it's at Freddie's," Sam said.

"Okay, ew," Carly said. "You can keep it. Can I borrow a pair of your flip flops at least?"

"Go crazy, kid," Sam said.

"Thanks," she said, running to her room.

"So," Freddie said, finishing up a slice of pizza. "Want to catch a movie tonight?"

"Nah, there's nothing good playing," Sam said. "Let's just stay here and watch T.V. or something."

"Sounds good," Freddie smiled, giving her a kiss on the lips.

"Sam," Carly said, coming back into the kitchen. "Can you please tell your cat to stop eating my pillow?"

"Oh yeah, he does that," Sam said, going back to the bedroom.

"That's one crazy cat," Freddie said. "So, you heard Ella's having a boy?"

"Yeah, that's so great," Carly nodded, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge. "Dina's gonna have a baby brother."

"Spencer must be happy; he'll have another dude in the house."

"Yeah, but you know he'll be one of those dad's that spoil their daughters," Carly said.

"I can see that," Freddie agreed.

"You'll be that way too," Carly said, sipping her water. "If you ever have a daughter you'll give her whatever she wants."

"What? No I won't," Freddie said.

"We'll see," Carly laughed. "I'd be willing to bet money on it; you know you're a big softie."

"I got Frothy off your pillow," Sam said, coming back into the kitchen. "But you might want to wash the vomit off it."

Carly rolled her eyes. "Sam, do you think if Freddie had a daughter, he'd spoil her?"

"Probably," Sam shrugged, grabbing another slice of pizza. "He can't say no to anyone."

"Yes I can!"

"Please, I can get whatever I want from you," Sam said.

"That's true," Carly nodded.

"I-I because I happen to _like_ you, Sam."

"Exactly," Sam said. "And I'm assuming you'll _like_ our daughter too."

Freddie eyes grew wide. "Um, is there something you want to tell me?"

"Oh my God, your pregnant?" Carly exclaimed.

Sam choked on her pizza. "No!"

"Okay," Freddie said, his breathing resuming a normal pattern.

"I didn't mean _our_ daughter," Sam said, blushing fiercly. "I just meant that-um, as in-"

"Aw, it's okay," Freddie said, smiling as he put his arm around Sam. "We know you love me _that_ way."

"Oh shut up," Sam said, still red in the face.

"I'm gonna go check the mail," Carly said, still smiling. "Behave yourselves you wild kids."

"So," Freddie said once Carly left. "You'd really want kids someday?"

"I dunno," Sam shrugged. "I guess I wouldn't _object_ to them someday."

"Me neither," Freddie grinned.


	91. Chapter 91

Sam flipped through the channels of her T.V. without really paying attention to what she was doing. Carly was still in California visiting her dad and Freddie was at his mom's house helping her set up her new computer, and with that technologically impaired lady, that could take hours. Suddenly she heard her front door open and Melanie came in.

"Hey," Sam said. "You want to grab me a soda from the fridge?"

"Sure," Melanie said, but Sam noticed her sister's voice was lacking its usual pep. When Melanie came into the living room and handed Sam her soda, Sam saw that she didn't look like her cheerful self either.

"Thanks," Sam said, taking the soda. She watched Melanie sit down next to her and watch the Spanish program Sam had left the T.V. on.

"Um," Sam said. "What's up with you? Usually whenever we're in the same room I want to shove a pillow down your throat to make you stop talking."

Melanie shrugged. "Me and Ryan broke up."

"Oh," Sam said awkwardly. "Well…um, was it a mutual break up sort of deal like with that Riley kid from high school?"

"Nah," Melanie shrugged. "I found out he was cheating on me with some girl from the coffee place he works at."

"Whoa, that sucks," Sam said.

"Yeah," Melanie sighed. "But it happens, you know."

"You want me to go beat him up? I could guarantee you a three day coma."

"Thanks," Melanie said, smiling a little. "But don't. You'll just get in trouble; his parents are both cops."

Sam frowned. She _did_ love her sister, very deep down, and it hurt her to see _her_ hurt.

"Come on," Sam said, standing up.

"Where are we going?" Melanie asked.

"Out," Sam said. "You're always going on about these girl's night things, so lets go."

"Really?" Melanie asked.

"Yes. Come on, before I change my mind."

"Thanks," Melanie said, hugging her sister.

"Whatever," Sam mumbled, patting Melanie's back. "But remember; this is the only time we hug. Got it?"

…..

Carly got home at five the next morning. She yawned as she dropped her suitcase by the front door. She enjoyed California, but she was exhausted. She was heading back to her room when she heard the front door open again behind her.

"Who's there?" she yelled spinning around. "Wait. Sam? Melanie? What are you guys doing getting home this late?"

"We went out," Sam said, throwing her jacket onto the couch. "When'd you get back?"

"Five minutes ago," Carly said. "Where did you guys go?"

"Well, I actually sat through a chick flick," Sam said. "So you should be proud of me Carls. Then we ate lobster, went to the beach…oh yeah, and snuck into a club."

"What?" Carly exclaimed. "Melanie, you snuck into a club?"

"It wasn't exactly 'sneaking'," Melanie told her. "The bouncer used to date our mom, so he let us in. And we didn't drink. We just danced."

"Oh," Carly said still confused. "Well okay. You guys had fun?"

"So much fun," Sam said. "You know, those girls night deals are actually pretty cool. I should do them more often."

"I've been telling you that for years," Carly said, yawning again. "Well, I'm heading to bed."

"Us too," Melanie said.

She waited until Carly was in their bedroom until she turned to Sam. She pulled something out of her pocket. "Hey, I just remembered I still have this." She handed Sam a credit card.

"What is this?" Sam asked.

"Ryan's credit card," Melanie replied. "He gave it to me at the beginning of the week to order him some fancy in souls online and I guess I forgot to give it to him."

"So why are you giving it to me?"

"Because it would be against _my_ morals to do anything destructive with it," she said, smiling. "But I know you live for that sort of stuff."  
"Melanie Puckett," Sam said, grinning. "I'm impressed. Maybe we _do _share some DNA."

"Remember, I don't know you have that," Melanie said. "Now come on, let's get some sleep. I can almost see the sun."

…

"But how can you not accept this gift card?" Freddie said to T-Bo at the Groovy Smoothie. "You gave it to me for helping you fix your website last week."

"It expired," T-Bo said.

"Gift Cards don't expire!"

"I got this," Sam said, pulling Ryan's credit card out of her pocket. "And add on a few donuts too, T-Bo."

"You do realize it's illegal for you to keep using that," Freddie said as the couple took their smoothies to a table.

"Relax, I'm not going to spend more than a thousand bucks. Besides, I never get caught."

"So," Freddie said. "Am I driving you back to your place or are you going to stay with me?"

"You bought breakfast meats, right?"

"Yes," Freddie laughed. "So I assume the answer's my place?"

"Yes it is."

The coupe had just gotten off from work. Carly went out to dinner with Joey, giving them the evening to spend together.

"So how's that new T.V. show coming?" Freddie asked.

"Pretty good. We've finally got our cast together; the actors are going to fly out next week to start working on the pilot episode. Our set's probably going to be finished by Friday, so hopefully we can start shooting by the end of October."

"Sounds exciting," Freddie nodded.

"Eh," Sam shrugged. "Anyway, what about you? What's going on down in the tech lair?"

"Actually," Freddie said. "I wanted to talk to you about that."

"Okay," Sam said, sipping her smoothie. "Talk."

"Well, you know how Klasky Splat has a sister studio in New York?"

"Yeah," Sam nodded.

"Well, they're in the final stages of editing some new T.V. movie and need some people from my department to fly over an help them out. And the thing is…they asked me to be one of those people."

"Oh," Sam said. "Well, are you going?"

"I wanted to see how you were with it," Freddie said.

"I'm fine with it," Sam said quickly. "But, um, how long would it be for?"

"About two weeks, tops," Freddie said. "So you're okay with it?"

"Freddie, I'm your girlfriend, not your mom," Sam said. "You don't have to get my permission before you do things."

"I know," Freddie said. "But I figured that as a couple we should talk about these sort of things."

"Fine, you can go," Sam said, rolling her eyes. "Bring me back something that says 'I heart New York', though. Those things are so tacky it's almost cool."


	92. Chapter 92

"So they're all kinetic?" Sam asked Spencer, looking at his sculptures.

"Yup," Spencer replied from his kitchen.

"What's this one do?" Sam asked, pointing to a large sculpture with many gears and switches.

"Try it and find out."  
Sam turned one of the gears, and the contraption began to play Happy Birthday on the piano that was attached to it.

"That's awesome," Sam said, grinning.

"Yeah, it is," Spencer nodded, walking over. "You want it?"

"Really? You don't want to sell it?"

"Nah, it's one of my favorites," Spencer said. "I'd keep it myself, but there's no space, and this way I know it'd be going to a good home. So do you want it?"

"Heck yeah," Sam said. "Thanks!"

"No prob. I'll bring it over tomorrow sometime," Spencer said. "Hey, watch Dina for me while I run down to check the mail?"

"'K."

Sam sat down on the floor next to Dina, who was happily playing with her stuffed animals.

"Da!" she said, holding up a stuffed dog.

"That's right," Sam said, smiling at the baby.

"Hey," Ella yawned, walking out of her bedroom, still wearing her pajamas.

"Dude, it's three in the afternoon," Sam said. "Even I don't sleep that much."

"I was up all night tossing and turning," she said, grabbing a container of yogurt from the fridge. "This baby's really moving."

"At least you only have three more months," Sam said.

"Yeah, but then we get to deal with double diapers and all that fun stuff," Ella pointed out. "You know, I should really start potty training Dina."

"She's not even 18 months old!"

"Eh, start them young," Ella shrugged. "Besides, I was just kidding."

"Ca!" Dina said proudly, holding up her toy cat.

"She's been doing that all week," Ella smiled. "We're hoping soon she'll start trying to say sentences. So, when's Freddie leaving for New York?"

"Beginning of November," Sam replied.

"You're gonna miss him," Ella grinned.

"Why must you abuse me whenever I'm here?"

"It's fun," Ella shrugged. "And seeing as I'm six months pregnant, it's about the only fun I can still have."

"Sa!"

"Hey, she almost said my name!"

"I'm not surprised, you're attached to her," Ella laughed. "Honestly, I think you come over here just to see her."

"And to eat your food."

"I thought you hated children?"

"Not _all _children," Sam said. "Just the ones that annoy me."

"Man, the fire department sent me another bill!" Spencer moaned, slamming the door shut. "Is it my fault I set that lady's diamond ring on fire?"

"You set a-" Sam started.

"It's a long story," Spencer said.

"Alrighty then," Sam said, standing up. "I'm out of here. I'm gonna go grab some lunch."

"Wait, Spencer made you a bunch of spaghetti tacos last night to take to your place for everyone," Ella said. "There's a plate in the fridge."

"You're the best, Spence," Sam said, running to the fridge.

"Just bring back the plate!" Spencer called after Sam.

"We'll see!"

….

"So, let's see," Carly said, flipping through her magazine. "You picked 3 A's and 5 C's…It says you're a mysterious lover."

"What's that even mean?" Sam asked, tossing an old beach ball in the air as she laid lazily on the couch.

"It says 'You leave your companion wanting more, and always grace him with unexpected surprises. You change things up and stray from the path.'"

"Again, what?"

"I don't know," Carly shrugged. "It told me I was a fruitful lover. What's that mean? I'm a lover of a fruit?"

"I saw the way you were looking at that pineapple last night, Carls," Sam laughed.

"Oh, here's a test to see what kind of salad dressing you are!"

"Anyone home?" Freddie asked, walking into the girls' apartment.

"Yeah!" Carly answered. "Hey, did you know Sam's a mysterious lover?"

"I did not," Freddie said, bending down to give his girlfriend a kiss. "Anyway, Gibby just gave me tickets to see some dog show tonight. You guys want to go?"

"Sure," Sam shrugged. "I love seeing dogs jump over things. You in, Carly?"

"Why not?" Carly smiled. "Sounds fun. You want to know what type of shoe you would be, Freddie?"

"Um, no thank you?"

"Aw, these quizzes so much fun," Carly said. "So far I found out I'm a fruitful lover, a Python, blue cheese dressing and salt."

"Salt?"

"I add flavor to bland situations!"

"Oh…of course. I found out what time I'm leaving for New York in three week."

"When?" Sam asked.

"Four in the morning."

"In the morning?" Sam exclaimed.

"What? Does that mean you're not going to the airport with me?"

"No way!"

"Aw, come on, Sam," Freddie said, sitting down next to her. "You can go right back to sleep after I leave!"

"Will you buy me a churro from the airport?"

"Sure, I'll buy you churro," Freddie said, rolling his eyes.

"Fine," she sighed.

"Thank you," Freddie smiled. "Alright, I'll pick you guys up tonight for the dog show. I just have to go get an oil change."

"What was the point of you coming over if you were going to leave after five minutes?" Carly frowned.

"Spencer mentioned to me there was a plate of spaghetti tacos here."

"They're in the fridge," Carly laughed.

"Cool. See you guys later."

"Later nub!" Sam called after him.

"You're so going to miss him," Carly said when Freddie left.

"Why does everyone keep telling me that?"

"Because everyone knows it's true," Carly said. "You guys can barely go one hour without seeing each other, let alone two weeks."

"I'll miss him buying me food, I'll admit that."

"Sam," Carly laughed. "You've been dating Freddie for over two years. If you were only after the food, I don't think you'd still be with him."

"Okay, I'll miss him, you happy?" Sam exclaimed. "Why don't you write it on a billboard?"

Carly smiled. "There's nothing wrong with missing your boyfriend."

"Yeah, yeah," Sam mumbled.

"Oh, I know what will cheer you up," Carly said, turning a page in her magazine. "Let's discover your inner amphibian!"


	93. Chapter 93

"Mom, no! Don't touch my suitcase!" Freddie yelled into his phone. He was sitting with Carly and Sam in the cafeteria at the studio. "I don't need sunscreen! It's ten degrees in New York right now!"

Carly and Sam exchanged glances as they tried not to laugh.

"How did you even get a key to my place?" Freddie asked. He rolled his eyes at his mother's answer. "Mom, you did _not_ smell gas in the apartment. Look, I have everything I need to New York tomorrow. Don't worry about it. I've got to go now. Bye."

"Mama Benson crazier than ever?" Sam asked.

"She broke my lock because she claimed she thought there was a gas leak," Freddie said.

"I think she might go crazy when you leave," Carly smiled.

"And luckily I'll be thousands of miles away," Freddie grinned. "Have fun with her, you two."

"What makes you think we're putting up with her?" Sam asked.  
"If my mom doesn't have me to fuss over," Freddie said. "She's going to you next."

"Your mom hates me."

"She doesn't 'hate' you," Freddie said.

"She hates me, right," Carly asked.

"Um, well, yeah."

"Good," Carly said, sighing in relief.

"Anyway," Freddie said. "My mom was talking about you last night, Sam. She said that she was going to take these two weeks I'm gone to try to get to know you more."

"Excuse me? I had dinner with her!"

"That was over two years ago," Freddie pointed out.

"It still counts."

"Please, just try to tough it out," Freddie said. "It won't be that bad. I lived with her for twenty years, after all."  
"Yeah, and look how you turned out."

…..

"Sam," Freddie said, shaking his sleeping girlfriend's shoulder. "Come on, wake up."

"It's two in the morning!"

"I know," Freddie said, getting out of bed. "But we need to start heading over to the airport."

"I can't believe your stupid plane leaves this early," she moaned, rubbing sleep out of her eyes. "I still have ten hours of sleep."

"There's donuts in the fridge," Freddie told her, going into the bathroom. "I'll make some coffee after I take a shower."

Sam dragged her feet to the fridge. She looked around the apartment. What was she going to do for two weeks without Freddie…?

She finished off three donuts by the time Freddie finished his shower.

"Alright, bathroom's yours," he said. "I'll just put some coffee on and then-" he was interrupted by Sam pressing her lips to his.

"What was that for?" he asked, grinning, when they pulled away.

"I'm-going to miss you, okay?"

"Aw, babe, I'll miss you too," Freddie said, wrapping his arms around her.

"It's just, two weeks is a long time," Sam mumbled.

"I know," Freddie said, kissing the top of her head. "I don't know what I'm going to do without someone insulting me daily."

"I can do it over the phone, don't worry," Sam said, smiling slightly.

….

"Final boarding call for flight 531."

"That's me," Freddie said, standing up from the uncomfortable airline chairs.

"No! Don't go!" Mrs. Benson exclaimed, throwing her arms around her son.

"Mom, you're making a scene!"

"Okay, okay, let him go," Sam said, pulling his mother off him.

"I'll miss you mom," Freddie said, straightening his jacket. He turned to Sam. "I'll call you as soon as I land," he whispered, giving her a kiss.

"Okay," she nodded.

"I'll see both of you in two weeks," Freddie said. With one last wave to them, he headed towards the gate.

Sam watched her boyfriend hand his ticket to the attendant at the gate and board.

"I hope those planes are up to code," Mrs. Benson said.

"Whatever," Sam said. "I'm going to get some sleep."

"Oh, Samantha," Mrs. Benson said, grabbing her wrist. "I have the _perfect_ place for us to grab a little breakfast. I figure the two of us gals could chat over some gluten free pancakes and vegetarian bacon."

"Oy."

…..

AN- Over 400 reviews? You guys are the best! Anyway, I just got a twitter. If you have an account, I'd really like it if you guys could follow me shahnawz94


	94. Chapter 94

"Isn't this fun?" Mrs. Benson said happily as she painted her ceramic pot at Color-Me-Pot.  
"Yeah, tons of fun," Sam mumbled, trying to paint an alligator chasing after a figure that looked suspiciously like Mrs. Benson.

"I'm so glad we decided to do this," Mrs. Benson continued.

"It wasn't so much a decision as you pulling me out of my apartment."

"You know, Samantha," she said, ignoring Sam's last comment. "I must say, I never would've thought you and Freddie would last as long as you have."

"Uh-huh."

"But you two have somehow managed to tough it out," she said. "And as much as I've tried to deny the fact that my son's in a relationship with a…well, with you, I think it's time I finally come to terms with it."

"Gee, after only two years?"

"So tell me, Samantha, during the course of your relationship with my Freddie, have you ever wandered?"

"Wandered?"

"To another man?"

"What? No!"

"Uh-huh, I'll be checking into that…"

"I've never cheated on Freddie!"

"Of course you haven't," she nodded, scribbling something down on a pad in her bag. "Now then, have you been cleared of all diseases and are you up-to-date with all your shots and vaccinations, including, but not limited to-"

"What? Do you want my entire medical history?" Sam exclaimed.

"No need to worry about that, I'm already having that looked into," Sam said. "Now then, in the event that you and my Freddie decided to have children, how many grandkids can I expect?"

"This is ridiculous," Sam said, standing up.

"Wait, sit back down," Mrs. Benson said. "I still have to ask you about your childhood. As a child, did you come into contact with any unusual vegetables that could have been carrying any foreign parasites?"

"Ugh," Sam said, burying her head in her arms. "Save me."

….

"She asked you about your complete medical history?" Freddie laughed over the phone.

"No, no, she's apparently having it pulled from some guy who works in the filing section of the hospital," Sam said, sitting on her bed, clipping her toenails. "And then after that horrible question and answer section she took me to this store that sold anti-tick cream!"

"Oh, you mean Keep My Kid Clean over on 67th street?"

"Yes! Why does your mom have to be such a whack job?"

"I dunno," Freddie said. "But I'm sorry you had to go through with that. She's working all day tomorrow, so at least you can do something fun then."

"No, because my stomach's still queasy from those gluten free pancakes she shoved down my throat this morning," Sam said, massaging her belly. "Pancakes were not meant to be healthy!"

"You'll get used to them," Freddie chuckled.

"I doubt it," Sam said. "So how's New York so far?"

"It's awesome," Freddie replied. "It looks just like it does in the movies. And the hotel I'm staying at has complementary spa access! I just came back from getting a temple rub!"

"I'll try to pretend you never said that," Sam said, rolling her eyes.

"I wish you were here, though. I passed this restaurant after I left the airport that was having a pie-eating contest. The guy who won only ate ten pies."

"Amateur," she scoffed. "I could've downed at least eighteen."

"I know you could've," Freddie laughed. "Anyway, it's getting pretty late."

"It's only eight o'clock."

"Yeah, but you're four hours behind me now," Freddie reminded her. "It's after midnight where I am. I have to be over at the studio at nine tomorrow."

"Oh yeah. Okay."

"I love you."

"Uh-huh. Love you too. Just tell your crazy mom to lay off, okay?"

"I'll try," he told her. "Bye, Sam."

"Bye."

Sam hung up her phone and climbed down from her bed.

"You done talking with Freddie?" Carly asked as Sam walked into the living room.

"Yeah…time differences."

"Oh, right," Carly nodded. "Mrs. Benson called my phone looking for you, by the way. I told her you were out with your mom, though."

"Thanks. What's that woman want now?"

"She wanted to let you know that she had a chance to review your medical records and that you're clear for now."

"Oh goody," Sam said, rolling her eyes.

"And did she really make you get blood work done?"

"She stabbed me with a needle! I didn't give her any by choice!"

"I'm pretty sure that's illegal," Carly said.

"Yeah, but if I call the cops on her Freddie would probably get mad," Sam said, sitting down on the couch. "Well, at least she'll be at the hospital all day tomorrow and then for the rest of the week I'll be at work so I won't have to worry about her too much."

"That's true," Carly nodded. "You want to go catch a movie or something? I'm really bored."

"Yeah, sure," Sam said. "But let's see the one with the guy who has that conjoined twin who tried to kill him!"

"No way!"

"Come on, Freddie always takes me those creepy movies."

"Sam, look at me," Carly said. "Do you think I'm Freddie?"

"Uh, good point," Sam said. "Fine, I'll sit through whatever girly romance movie you want, but I won't like it!"


	95. Chapter 95

"This apartment would _really _look better with some dollies," Mrs. Benson said, going around the girls' apartment with an anti-bacteria wipe. "And I know a place where we can get some nice plastic covers for the couch!"

"Why is she here?" Carly whispered to Sam.

"I don't know? Somehow she got my key and made a copy of it and let herself in!" Sam whispered back.

"And I think this kitchen has far too many processed foods in it; I'll take you shopping at the Whole Foods store tomorrow, Sam."

"I like processed foods," Sam said.

"Foods that come from a great big machine, will surely make you ill and green," Mrs. Benson recited.

"Look, Mrs. Benson," Carly said, walking over to the woman. "Thanks so much for all of your…constructive input on our apartment, but it's getting dark outside, and don't forget tomorrow is the day Freddie-"

"Day _before_ Freddie comes home," Sam said quickly, jumping up off the couch. "So you should probably get home and start planning his welcome back dinner. He's been hinting to me that he wants your famous Spinach Surprise."

"You're right," Mrs. Benson nodded. "I suppose I do need to go down to his place and wash all his sheets and clothes in an anti-tick detergent before he gets back. This was fun, Samantha. I'll see you tomorrow."

"I thought Freddie _did_ get home tomorrow," Carly frowned once Mrs. Benson had left the apartment.

"He does," Sam said. "But we told his mom he gets home Sunday so that we won't have to deal with her when he first gets home so we can have time to ourselves."

"Ohhhh," Carly smiled knowingly. "Gotcha. So what time does his plane get in?"

"Two in the afternoon, thank God. I don't think I can stand getting up early again. Are you going to come with me to the airport?"

"Sure," Carly said. "Hey, where's Melanie? I haven't seen her in awhile."

"Eh, she's probably out with that new guy she likes," Sam shrugged. "She's trying to get him to ask her out by December."

"Oh, good for her," Carly said.

"Not really, the guy's eyes are weirdly off center. It makes him look like some sort of space alien."

"Sam," Carly laughed. "Why do you have to insult the guys your sister's attracted to?"

"Because, if people see her with a freakish looking dude they might think it's me," Sam pointed out. "I have a reputation to uphold, you know."

"Of course," Carly said, rolling her eyes.

…..

"So you guys really have a cousin that works here?" Sam asked as her, Carly and Spencer walked through the airport to wait for Freddie's flight to land.

"Yeah, he helps keep coordinates on all the planes," Spencer said.

"How come I've never met him?"

"You have," Carly said. "He came over one night to watch us do iCarly and you threw a taco at him."

"Oh, that guy? Wow, I never would've guessed he'd have a real job."

"Come on," Carly said. "He said he'd meet us in the food court and take us back to the room with all the tracking equipment; it's really cool."

The three walked to the food court and, after buying Sam a corndog, met the Shay's cousin, who was standing by a smoothie cart.

"Hey, Phil," Spencer said to his cousin. "What's up?"

"Nothing much," Phil smiled. "Business as usual. Hey Carly, long time no see."

"Hi, Phil," she said. "You remember my friend, Sam?"

"Oh yeah, the taco girl," Phil nodded.

"How goes it," Sam said, finishing the last of her corndog.

"So you're going to show us the tracking equipment?" Carly asked.

"Yeah, just don't let anyone know I took you back there," Phil said, leading them away from the food court. "My boss would have my head."

He took them to a large room towards the back of the airport where many large computer screens blinked, showing geographic maps and many dots."

"Each of those dots represent a plane," Phil explained. "And you can ever zoom in on a specific plane. What plane number is your friend on?"

"209 from New York," Sam said.

Phil keyed in a few things on his computer and dot flying over Montana showed up. "There it is," Phil said. "By my calculations, it should be landing in one hour and-uh-oh."

The dot that represented Freddie's flight had suddenly disappeared.

"Why uh-oh?" Sam frowned. "Where'd his plane go?"

"Um this isn't supposed to happen," Phil said nervously, typing frantically on his keyboard.

"What's it mean when the dot goes?" Spencer asked.

"Something's wrong with the plane," Phil said. "I've only seen this happen once before when there was a plane crash in-"

"Freddie's plane crashed?" Sam exclaimed.

"Are you sure?" Carly asked.

"It-it may be some technical malfunction with my computer," Phil said quickly. "But I don't see what's wrong with-"

"Oh my God," Sam said, grabbing Carly's arm. "His plane crashed!"

"Sam, calm down," Spencer said, putting an arm around her. "It's going to be-"

"How is it going to be okay?" Sam said, and Carly saw that she actually had tears in her eyes. "My boyfriend's plane just crashed and now I'll never get to-"

"It's back up!" Phil exclaimed. "There was a glitch in my server; that's all. The plane's fine!"

"Thank goodness," Carly breathed. "So everything's normal?"

"Yup," Phil nodded. "The plane's scheduled to arrive in one hour and eight minutes."

Sam, wiped her eyes.

"You okay?" Carly asked softly.

"Yeah," Sam nodded.

"Were you crying?" Spencer asked.

"No! Now come on, let's get out of this nerd cave and get some nachos."

…

"Flight 209 now unloading," a lady's voice announced over the loud speaker.

"Finally," Spencer said. "If we had to wait any longer I'm sure Sam would've made me broke with all the food she forced me to buy her."

"I love airline food," Sam defended, finishing off her third soft pretzel. "Come on, Freddie's gate's over there."

They walked over to the area where the passengers from the plane were getting off. After watching about twenty people walk off, Freddie finally came off, looking tired but happy as Sam ran over to him.

"Hey, Sam," Freddie grinned. "I've mis-" but he didn't have time to complete his sentence as Sam smashed her lips to his.

"Okay, this is looking a lot like some cheesy movie," Spencer said, walking up to the couple with Carly.

"Hey, Spence," Freddie grinned as the two finally broke apart. "Hey, Carly."

"Hey, did you have a good trip?" Carly asked.

"Yeah; New York is awesome. They had this three-story pear store! Oh, and this place that had autographed copies of the _Galaxy Wars_ movie posters for only 5000 dollars!"

"Come on, let's go," Sam said, tugging Freddie's arm. "We have to get back to your place in the next thirty minutes or we might run into your batty mom in the lobby."

"Oh, right," Freddie said. "Let's go."

…

"I can't believe it's been two weeks since we've done this," Freddie grinned, his hands in Sam's hair as he kissed her on his couch. "Man, I missed you."

"Less talking, more kissing," Sam ordered, her arms tight around his shoulders.

"You got it."

The couple had been in the others arms since the second they had gotten back to Freddie's apartment, trying to make up for their two-week separation. Suddenly, much to their surprise, the door to the apartment flew open and a crazed Mrs. Benson came barging in.

"Mom!" Freddie exclaimed. "What are you-"

"Freddie! Freddie! My sweet boy!" she cried, pushing Sam over as she threw herself onto her son. "I'm never letting you out of my sight again! Ever! Not when you almost died today!"

"What are you talking about?" Freddie gasped, trying to breathe, but his mom was holding him way too tight. "I didn't almost die today."

Sam looked at the floor. This wasn't going to be good…

"Sam, Sam!" Carly said, running into the apartment, completely out of breath. "I'm so sorry; it just slipped out! I'm sorry!"

"Sorry about what?" Freddie asked, finally escaping his mom's grasp. "What's going on?"

"Oh, your little girlfriend didn't tell you?" Mrs. Benson said, narrowing her eyes at Sam. "Just like she didn't tell me you got back today?"

"Mom, I told her to tell you I got back tomorrow," Freddie said. "So if that's what you're here about, don't yell at Sam for-"

"I'm here, my darling little Freddipie," Mrs. Benson said. "Because after a mother hears that her son was presumed dead, it gets her a little upset!"

"Presumed dead?" Freddie frowned. He looked over at Sam. "Sam?"

"It was for like thirty seconds!" Sam said, getting up off the floor. "It wasn't that big a deal."

"What happened?" Freddie asked.

"Your-your plane went off the radar," Sam muttered. "They sort of-thought your plane crashed."

"What?" he exclaimed. "My plane went off the radar and nobody told me?"

"You're never getting on another airplane again," Mrs. Benson said, hugging her son tightly. "Never. From now on, I'm driving you everywhere."

"Mom," Freddie said. "Stop it." He turned to Sam. "Why didn't you say anything?"

Sam shrugged. "I-I didn't think it was that important."

"Um, when someone's presumed dead, you tell the person," he said.

"Especially the mother!" Mrs. Benson said, standing up and giving her son kisses on his cheek.

"Freddie, come on," Carly said. "Don't you think you're sort of overreacting?"

"I just found out that my girlfriend knew my plane completely went off the radar and didn't care about me enough to even tell-"

"Hey," Carly said, raising her voice, which surprised everyone, even herself. "Sam _did_ care. You should've seen her when your plane's little dot thingy disappeared. She was hysterical! She was crying! I'd never seen someone so upset in my whole life!"

Freddie stood there, stunned. Even Mrs. Benson didn't say anything.

"You-you really cried?" he asked Sam softly.

"A little," she shrugged. "I-I thought you were dead."

Freddie pulled her into a hug. "I'm sorry. I overreacted and I acted like a jerk when I said that you didn't care."

"I do care," she whispered only so Freddie could hear her.

"I know," he nodded. He kissed her on her lips.

"Aw," Carly smiled.

"Okay, everyone out," Freddie said to his mom and Carly. "Show's over."

"But Freddie!" Mrs. Benson said. "I can put a tofu loaf in the oven right now for you and-"

"Bye mom!" Freddie said, leading his mom out the door. "See you tomorrow!"


	96. Chapter 96

"No, Dina, no!" Spencer yelled. "Don't knock over daddy's-"

Dina happily pushed over a large container of marbles.

"Marbles," Spencer finished half-heartedly. "Oh jeez."

"I told you not to leave that bucket so close to her," Carly said from the kitchen.

Spencer made at face at his sister as he began cleaning up the mess.

"What was that noise?" Ella asked, waddling out of her bedroom.

"Dina knocked over Spencer's bucket," Carly said, mixing her cookie dough in large bowl.

"I left for two seconds!" Spencer exclaimed as Ella picked up their daughter. "Sam watched her for three hours yesterday; I think she taught Dina how to do that!"

"Yeah, because a baby would _never_ think to do something on her own," Ella laughed. "I'm gonna go change her. Oh, and your buyer for your dinosaur sculpture called and said he'd take your price for it."

"Great! I'll bring it over now," Spencer said, putting the last marble away.

"Isn't this the same guy who bought the dinosaur sculpture from you last year too?" Carly asked.

"Yeah, he puts them all in his front hall to scare visitors," Spencer told her.

"Oh…that's…strange."

"How long are you going to bake cookies here?" Spencer asked.

"Until I feel like stopping," Carly snapped. "Look, it's not my fault I won that stupid raffle at the grocery store and got 50 free bags of flour. I have to use them; there's no space to store them!"

"Um, okay then," Spencer said. "Just make sure you make me my snickerdoodles; those are the best!"

"Just go see dino-man," Carly said.

"Later!"

Carly put the tray of cookie dough into the oven and took a plate from the cupboard. She placed about four dozen out of the ten she had had already made on it and headed down to Freddie's apartment.

"Freddie," she said, knocking at the door. "It's Carly."

"Oh, hey Carls," Freddie said opening the door.

"I made you cookies," she said. "I have to find _some_ way to get rid off all that flour-Oh. Hello."

She smiled at the man who was sitting on Freddie's couch.

"Um, Carly this is Mario," Freddie said quickly. "He's Socko's cousin who's a plumber and was just…fixing my shower drain. And he just finished, so he'll be going now…"

"Oh, um, right," Socko's cousin said, standing up. He smiled at Carly. "Nice to meet you."

Carly frowned. Didn't Spencer tell her that Socko didn't have a cousin named Mario…

"Wow, these look good," Freddie said as Mario left. "A lot better than those ones you made for Christmas…which were still delicious of course, but-"

"Freddie," Carly said, setting the plate down. "Who was that?"

"I-I just told you," Freddie said. "Socko's cousin Mario."

"Yeah, Sam told me she ran into him here once," Carly said, crossing her arms. "But when I asked Spencer about it, he said Socko didn't have a cousin Mario."

"Er, maybe Spencer's mistaking?"

"Freddie!" Carly said, advancing on him. "Why are you lying to Sam about who that was?"

"I'm not!" Freddie said. "Look, just ask Spencer again; maybe he didn't hear you right or something. I'm telling you, that's really Socko's cousin."

Carly narrowed her eyes. "Fine, I'll ask him one more time. But if he still says the same thing, I'm telling Sam you were lying to her."

"Fine," Freddie said. "Next time you see Spencer-"

"Freddie," Spencer said suddenly, barging into the tiny apartment. "Can I borrow a couple bucks? I need to go out and buy a few more tubes of paint for my sculpture while I'm out?"

"Perfect timing," Carly said, walking over to her brother. "Spencer, didn't you tell me a while ago that Socko didn't have a cousin named Mario who was a plumber?"

"Er, what?" Spencer said, shifting uncomfortably.

"You told me that Socko didn't have any cousins named Mario!" Carly said.

"Oh…I, um, I thought you said _Marino_," Spencer said. "Marino, yeah. He doesn't have a cousin Marino who's a plumber. His cousin Mario's a _fantastic_ plumber. Top of his class in plumbing school."

"Plumbing school?" Carly repeated.  
"It exists!"

"See," Freddie said. "Now will you stop harping on me."

"I-Oh," Carly said, still rather confused. "Sorry then. I guess I'll just go back upstairs and make some more cookies."

She quickly shuffled out of the apartment, closing the door behind her.

"Wow, that was a close on," Spencer said once his sister was gone.

"Plumbing school?" Freddie said. "Really?"

"She caught me off guard! And you know I'm a terrible liar!"

"Whatever," Freddie said. "Thanks for covering for me."

"No problem," Spencer said. "So is everything done now?"

"Yup," Freddie said. "Now we'll just wait until Christmas."

….

"Look at this cute doll house I got for Dina," Carly said to Sam as she sat in their bedroom wrapping presents.

"You already finished shopping?" Sam said. "It's only the first week of December."

"You know how I am," Carly laughed. "And let me guess, you haven't done any shopping yet."

"I bought one present," Sam defended.

"Really? Whose?"

"Freddie's," Sam replied. "I found one of the original hard drives from the first pear computer signed by whoever that guy is that made the company. There are only thirty left in the whole world."

"Really? Wasn't that expensive?"

"Yeah," Sam shrugged. "But the guy who was selling it online is a friend of my Uncle Carmine's. He gave it to me at a huge discount, but it still cost a wad of money."

"That's sweet," Carly smiled. "He'll love it. I only got him that book on film editing he said he wanted."

"Nice," Sam nodded. "I guess I'll do the rest of my shopping next week then."

"Yeah, you don't want to be one of those people out on Christmas Eve trying to find last minute gifts," Carly told her.

"Whatever," Sam said. "I've got to get ready; me and Freddie are going to dinner tonight, so I'll probably just crash over there."

"Have fun," Carly told her friend. "Just don't be late for work tomorrow."

"Okay, mom," Sam said, grabbing a dress from her closet. "Have fun wrapping your presents."

"Oh I will," Carly said happily, missing the not of sarcasm in Sam's voice.


	97. Chapter 97

"See, and if you roll a twelve or seven, you get to battle one of the orgs and get a chance to pass directly to the Path of Empty Hope," Freddie explained. "_But_ if I roll a double on my next turn, I'll get to-"

"Why did you buy this," Sam said, falling back on the bed. "It's worse than the _Galaxy Wars_ Monopoly game you made us play last week."

"It's fun!" Freddie defended. "What other game lets you go on a medieval quest to try and save the kingdom?"

"Wouldn't you rather just make out?"

"Nice try," Freddie said, picking up the dice and placing them in Sam's hands. "Now roll."

Sam rolled her eyes. The things she did for that nub…

"Freddie!" Spencer suddenly yelled, pounding on the door. "Freddie! Open up!"

"Spencer? What's wrong?" Freddie asked, running to open the door to reveal Spencer holding Dina in his arms and Ella at his side. Ella looked like she was in a lot of pain.

"Ella's water broke," Spencer said, quickly transferring Dina to Freddie's arms. "Can you guys just watch Dina for us while we're at the hospital?"

"Holy chiz! The baby's coming?" Sam exclaimed, jumping up. "That's awesome!"

"Yeah, and painful!" Ella yelled, grimacing. "Can we hurry this up?"

"Call us when the baby comes and we'll be right there," Freddie said.

"Will do, thanks you guys," he said, putting an arm around his wife.

"Wow, this is so exciting," said Freddie, setting Dina down on the couch. "They're going to have two kids."

"I'm going to call Carly right now," Sam said. "And hey, I guess this means we're finished with our game; too bad."

"Ha, ha," Freddie said dryly as he began to clean up the game.

"Hey, Carls," Sam said when her best friend picked up.

"Hey, what's up," Carly said on the other line.

"Ella just went into labor!"

"Really? Oh my God!"

"They dropped Dina off at Freddie's place and they're on their way to the hospital now. They're going to call us when the baby comes."

"Well come over here so we can all go to see them together!"

"Okay, we'll drive over there in just a few-"

"We can't drive anywhere," Freddie told her. "We don't have a car seat for Dina."

"Oh…right. You'll have to come over here, Carls."

"Got it. I'll just grab Melanie and we'll be right there. Make sure you call your aunt and tell her."

"I will, but her and my mom went to Utah last night to bail my cousin Gail out of jail," Sam said. "See you in a few minutes, Carly."

"Bye!"

"Aren't you excited, Dina," Sam said, picking her up. "Your baby brother's on his way!"

"Baby!" she squealed happily.

"Yeah, that's right," Freddie grinned. "Baby."

"I hope that baby doesn't take long to get here," Sam said, sitting down on the couch with Dina in her lap. "I want to see it."

"They had Dina pretty quickly," Freddie reminded her, handing Dina her stuffed bear she had dropped on the floor. "Hopefully it'll be the same with this one."

After about ten minutes, Carly and Melanie came bursting through the door. "Hey, any word yet?" Carly asked.

"Um, no, not in the ten minutes since we've talked," Sam said. "How'd you get here so quickly?"

"She drove at about eighty miles an hour," Melanie mumbled. "I think I got whiplash…"

"I couldn't help it," Carly said. "I'm going to be an aunt! Again!"

"It will probably be at least another two hours," Melanie said. "What should we do to pass the time?"

"I just bought the new Medieval Scavenger game," Freddie suggested.

"No!" Sam said loudly.

….

The four young adults sat in Freddie's apartment, watching re-runs of Girly Cow, trying not to appear to anxious. Finally, Freddie's pear phone rang after three hours of waiting.

"Hello?"

"He's here!" Spencer yelled so loudly that Freddie had to pull the phone away from his ear. "My little baby son is here!"

"Let's go!" Carly exclaimed, jumping up. "I want to see him!"

"Will be there in a little bit, Spence, congratulations."

"Thanks," Spencer said. "I have a baby son! Whooho!"

"What are we going to do with Dina?" Melanie asked as they all began to pull on their coats. "We don't have a car seat, and even if we did, the hospital won't let kids that young in."

"We can drop her off with my mom," Freddie said.

"Aw, poor Dina," Sam said.

"I'll run her up," Freddie said, taking the baby from Sam. "You guys go warm up the car."

The girls headed down to the parking lot and into Carly's car. Five minutes later Freddie joined them.

"Well, at least Dina will be a very clean individual after today," he said as Carly pulled out of her parking space. "My mom's showing her some puppet show on how to prevent ticks."

Once the four arrived at the hospital, they rushed over to the front desk.

"Hi, we're here to see Shay," Freddie said to the receptionist.

"Room 1289," she replied lazily.

"Thanks," Freddie said. They ran to the elevator and took it up to the twelfth floor.

"Here it is," Sam said, opening the door at the end of the corridor.

"Oh my God," Carly squealed, looking at the bundle of blue blankets in Ella's arms. "He's so tiny! And adorable!"

"Wow, he kind of looks like you, Spence," Sam said.

"Nah, he looks exactly like Ella," Spencer said.

"Lucky kid," Ella grinned.

"Did you guys pick a name yet?" Melanie asked. "I know you guys had that list."

"Yup," Ella nodded. "Meet Bryan Adam Shay."

"Nice," Freddie grinned.

"Where's Dina?" Spencer asked.

"We left her with my mom since we didn't have a car seat," Freddie told him.

"Poor Dina," Ella said.

"I know, right!" Sam nodded.

"I can't wait anymore; can I hold him?" Carly asked.

"Yeah, just be careful," Ella said, transferring her newborn son to Carly.

"He's so cute," Sam said.

"You guys are so lucky," Melanie smiled. "Two great kids…"

"We are," Spencer smiled.

"Yeah," Ella nodded. "But I wonder how we'll be feeling when we get home and have two babies to take care of."

"Oh yeah…" Spencer said. "That's going to be…interesting."


	98. Chapter 98

"Dina, keep the food in your mouth," Spencer pleaded, spooning the applesauce that his daughter had dribbled down her chin back into her mouth. "Please, daddy's tired."

"Dude, whatever you have in that pan is boiling over onto the stove," Sam said to him, as her and Carly finished putting Bryan in his new onsie.

"Ah! My soup!" Spencer exclaimed, running over to the stove. As soon as he left Dina's side, though, she began to cry, which in turn made Bryan cry.

"No, not again!" Spencer moaned. "Every time me or Ella leave her for a second she starts crying."

"Well she's probably a little jealous of all the attention your giving Bryan," Carly pointed out as Sam stuck his pacifier in his mouth.

"I know," Spencer said, soothing Dina. "But we don't have a choice. Aw, man! She spit applesauce all over me. This is the fifth shirt I've gone through today, and on top of that I haven't slept in three days, and I have this weird thing growing on the bottom of my foot and-"

"Alright," Carly said. "Go sleep. Sam and I will watch these two for you until Ella gets back from the store."

"Really? Thanks," Spencer said, handing Dina to Sam. "I owe you guys."

"Thanks for volunteering me for babysitting," Sam mumbled, wiping off Dina's mouth.

"Oh come on," Carly said, rolling her eyes. "You just got through saying how cute they were five minutes ago!"

"Yeah, when they weren't screaming their heads off," Sam said.

"So," Carly said, ignoring Sam's comment as she set Bryan in his playpen. "I'm hoping you finished all your Christmas shopping. You only have a few more days left."

"Relax, I finished," Sam said. "In fact, I have all of them but Freddie's in my trunk. I was going to store them at his place until Christmas."

"Good idea," Carly nodded. "You know I'm peeker."

"Yes, I realized that after I caught you going through my bed sheets searching for your birthday present," Sam nodded. "Hey, is it cool if I run down to my car and bring the gifts to Freddie's now?"  
"What? No way," Carly exclaimed. "Because you're just gonna wind up staying there for an hour making out with him and leave me with two screaming babies!"

"I promise, I'll be back up in ten minutes tops," Sam assured her.

"Ugh, fine, go," Carly sighed. "But ten minutes, young lady, or-or I'll do…something."

"Got it, Carls," Sam laughed, handing her Dina.

Sam ran down to her car, grabbed the bag filled with presents, and headed to Freddie's apartment.

"What's up, hotness?" Freddie greeted her when she entered, looking up from his laptop.

"Just helping Spencer watch his kids," Sam said, leaning down to give him a quick kiss. "I need to stash these gifts here, by the way."

"Oh right, 'cause of Carly?"

"Uh-huh," Sam nodded. She started towards the closet.

"Hang on, hang on," Freddie said, jumping up and running over to the closet. "I'll do it."

"Why can't I just put them in there?" she frowned.

"Because," Freddie told her. "Maybe there's a certain gift in there that a certain blonde-headed demon can't see until Christmas."

"Oh, so you bought my present already?" Sam grinned.

"Perhaps," Freddie nodded. "And perhaps it is the Christmas present to top all Christmas presents."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Sam said. "Wait till you see what I got you."

"Are you trying to out-gift me?"

"Oh, I'm not trying," Sam said. "I succeeded."

"I bet you my present is the best," Freddie said, crossing his arms.

"Yeah, right, you have no idea how stinking good your dang present is."

"And you don't know how freaking amazing yours is."

"I guess we'll see at Christmas then," Sam said as Freddie stuffed the last of the presents in the closet.

"I guess we will," he said. "Now then, now that your gifts are hidden…"

"Dude," Sam laughed as Freddie pulled her closer to him. "I can't, Carly's going to kill me if I don't get back up there and told her ten minutes."

"Uh-huh," Freddie said, continuing to kiss Sam's lips.

"She's going to be really mad," Sam said, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Yeah," Freddie whispered.

"She's going to…oh, what the heck. Come here."


	99. Chapter 99

"Finally!" Spencer exclaimed as Carly, Sam and Melanie entered the Shay's apartment on Christmas day. "It's ten o'clock!"

"Yes, we know," Carly said. "We got your wake-up call."

"I held him off from doing that as long as I could" Ella said, setting Dina on the floor.

"At least he didn't bounce on your bed at seven in the morning," Freddie yawned.

"I thought you were exhausted from having two kids around now," Melanie said.

"But it's Christmas!" Spencer said happily. "Who can sleep in?"

"I could've," Ella muttered.

"All right people, let's cut the chit chat," Sam said, heading straight over to the pile of presents that everyone had set up the night before.

"Me first!" Spencer exclaimed, diving into the pile of presents.

"He's like a giant five-year old," Carly laughed.

The gift wrapping process went by rather quickly as everyone eagerly tore the wrapping presents off of his or her presents, the excitement of Christmas morning strong in their spirits. Even Dina and Bryan were enjoying themselves with their new toys from Santa Clause.

"Dina, you're supposed to play with the _doll_," Ella said, placing the toy in her daughter's hand. "Not the box."

"She's happier with it," Sam laughed.

"Yeah, but that stupid toy cost me fifty bucks," Ella said. "She's going to play with it whether she likes it or not."

"Alright, two presents left," Carly said.

"They're Sam and Freddie's to each other," Spencer said, reading the labels. "Weird, those two are always the last ones under the tree…"

"Carly does it on purpose," Sam said, rolling her eyes.

"They're adorable with their gift giving," Carly said. "I have to save the best for last."

"Hurry up and open them," Spencer said to the two, eagerly glancing at the robotic tarantula he had gotten from Sam. "I want to play with my toys!"

"Good, I can win our bet now," Sam said, handing Freddie his present.

"What bet?" Melanie asked.

"I bet Sam that my gift to her was the best possible gift, and she bet me that her gift to me was the best," Freddie explained.

"Oh my God," Carly said, rolling her eyes.

Freddie tore the paper off his wrapping paper and nearly passed out from shock when he saw what his present was.

"Is-Is this what I think it is?" he sputtered.

"An original hard drive from one of the first pear computers," Sam said proudly. "Signed and everything."

"It-It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," Freddie said, his eyes glowing with fascination. "Other than you, of course."

"Nice save," Sam said.

"Here's your present from Freddie," Carly said, tossing Sam the last present under the tree.

Sam sloppily opened her gift, and gasped.

"Holy chiz!" she exclaimed. "A _Boogie Bear _bear?" It was a stuffed animal replica of Sam's favorite fictional character.

"They still make those?" Melanie asked. "I thought they sold out years and years ago."

"I had to buy it directly from the creator of _Boogie Bear_," Freddie explained. "He saved a few from when they were popular like, fifteen years ago."

He turned to Sam. "You told me that you used to have one when you were little and you took it everywhere with you, but then a bulldog tore its head off when you were playing outside."

"Dude, I told you that before we were even dating," Sam said. "You seriously remembered that?"

"Yeah," Freddie nodded.

"Yay, everyone's happy," Spencer said quickly. "Now I have to try this tarantula out!"

"So," Carly said as Spencer took his robotic arachnid out of its box. "Who won your bet?"

"She did," Freddie said.

"He did," Sam said.

The couple looked at each other.

"What are you talking about?" Freddie exclaimed. "You bought me an _autographed_ hard drive from one of the original pear computers. Do you have any idea how rare these are? In the tech world, this baby's like the Holy Grail!"

"Oh please," Sam scoffed. "I just found it on the Internet. You had to actually track the bear down!"

"So? A hard drive definitely beats a bear, Sam," Freddie argued.

"In what universe?"

"This one!"

"You won!"

"I did not, you did!"

"Didn't!"

"Did!"

"What's happening?" Ella whispered to Carly as Sam and Freddie continued to bicker.

"They're actually arguing that the other won," Carly sighed. "Just when I thought they've finally run out of fight topics…"

…..

After a remarkable dinner of roast beef made by Ella with the help of Carly and Melanie, the holiday was finally starting to wind down.

"I'm going to go put Bryan down," Ella yawned, picking up the newborn's rattle he had gotten earlier in the day. "Then I'm heading to bed."

"Me too, after I give Dina her bath," Spencer nodded.

"It's not even eight o'clock," Sam said disgusted.

"Yeah, well, when you have two kids under two, eight o'clock is practically midnight," Ella told her.

"Uh-huh," Spencer agreed. "Oh, and if you didn't catch on, that was your subtle hint to go home."

"Well maybe if you didn't wake up so early this morning," Carly pointed out as she gathered up her presents. "Merry Christmas, you two."

"Merry Christmas," Spencer and Ella yawned, each picking up one of their children. "See you tomorrow."

"You guys want to watch a Christmas movie at our place?" Carly asked as her, Melanie, Sam and Freddie walked out of the apartment. "I have tons."

"Nah, Freddie and me are gonna head back to his place," Sam said.

"Fine," Carly said. "Me and Melanie will watch by ourselves. Oh! Do you want to watch _A Christmas Under the Mistletoe?_"

"Oh yeah!" Melanie said happily. "It's supposed to have a supper sweet ending."

"Gee, too bad I'll be missing that," Sam said sarcastically.

"It's on DVD," Melanie told her. "You can watch it tomorrow."

"You'd think she'd get my sarcasm by now," Sam said, shaking her head.

"Bye you guys," Freddie said. "Merry Christmas."

"Are you really going to build a whole new shelf just for that hard drive?" Sam asked, frowning as her and Freddie walked hand in hand down the steps towards his apartment.

"Yup," Freddie said. "Wait till those guys from the Brilliance Bar see it! They're gonna think I'm so cool!"

"I'm glad somebody will," Sam said.

"Hey, you bought it."

"Oh and believe me, I'm regretting it already."

"Too bad," Freddie smiled, kissing the top of her head. "Can't return it now."

When they reached Freddie's floor, Sam turned to walk over to his door, but Freddie pulled her back towards the stairs.

"Where are we going?" Sam asked.

"I thought we could take a walk," Freddie said.

"A walk?" Sam repeated. "You know I hate physical activity unless it involves inflicting pain on another person."

"It's snowing," Freddie told her. "Come on, it will be fun."

"Snow?" Sam said, grinning. "Why didn't you say so? Let's go!"

Sure enough, when the couple walked out of Bushwell Plaza there was a blanket of snow already on the ground and more was falling.

"See, isn't it beautiful?" Freddie asked, putting his arm around his girlfriend.

"Yeah," Sam whispered.

The two walked in silence, simply enjoying the others company until they reached the park, then they headed over to the lake, which was frozen.

"The moon looks really pretty tonight," Sam commented. "Sort of looks like a big ball of cheese…"

"You and your food references," Freddie laughed as he leaned down to kiss her lips. Sam quickly reciprocated.

"You're a really good kisser, have I told you that?" Freddie asked when they finally pulled away.

"Yeah," she nodded. "Because you're such a huge sap."

"I still remember our first kiss when we were fourteen," Freddie said, looking up at the moon.

"And we swore we would never do it again," Sam grinned.

"Were we ever wrong," Freddie laughed.

"Very," Sam agreed. Then she said in a serious tone, "Did you feel sparks that night?"

"Yeah," Freddie nodded, smiling. "I did. I didn't realize what it meant at the time, though."

"Neither did I," Sam told him. "I thought it was just because I had gotten my first kiss, not because of the fact that it was with you."

"But I guess it was a sign," Freddie said. He looked right into Sam's eyes. "Sam, I love you."

"I know; you say that every day we-"

"Sam, you're the best thing in my life, you know that?"

"What are you-?"

"You're beautiful, funny, sexy, smart, kind, brave and so many more things," he said. "And everyday I still can't believe that some nerd like me got such an amazing girl. I don't know what I would be like if I never met you, because when I'm with you, it's like a feeling like no other."

Sam stared at Freddie, blushing.

"I love you," Freddie continued. "And yes, I say it everyday, but that's only because everyday I love you more."

And then, he took a deep breath, and got down on one knee.

Sam's eyes widened. Was he going to…

Freddie reached into his pocked and pulled out a small velvet box and opened it to reveal a gorgeous diamond ring.

"Samantha Joy Puckett," Freddie said, his heart beating out of his chest from both nerves and excitement. "Will you marry me?"

Sam's jaw dropped. "Wha-What-"

"I love you," Freddie said. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you; start a family with you, grow old with you and-"

"Yes."

"Yes?" Freddie repeated. "You-You mean-"

"Yes, I'll marry you," Sam said, not able to suppress the giant grin that was inching onto her face.

Freddie beamed as he quickly slid the ring onto Sam's finger and then stood up and kissed her passionately. Sam threw her arms around his neck and he swung her around.

"We're getting married," Freddie breathed when they pulled away.

"I know," Sam nodded, smiling. "Oh, but Freddie?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't ever call me Samantha again."

"Got it," he chuckled.

"Come on," Sam said, giving him another kiss on the lips. "Let's get back to your place."

"No arguments there," Freddie said, grinning seductively as he took her hand.

"By the way," Sam said. "You so won the bet now. No hard drive from any computer is better than this."

"Nah, you still win," Freddie said softly. "You said yes."


	100. Chapter 100

"Wow, you guys must've really slept in," Carly said as Sam and Freddie entered the girls' apartment at noon the next morning.

"There's cinnamon rolls on the stove," Melanie told the couple. "Mrs. Bleaker from the apartment under us brought them up to us this morning."

"Awesome, I love that lady's baking," Sam said grabbing a cinnamon roll. She bit into it. "Oh my God, that's so good!"

"Let me try," Freddie said, taking the cinnamon roll from Sam. He took a bite, and Carly and Melanie exchanged horrified glances. Just because Sam and Freddie were a couple didn't mean Freddie could go and take Sam's food. Just last week, in fact, Sam had kneed Freddie in a place that should never be kneed because he took a pork rind from her. But to their surprise Sam just grinned at him. "Isn't it amazing?" she asked him.

"Yeah," he nodded.

"You have icing on the corner of your mouth," Sam laughed.

"Oh, chiz," Freddie said, reaching for a napkin.

"Here, I'll get it," Sam said, leaning up to kiss him.

"Okay, what the heck is going on here?" Carly exclaimed.

"What do you mean?" Sam frowned as her and Freddie broke apart.

"Why are you acting all lovey dovey?"

"Um, because we're a couple," Sam told her.

"Yeah, but not a food-sharing couple," Carly pointed out.

"I guess I'm just in a very good mood," Sam said happily as she took another cinnamon roll.

"What could make you so happy that you would actually let Freddie have some of your food?" Melanie asked.

"Yeah, you wouldn't even let me have a piece of your cake after you found out that Girly Cow was going to continue for another season, and you were practically crying for joy after that," Carly reminded her.

"I dunno," Sam shrugged, reaching across the counter to the coffee maker by Carly and Melanie. As she did, she made sure to flash her ring to the girls.

"I'm just saying, it seems kind of weird for you-" Carly started, but then she caught sight of the ring. "Oh my Gosh! No way, is that what I think it is?"

Sam nodded, smiling.

"You're getting married?" Melanie exclaimed as Carly let out a high-pitched shriek.

"Yeah I am!" Sam nodded.

"Wow, this is amazing!" Carly squealed, running over to Sam and giving her a hug. "My best friend is getting married to my other best friend!"

"You guys are going to make the best married couple ever!" Melanie said as Carly released Sam and ran over to Freddie.

"Any couple with me in it is the best," Sam said.

"Let me see the ring again," Carly said after she gave Freddie a hug.

Sam held out her ring finger for Carly to examine.

"It's so pretty and shiny," Carly said in awe.

"Socko's cousin Jewl custom made it for me," Freddie said. He turned to Carly. "That's who you saw in my apartment the other day. I just told you it was a plumber because I couldn't risk you telling Sam."

"Good call, I can't keep a secret," Carly nodded.

"Yeah, and neither can Spencer," Freddie said. "I told him to make sure that if anyone mentioned me having Socko's cousin Mario over to go with it but no…he almost ruined the surprise."

"It's even engraved," Sam said, pulling the ring off. "I just noticed this morning…it says 'My Princess' on it."

"Awwwww," Carly and Melanie cooed simultaneously.

"I wanted to see how long it would take for you to find it," Freddie said.

"So when are you guys going to start your wedding plans?" Carly asked. "You know, like setting a date, renting a church, dress shopping, invitations, all that? Oh, and you have to let me help you pick out the flowers. I read somewhere that the right flower combination can make your wedding, but the wrong one can also destroy it. Oh, and you'll have to look at plate designs, and figure out what color tablecloths you want and find a DJ and-"

"See," Sam said to Freddie. "I told you she'd be like this."


	101. Chapter 101

"Seriously? Married?" Spencer exclaimed, pulling Sam and Freddie into a gigantic bear hug. "Holy chiz, these two little kids are going to get married!"

"Congratulations," Ella grinned, pulling her husband off the couple so they could breathe. "You guys are going to be so happy!"

"Thanks," Freddie smiled.

"So this is the ring Jewl made for you?" Spencer asked, looking at Sam's finger.

"Yup," Freddie nodded. "Thanks again for giving me his number."

"No prob," Spencer said. "Anyway, I'm assuming you told Carly about this?"

"Yeah, we told her this morning," Sam replied. "Why do you think we came over here? She's already going crazy making wedding plans and all that. We had to escape!"

"Oh, believe me, you won't be able to," Ella told her. "She practically planned my wedding, which was fine, but she's a little…"

"Insane," Spencer finished.

"Hey, if she wants to do all that planning stuff, that's great," Sam shrugged. "But she was trying to get me to look at forks. Forks! And they didn't even have meat on them!"

"Anyway," Freddie said. "We still have to tell my mom about the engagement."

"And my mom," Sam said.

"Your mom won't be that bad," Ella told Sam. "She's going to be thrilled for you two. Your mother on the other hand," she said, turning to Freddie. "Well, all I'm saying is you better have a paramedic standing by."

"We're telling both our moms tonight," Freddie told her. "We're sending Melanie and Carly to a movie and having them come to Sam's place."

"Yeah, I'm even cooking," Sam added.

"No you're not," Freddie said, rolling his eyes. "You ordered chicken from that new restaurant right before we came over here!"

"Still counts as cooking," Sam shrugged.

"Well good luck," Spencer said. "And hey, if she passes out, will you send me some pics?"

"Spencer!" Freddie exclaimed.

"Kidding, kidding," he said quickly.

"I'll send you some," Sam whispered .

"Okay, we've got to get going," Freddie said, looking at his watch. "We told them five, and it's almost four now."

"See you guys," Spencer called after them. "Congratulations again!"

…..

"Okay, I made the iced tea," Sam said, stirring the beverage in the pitcher.

"Did you use Carly's recipe?" Freddie asked quickly.

"Oh God no."

"Good," Freddie said as he lit the candles at the table. "Where are the flowers we bought?"

"In the bag by the door," Sam said, stuffing the take-out containers into the trash.

"Got it," Freddie nodded, stuffing the flowers into the vase they just purchased. "Thirty seconds!"

Sam quickly grabbed a can of room fragrance and sprayed it around the table.

"I think I hear her footsteps!" Freddie whispered frantically, straightening his jacket.

"Dude, that's a little creepy," Sam said, but sure enough, there was a knock at the door a few seconds later.

"Hi, mom," Freddie said, opening the door.

"Freddiebear!" Marissa exclaimed, throwing her arms around her son. "I haven't seen you for days."

"I saw you yesterday mom, when I gave you your Christmas present," Freddie reminded her.

"This is why you should move back in with me," she said, releasing her son. "So I won't have to go through this anxiety."

"Uh, I'll keep that in mind," Freddie said.

Marissa hung up her purse. "Hello, Samantha," she said coldly.

"Hey, Mrs. Benson," she said halfheartedly.

"We'll eat just as soon as Sam's mom gets here," Freddie said.

"That woman's coming here too?"

"Mom!" Freddie hissed.

"No, no," Sam said. "She has a point."

There was another knock at the door and Sam went to answer it.

"What's up, kiddo," Pam said, walking into the apartment. "What are we eating?"

"Chicken," Sam said, closing the door behind her.

"Nice, I'm starved," Pam said, flinging her bag onto the ground. "Hey there, Freddie. Nice muscles."

"Um, thank you," Freddie said awkwardly.

"Pam," Marissa said, crossing her arms.

"Marissa," Pam said, crossing her arms as well.

"Okay, let's eat," Sam said quickly, grabbing the platter of chicken from the counter and placing it on the table.

"Is that chicken free-ranged and organic?" Marissa asked as Pam grabbed a leg.

"Yup," Sam lied. "Dig in."

"Good chicken, Sammy," Pam said, chewing loudly.

"Yes," Marissa cringed, carefully cutting the chicken into small pieces. "Very good- Freddie, don't put that whole thing in your mouth, you'll choke!"

"Chill, Marissa," Pam said, taking another piece. "The man's not a baby anymore."

"I will not 'chill'," Marissa said firmly. "I happen to take my role as a parent very seriously. Just because _some_ mothers let their children frolic around doing all sorts of dangerous-"

"Are you saying I'm a bad mother?" Pam demanded.

"Well I'm not calling you a good one!"

"Hey, you watch what you say you paranoid freak!"

"How dare you!"

Sam and Freddie exchanged glances as their mothers kept at it.

"Guys!" Freddie said loudly. "Guys!"

But the women continued arguing.

"Quiet!" Sam screamed, and the mothers instantly fell silent.

"Mom, apologize to Sam's mom for calling her a bad mother," Freddie said firmly.

"But-"

"Do it!"

"Fine," she sighed. "Sorry I called you a bad mother."

"And you tell her sorry for calling her paranoid," Sam ordered her mother. "Even if it is true."

"Whatever," Pam shrugged. "Sorry I called you paranoid."

"Thank you," Freddie said. "Now can we all just try to have a peaceful, non-violent meal? Because Sam and I actually have something important to tell you both."

"I'm not going to get hit up for money?" Pam asked.

"No," Sam said. "Trust me, you'd be the last person we'd ask anyway."

"What Sam and I wanted to tell you," Freddie said. "Is that…well, last night I-I proposed to her. We're going to get married."

"Married?" Both women exclaimed at the same time.

"Uh-huh," Sam nodded.

"Way to go, kiddo," Pam said, patting her daughters back. "Every chick needs a good man in her life. Hey, this means I should get a double discount at the pear store!"

Freddie looked at his mom, who seemed frozen in a state of shock.

"Mom? Mom?"

"You're-you're getting married?" Mrs. Benson stuttered. "To-to her?"

"Yes, mom," Freddie said. "I love her. And I know you may not be happy about the idea, but it's going to happen whether you want it to or not."

"But-but Freddie, why do you need to get married? You have me?"

"What?" Freddie frowned. "That's-that's…okay, I'm going to need therapy for that one."

"Come on, Marissa, get on board," Pam said.

"My little boy can't be getting married!" Marissa cried.

"Mom, can't you just-"

"No! My precious baby boy isn't going to belong to any other woman but me!"

"Marissa," Pam sighed. "If they don't get married, you won't be getting any grandchildren."

Marissa blinked. "I-I hadn't thought about that."

"Mom, really?" Sam sighed.

"No, no," Freddie said quickly. "She might've just saved us."

"I do want grandchildren," Marissa said thoughtfully. "And I will _not _have any born out of wedlock…Okay, I suppose I can allow this marriage."

"Thanks, mom," Freddie said, smiling at his mom.

"Now then," Marissa said, turning to Sam. "I can expect my first grandchild within nine months of the wedding? Oh, and do try to have it be a girl, since I never got the daughter I wanted. Oh, and make her look like my Freddie."

"Lady, you need to-" Sam started, but Freddie kicked her under the table.

"Alright, I'm going to get desert," Freddie said. "Mom, don't mention anything else about babies or grandchildren or I'm not coming over next Friday for Puzzle Night."

Marissa gasped and shut her mouth.

"Puzzle Night?" Sam repeated as she followed Freddie to the kitchen. "_That's_ where you go every Friday night? You told me you were going to that Fantasy _Galaxy Wars_ thing."

"Never speak of it again," Freddie whispered as she began to laugh. "Ever!"


	102. Chapter 102

"Morning," Carly said as Sam trudged out of their bedroom. "I made coffee."

"Cool," Sam yawned. "Oh, and I found the bridal magazines you put under my pillows…very subtle, Shay."

"Sam, you have to start planning!" Carly exclaimed. "Your wedding's the most important day of your life and as you Maid of Honor I'm going to make sure that everything's perfect, but you've got to give me something to work with!"

"Hey, you ate all the Sugar Pops," Sam said, looking at the empty cereal box. "Did you at least save me the little car that came inside it?"

"It's by the fridge," Carly said quickly. "And don't change the subject! You've been engaged for a week and a half now and you haven't even picked a date yet! Which is why I'm giving you an assignment."

"An assignment?" Sam repeated.

"Yes," Carly nodded. "You and Freddie are going to pick out a date for the wedding by the end of the week or-or-or I'm calling up our cable company and canceling the Surgery Channel."

"You wouldn't!" gasped.

"Oh yes I would," Carly said firmly.

"Fine," Sam grumbled. "I'll go over to Freddie's place after work today and we'll pick out a date."

"Good," Carly said. "And after that we can start looking at invitations! I saw the perfect paper we can have them printed on and-"

"Remind me to move to Norway when _you_ get married," Sam said, taking a sip of coffee.

…..

"Pizza cool for dinner?" Freddie asked Sam as the two walked into Freddie's apartment.

"Yeah," Sam nodded. "Extra pepperoni, sausage…pretty much extra everything, actually."

"I think the pizza's place already got your order pegged," Freddie chuckled, dialing the restaurant on his pearphone.

Sam collapsed onto the couch and flung off her shoes as she tossed aside on of Freddie's computer magazines.

"Pizza will be hear in twenty," Freddie told Sam, moving her feet onto his lap so he could sit next to her.

"Good," Sam said. "Oh, and Carly's informed me this morning that we have to have a date picked for the wedding by the end of the week or she's canceling the surgery channel."

"God forbid you can't watch disgusting moles and warts be sawed off of people," Freddie said, rolling his eyes. "You know, Carly's right. We really do need to pick a date."

"Well let's hurry up, then," Sam said. "I want to get it out of the way so I can watch my surgeries without worrying they'll shut off!"

"Okay," Freddie said, grabbing a monthly planner from his coffee table.

"What's that, your nerd appointment book?" Sam scoffed.

"It helps me keep my schedule straight!" Freddie defended as he opened the book. "Anyway, let's pick a month first, and then we can worry about the exact date."

"Let's do it."

"Well," Freddie said. "I think February is out of the question; I don't think we can get everything planned in time. Well, without giving Carly a heart attack, that is."

"Definitely not March either."

"What's wrong with March?"

"That's when my parents got married," Sam explained. "And look how their marriage turned out."

"We're not going to end up like that," Freddie assured her, kissing her temple.

"I know," she shrugged. "But I still don't want to get married in March."

"Fair enough," Freddie nodded. "April…do you really want to have you wedding the same month as your birthday?"

"Oh God no," Sam said. "People will start combining anniversary presents with birthday presents. Hey, what about May?"

"My mom can't make it in May," Freddie told her. "Remember, she's flying out with my Aunt for the whole month to follow some hygienist's tour about a new sort of bacteria."

"So?"

"Sam…"

"Fine," Sam sighed. "Is June okay? Or is Crazy going to some lecture on tick baths for that whole month too?"

"No, June looks good," Freddie said, flipping through his day planner. "Plus, I heard that June weddings are supposed to be the best."

"I guess we should call the church then and see what dates they have open for a wedding," Sam said. "You do it."

"Why me?"

"Because I don't want to."

Freddie rolled his eyes, but picked up his pearphone anyway. While he was talking, Sam flipped on the T.V. and began watching some horror movie about a girl who turned into a zombie and a werewolf at the same time.

"Sam," Freddie whispered after about ten minutes of being on the phone. "They only have one date left for June; the 26th. How's that sound?"

"Sounds good," she said, clicking off the television.

"We'll take it," Freddie said into his phone. After another ten minutes, he hung up his phone. "Okay," he said, smiling at Sam. "We've officially got the church booked on June 26th."

"My surgery channel is saved!"

"Wow," Freddie said as he scribbled the date down. "This makes everything seem so much more…real."

"I know," Sam nodded. "We're really going to get married."

"Are you excited?"

"Yeah," she grinned. "I actually am."

….

AN:

Trivia time! Anybody know the significance of June 26th? (Hint: it's a birthday of someone we all know and love).


	103. Chapter 103

AN-

So the significance behind June 26th was…it's Jennette McCurdy's birthday! Congratulations to everyone who got it:

XMizzTurraX

PunkPrincess24

SeddieLuvPurple

Princess of the BookWorms

MustacheMo

foreverseddie

iSam101

Read-a-holic2200

HeyHeyIt'sEmC

cjoycoolio

You guys all got it!

And to Anti-Creddie All Seddie, you're right, it is Ariana Grande's birthday too! I think it's so cool that they're both nick stars, good friends and have the same birthday!

And to ACthomas97, no, June 26th is not my birthday (although I wish I could have that birthday, since two awesome actresses were born on that day). I _did _actually already throw my birthday into this story. It's May 20th. The day I had Sam and Freddie's anniversary be on and the day Dina was born

….

"Hey," Freddie greeted Carly as he sat down across from her in the studio's cafeteria. "Where's Sam?"

"She just had to finish a few changes on one of our scripts," Carly explained. "She should be here in a few minutes. And I heard you guys picked a date for the wedding?"

"Yup," Freddie nodded, taking a bite out of his sandwich. "June 26th."

"Oh my God, that's going to be so romantic," Carly said happily. "A June wedding…that's what every girl dreams of. Well, I doubt that Sam dreams of it, but I'm still so excited for you guys!"

"Thanks," Freddie smiled.

"What goes on?" Sam asked, taking her seat next to Freddie.

"You finished editing the script?"

"Almost," Sam said. "I'll do the rest of it later, after I eat this beautiful looking taco."

"So sexy," Freddie laughed as Sam stuffed half of her taco into her mouth. "Anyway, Sam, you want to go to the midnight showing of the new _Shriek_ movie? Gibby had two tickets but he decided he'd rather stay home and floss his cat's teeth instead, so he gave the tickets to me."

"Um, duh!" Sam nodded. "I love those movies! The guy in the mask is the best horror character ever!"

"But we were supposed to decide on a font for your wedding invitations tonight!" Carly exclaimed.

"We can do it tomorrow, can't we?" Sam said.

"I guess," Carly sighed. "But no getting it out of it then."

"Why don't I have to be there to help with the invitations?" Freddie asked.

"What do you mean?" Carly frowned. "Why would you be there?"

"Because I'm the _groom_," he pointed out.

"So?"

"I'm kind of a big part of the wedding!"

"Oh please," Carly scoffed. "All you've got to do it show up and say a few things."

"Why can't I do that?" Sam asked.

"Because you're a bride, Sam," Carly said firmly. "You have to be crazy making sure everything goes right; don't you watch T.V.?"

"So basically I get no say in how my own wedding goes?" Freddie asked.

"Now you've got it," Carly smiled. She turned back to Sam. "Tomorrow we can also start making the guest list."

"Can I at least come to _that_? I have to pick people to invite too." Freddie said.

"Fine," Carly sighed. "Be at our apartment by ten tomorrow morning."

"In the morning?" Sam repeated. "That's still my sleeping time!"

Carly shot her a glare.

"Or not," Sam mumbled.

….

"Hey, babe," Freddie greeted his fiancé as she opened her apartment door the next morning.

"Save. Me." Sam said. "Carly's lost her mind."

"That bad, huh?"

"I've been up since eight, Freddie, eight! All I've done is look at stupid fonts!"

"Did you finally find one at least?"

"I liked the first one," Sam said. "But Carly made me keep looking to find one that was 'sophisticated enough'."

"Is that Freddie?" Carly called from the living room. "Get him in here, Puckett, we're burning day light!"

"Remember, you asked for this," Sam told Freddie. They walked into the living room, which was a mess of papers. Carly was sitting at the coffee table typing away quickly on her laptop.

"Sit down," she barked at the couple. "Let's get this guest list done with so we can get these invitations printed; after we decide on a paper, of course. Okay, we have the obvious people…me, Melanie, Gibby and Guppy, Spencer, Ella, Mrs. Benson, Sam's mom and Lewbert-"

"Lewbert?" Sam exclaimed.

"Sam, you can't not invite your mother's husband to your wedding," Carly sighed. "Let's see, who else…T-Bo, Wendy, the guys from the studio…anybody else?"

"What about Flek and Dave?" Freddie asked. "I still talk them all the time online."

"Okay," Carly nodded, adding their name to the list. "What about Shelby Marx?"

"Yeah, she's cool, even if she can still beat me at arm wrestling," Sam nodded.

"What about Principal Franklin?" Carly asked.

"Why would I invite my high school principal to my wedding?" Sam frowned.

"He loved you guys," Carly told them.

"I guess," Sam shrugged. "And we have to make sure to invite all of my family."

"That's a lot of people," Carly said. "How many are there?"

"Let's see…" Sam thought. "If you exclude the ones in jail…73."

"73?"

"I'm Italian!"

"Okay," Carly nodded. "Freddie, please tell me your family isn't as huge."

"No," he laughed. "Other than my mom there's my dad, my grandparents, my eight cousins, my mom's two sisters…and that's it."

The three continued to roll of the names of more of their friends for the rest of the hour.

"I think that's everyone," Sam said. "How many guests do we have?"

"208," Carly said.

"Wow, that's a lot of people," Freddie commented.

"That means a lot of wedding gifts," Sam said.

"Alright, well, that's done," Carly said. "Freddie, you can get out of here now. Sam and I still have to decide on envelope color and all that stuff."

"Are you sure you're not the one getting married?" Freddie asked, standing up.

"Careful, she gets testy when you sass her," Sam said.


	104. Chapter 104

Sam and Freddie sat on the couch in the girls' apartment, Freddie's arm draped around Sam and her head on his shoulder.

"How good does that steak look?" Sam asked as she watched the chef on T.V. prepare the meat.

"Are you drooling?" Freddie asked, amused.

"Can we go out for steak?"

"We just ate!"

"Not steak."

Suddenly they heard the front door open.

"Hey you two," Melanie said, waking into the living room.

"Oh good, it's only you," Sam said. "I thought you were Carly coming to show me more centerpieces."

"Doesn't she have a date with Joey tonight?" Melanie pointed out.

"Yup," Sam nodded. "I might've talked to him and 'persuaded' him to take her to that four hour Romanian flick they're showing downtown."

"Oh I saw the poster for that when I was at the mall with Cody," Melanie said.

"Cody?" Freddie repeated.

"Her new boyfriend," Sam explained.

"He's so great," Melanie grinned. "He goes to my college; he wants to become an accountant!"

"Exciting, right?" Sam said, rolling her eyes.

"Hey, it's hard work to become an accountant," Melanie defended. "It's a lot of math and business and financial classes."

"Sorry," Sam said sarcastically.

"Anyway," Melanie said, sitting down next to the couple. "I was just at mom's house, helping her clean out her attic, and look what I found!" She pulled an aged scrapbook out of her bag. "It's our wedding album we made when we were six years old!"

"_You_ made a wedding album?" Freddie laughed.

"It was a rainy day when there was absolutely nothing to do," Sam snapped, hitting his shoulder.

"Look," Melanie said, opening the book. "Here's the dress I wanted to wear…." She pointed to a pink princess gown. "And here's what you wanted to wear, Sam."

"Is that T-rex costume?" Freddie grinned.

"Oh yeah, that was back when I was in my dinosaur phase," Sam smiled.

"I wanted to get married in Paris," Melanie said, flipping the page. "On top of the Eiffel tower."

"And you wanted Joe's All You Can Eat Rib Shack," Freddie read. "Is that place even still in business?"

"No, stupid health department shut them down," Sam frowned. "Just because there may have been a few rats in the kitchen doesn't mean they didn't make some good ribs."

"You were going to decorate the place with dandelions too," Melanie told her sister. "And have all the guests wear their swimsuits so you could have a water balloon fight during the wedding."

"I still want that," Sam said. "But Carly and this one refuse to get on board with it."

"I think water balloon fights are kind of frowned upon in church, Sam," Freddie said.

"Oh my gosh!" Melanie exclaimed. "Here are the lists of the husbands we wanted!"

"No way," Sam said. "Read them!"

"Okay, on the top of my list was Lance Bass."

"Too bad that one will never work out now," Sam laughed.

"I know," Melanie said sadly. "Let's see, who else…Nick Carter, Jessie McCartney, Orlando Bloom, Brad Pitt, and Alex Trabeck."

"Alex Trabeck?" Freddie repeated.

"He's really smart!" Melanie said. "Okay, let's look at Sam's list…on the top was Tony Hawk."

"The skateboarder?" Freddie asked.

"Yeah, he had good hair," Sam nodded. "Plus he had a bunch of cool scabs on his arms and legs."

"Of course," Freddie smiled.

"After him you had Emeril, the red poweranger, batman, Chuck Norris and Gordy Wood."

"Who's Gordy Wood?' Freddie asked.

"They boy Sam was _in love_ with in first grade," Melanie said in a singsong voice.

"I was not in love with him," Sam scoffed. "His mom packed him really good lunches, that's all."

"She used to write his name on her notebooks," Melanie told Freddie. "With cute little hearts and everything."

"Do I have competition?" he asked Sam jokingly.

"Hardly," Sam said. "I looked him up on SplashFace a couple years ago; he's 300 pounds and works at a gas station now."

"Man, I can't believe mom actually saved this after all these years," Melanie said, flipping through the pages. "It's so-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Sam said as Melanie quickly turned a page. "Go back to that last page."

"Um, why?"

"Just do it."

"Er, wouldn't you rather look at the places we wanted our honeymoons to be?"

"Give it," Sam said, grabbing the book from Melanie. She flipped back to the page. "Ah-hah! This is where we made the bet about who would get married first!"

"You betted on that when you were seven years old?" Freddie asked.

"Like I said, it was a really boring day with nothing to do," Sam said. "But that's not the point. The point is I won this bet! Now let's see what you have to do…It says if Melanie gets married first, Sam can't make any mean comments about her for a month; wow, good thing I won, I don't think I could've managed that…and it says if Sam wins, Melanie has to let Sam take her to an MMA fight."

"We don't really have to do that," Melanie moaned. "That bet was over a decade ago!"

"So what?"

"Come on, I wouldn't have made you stick to your half of the bet."

"Yeah, well, that's you," Sam shrugged. "And what a coincidence, Freddie and I had tickets to go to a fight tonight."

"Well if you only have two tickets, I guess I can't go," Melanie pointed out.

"Freddie will stay home," Sam said quickly. "Won't you baby?"

"Um, I get the feeling that if I say no, I'm going to be hurt," he said.

"There, that's that," Sam said, grabbing her twin's hand as she dragged her to the door. "I'll meet you back at your place, Fredly!"

…

"Okay," Carly said, pacing back and forth in her living room. "The invitations are going to be ready to pick up this Friday, so we can swing by and get them after work…did you book the hall for the reception?"

"Yup," Sam nodded, playing on her pearphone.

"Good," Carly said, checking that off her pearpad. "And we're now at 4 months, 21 days and 6 hours until the wedding."

"You set up a countdown for it?" Sam frowned.

"No," Carly said. "I'm just going off the one _you _set up on your pearphone."

"Oh…" Sam said. "You found it?"

"Yes Sam," Carly said, rolling her eyes. "I don't know why your secretive about being excited about this wedding; if it was me, I'd be jumping up and down every day until I got married!"

"We all know that, Carls," Sam said.

"Anyway," Carly said, looking back at her pearpad. "We still need to look at flowers-"

"I already told you what flowers I wanted!"

"No, you told me roses," Carly said. "You never mentioned which color, with or without thorns, approximate stem length-"

"Stem length?"

"Don't worry," Carly said. "We'll stop by some flower shops this afternoon. And I'm thinking tomorrow we should start looking for your dress."

"I still have four months!"

"Yes, but it could take weeks and weeks to find the one you want," Carly told her. "Plus it'll probably have to be altered and adjusted, so that's an extra two to three weeks right there. And while we're looking for your dress we can start shopping for bridesmaids dresses. Speaking of bridesmaids, who did you ever decide on having for your other one?"

"Wendy," Sam said. "I called her last night and she said she'd be happy to do it. It works out great, too, since she'll be home from college by the time of the wedding."

"Cool, her, Ella and I have similar skin tones, so we won't have too much trouble with the dresses then. And your little cousin's going to be the ring bearer?"

"Uh-huh, and me and Freddie were thinking of having Dina be our flower girl."

"Aw, that will be so cute!" Carly grinned. "Oh, now I'm too excited; can we go dress shopping now? Please?"

"No," Sam moaned. "I'm 7000 points away from having a new high score in Fortress Run!"

"Really? You'd rather play that game than shop for your wedding dress?"

"Shh! These gorillas almost caught up to me!"


	105. Chapter 105

"I'm really getting tired of having to wear heels to work," Sam groaned as her, Carly and Freddie headed out of the studio. "We're writing scripts! Does anyone really care what I have on my feet?"

"Why don't you wear those cute flats you have?" Carly suggested.

"I can't; I spilled mustard on them," Sam explained.

"Of course," Carly sighed.

"Hey, whatever shoes you wear, you still look hot," Freddie told her.

"That's so sweet," Carly smiled.

"He just wants me to watch some documentary with him tonight," Sam said, rolling her eyes. "He's trying to butter me up."

"The complete life story of Greg Locus: The Creator of _Galaxy Wars_," Freddie said. "How can you _not _want to watch it?"

"Have fun, you two," Carly said, shaking her head. "But tomorrow after work, Freddie, she's mine. We're finally going to go dress shopping!"

"Too bad it's bad luck for the groom to see the dress before the wedding," Freddie said sarcastically. "Darn…"

"Oh shut up," Sam said, shoving him lightly. "Or watching that lame documentary won't be the only thing we don't do tonight."

"I'll shut up."

…..

"These sleeves are itchy," Sam complained as she stepped out of the dressing room in her fifth wedding dress.

"They're made from really nice lace," Carly told her.

"They're still itchy."

"We do have a dress similar to this without sleeves," the saleslady told the girls. "Would you like to try that?"

"No," Sam sighed. "I don't really like the rest of the dress either."

"Okay," Carly nodded. "I'll look for another one. Not to point fingers or anything, but if _someone_ had gone through those bridal magazines I had left for her, _someone_ might have more of an idea of what she wants and not have to keep searching store after store."

"Can't we just leave?" Sam moaned, stepping back behind the curtain. "There's nothing here that's like what I want."

"You guys," Melanie said, running into the dressing area. "I saw a store just a few places down that's having a sale on bridesmaid dresses!"

"Really?" Carly exclaimed. "Oh my gosh, let's go there next and-"

"No!" Sam said firmly, still behind the curtain. "I've been to three dress stores already today; that's more than I've been in my whole life. I want to go home and eat something."

"But we-"

"You guys go without me," Sam said, pulling back the curtain and stepping out. "You two are the ones wearing the bridesmaid dresses anyway."

"But it's your wedding," Carly pointed out. "I just don't want anything to ruin it."

"Trust me," Sam said. "Your dresses won't be the downfall of my wedding. Just don't wear clown suits and we're fine."

"You sure?" Melanie asked.

"Yes, in fact, I insist," Sam nodded.

"Well…okay," Carly nodded. She handed Sam her keys. "Here, you can take my car back home. Mel and I will catch the bus."

"See you," Sam said, grabbing her bag and heading out of the store.

Sam drove back to her apartment and opened the door and was surprised to see the T.V. on in the living room.

"Gibby?" Sam frowned as she walked into the room. "How'd you get in here?"

"Carly keeps a spare key under the mat," Gibby told her. "Hey, have you ever seen this show with the talking fruit? It's hilarious!"

"What do you want?" Sam asked, kicking off her shoes and grabbing a soda from the fridge.

"I have a few questions about this wedding," Gibby said. "First of all, the invitation says formalwear… I don't know what that means."

"Get a tux, Gib," Sam said, rolling her eyes.

"Yes! I love tuxes!" he grinned. "Okay, second, am I allowed to bring a date?"

"Yeah," Sam nodded. "But we already invited Tasha too, so…"

"Okay, and I allowed to do my special Gibby dance at the reception?"

"Absolutely not," Sam said.

"Why not? It's a hit at parties!"

"I'll show you a hit…"

"Fine," Gibby said, crossing his arms. "I'll just do the chicken dance then."

He grabbed his jacket and headed out of the apartment. As the door closed, Sam grabbed her phone and called Carly.

"Carls," she said when her best friend answered. "When we book the DJ, can you remind me to tell him to make sure he does _not_ play the chicken dance?"

…

"Isn't it really pretty?" Carly asked Ella, showing her a picture of the bridesmaid dresses her and Melanie had picked out the day before.

"They're actually kind of nice," Ella nodded, putting a sleeping Bryan into his playpen.

"I like the color," Melanie said. "It was hard to find something that could work for everyone, since you and me have blonde hair, Carly has brown and Wendy has red, but I think the gold will look great on all of us."

"Ask them how long they spent looking for those dresses," Sam said.

"Only five hours," Carly shrugged. "We bought some energy bars at a convenience store, so we shopped right through dinner."

"Thank God I ditched them," Sam said, shaking her head in disgust.

"I thought the maid of honor wore a different dress," Spencer said, pouring some juice in a sippy cup for Dina.

"Nah," Carly said. "We all wear the same."

"We still have to find Dina's flower girls dress," Sam said, heaving the toddler onto her lap as she wobbled over.

"Dess?" Dina repeated.

"Yeah," Sam nodded. "You get to throw flowers at the wedding."

"Fower!"

"She's going to look so cute," Melanie commented.

"She gets that from me," Spencer said.

Sam, who had been drinking root beer, spit it out as she laughed.

"Sam, it's almost two," Carly said, looking at her watch. "We'd better go if we want to go to that dress shop downtown."

"Good luck," Ella said. "I remember it took me forever to find my wedding dress."

"Yeah, and she's really picky," Carly said. "But lucky for her, I'm an expert when it comes to dresses."

"Can we get some ribs before we go?" Sam asked. "I can't shop on an empty stomach."

"Will you at least wipe the barbecue sauce off your hands before we go into the shop?"

"We'll see."


	106. Chapter 106

"Please, please, please?" Spencer begged.

"It's Friday night!" Sam exclaimed.

"I'll pay you. A lot."

"Spencer…"

"There's ham in the fridge."

"Ugh, fine," Sam sighed. "I'll watch your kids while you and Ella go out tonight."

"Yes! Thanks, Sam," Spencer said. "I owe you one."

"You're just lucky Freddie's in Olympia with his mom," Sam told him.

"Gross, why are they there?"

"Because his mom wants to buy a new dress for the wedding and she's never gone shopping for a new outfit without him."

"Holy chiz that's lame!" Spencer laughed. "No offense."

"No, no, I called him lame too," Sam said.

"So, only a little more than three more months until the big day," Spencer said, opening himself a can of Peppy Cola.

"Yeah," Sam nodded. "Um, listen, Spence, speaking of the wedding, there's something I, um, sort of want to ask you."

"Shoot."

"Well," she started. "You know how usually, when a girl gets married, she has her dad walk her down the aisle to give her away?"

"Sure."

"Um, well, since my dad sure as heck isn't coming to the wedding, I-um, I was sort of wondering if you could do it?"

Spencer blinked. "For real?"

"You don't have to," Sam said quickly. "It's fine if you don't. I can just-"

"Are you kidding?" Spencer cut her off. "Sam, of course I'll give you away. I'd-I'd be honored to."

"Dude, do you have tears in your eyes?"

"No! I just- Oh, come here!"

He pulled Sam into a bear hug.

"Thanks, Spence," she smiled.

….

"I've got it all planned out," Sam said as her, Carly and Freddie walked into the bakery. "I want six tiers of German chocolate cake with that fancy icing I saw on Ricky Flame's show last week and-"

"Try to take her dress shopping, and it's like pulling teeth," Carly whispered to Freddie as Sam rambled on about cake. "But take her to a bakery and-"

"-she's like you," Freddie finished. "Hey, Sam, you do realize that we have to agree on a cake _together_?"

"Er, yeah, of course, baby," she said. "I know! I'll let you pick out the little people that go on top!"

"Gee, thanks," he replied, rolling his eyes.

"Hello, welcome to Schneider's Bakery," a man greeted them as he approached. "I am the owner. Can I help you with anything?"

"Yes," Carly nodded. "My friends here are looking for a wedding cake for their wedding, and we hear you make the best ones in Washington."

"Ah, well, that is true," the owner nodded. "My cakes have been featured in over a dozen bridal magazines and have even received recognition from the fine pastry chef Lou Clement in France."

"Sweet," Sam said. "Can you hook us up?"

"Sam," Carly hissed. She turned back to the owner. "Um, so, how can we go about putting an order in?"

"I am booked for the next two months," he said.

"Well that's fine," Carly said. "The weddings not until the end of June!"

"Very well," he nodded. "I will need you to come back tomorrow for a cake sampling; that is, unless you already have your preferences picked out?"

"Yeah," Freddie nodded. "We actually-"

"Nope," Sam said, elbowing her fiancé in the gut. "We'll back bright and early tomorrow."

"I thought you had the cake flavors picked out," Freddie grimaced, doubling over.

"I'm not missing a cake tasting," Sam said. "That's free cake, nub!"


	107. Chapter 107

"Wow," Carly said as Sam stepped of the dressing room in her twelfth wedding dress. "Sam, that-you look so pretty in that."

"You really do," Melanie nodded in agreement.

Sam turned to the full-length mirror just outside her dressing room. After trying on who knows how many dresses that she claimed made her look like some sort of fairy, she had to admit that she actually _liked _this one.

It was sleeveless, and the top was sewn with beautiful lace. The skirt had a little body, and reached down to the floor.

"I want this one," Sam said, still looking in the mirror. "I think Freddie will really like it."

"We'll have to have one of or fitters make a few minor adjustments so it fits you perfectly," the saleslady said. "We can have it ready for you to pick up in about four weeks."

"That's great," Carly said as Sam headed back into the dressing room to change out of the dress. "Thanks for all your help. And, um, I'm really sorry that Sam spilled gravy on the carpets."

…

"You want to watch a movie?" Freddie asked Sam, who was resting her head on his chest.

"Nah," she yawned. "I'm pretty beat. Why don't we just go to bed?"

"Alright," he said, flicking off the T.V.. "I'll pull the bed out."

"I picked out my wedding dress today," Sam told him as he moved the table out of the way for the bed.

"Really?" Freddie said. "So Carly won't be going insane anymore?"

"I think she'll be going insane until the wedding," Sam said, climbing into the bed.

"I don't doubt it," Freddie laughed, sliding off his shoes and climbing in next to Sam.

"Hey, Freddie?" Sam whispered as he put his arms around her.

"Yeah?"

"If someone had told you seven years ago that you were going to wind up marrying me, what would you have said?"

"I would've told them they were crazy," Freddie replied. "And that there would be no way I'd ever marry someone like you."

"Gee, thanks."

"It's a good thing I came to my senses, though," Freddie said, kissing her temple. "Otherwise I don't know what I would do. Hey, what would you say if someone told you the same thing?"

"I wouldn't say anything," she replied. "I'd just punch the living lights out of them."

"Yup, you would," he chuckled.

"If only we knew," Sam said. "I think our thirteen year old selves would've had heart attacks, though."

"Probably. But you know what? I can't wait to be married to you."

"Me neither," Sam said. She kissed him. "I love you."

"I love you too," he said. "More than you can even know."

…

"And then me and Cody went to the beach," Melanie told Sam and Carly. "And we just sat there and watched the waves. It was so romantic."

"Sounds sort of boring," Sam shrugged.

"I think it sounds nice, Mel," Carly said, rolling her eyes. "I wish Joey would do something like that with me."

"Why don't you just hint to him that you want that?" Melanie asked.

"I have! A hundred times! He just doesn't get it! You know what, boys are stupid."

"But you're Carly," Sam frowned. "You've been boy-crazy since you were nine."

"Yeah, yeah," Carly smiled. "Hey, how about you and I go over seating arrangements for your reception? It will cheer me up."

"Carly, we had a deal," Sam moaned. "No wedding planning for three days if I let Freddie's mom take me to the mall to look at insoles."

"I know, but it will be fun."

"How in the world will that be fun? Besides, I can't. Me and Freddie have reservations in an hour."

"Oh…well, can I start it without you?"

"Knock yourself out," Sam said. "I'm gonna head over to Freddie's. Just make sure his mom is sitting as far away from us as possible."

Sam drove over to Freddie's place and let herself in.

"Hey," he greeted her, kissing her quickly. "You look nice."

"Yeah, should we head out? We have about a half-hour drive."

"In a second," he said. "I wanted to talk to you about something first."

"Um, okay?" Sam said. "What's up?"

"Well, you do realize that after this wedding we'll be married?"

"Wow, really?"

"And you realize that married couples usually, in most cases, live together?"

"So?" Sam shrugged.

"Well, I think we really need to figure out a place to live. I mean, I guess we can stay here for awhile, but like I've said before, it would be really cramped for two people to live in permanently."

"I've never really thought about it," Sam said. "I guess we can't stay at my place either, can we?"

"I don't Carly and your sister would really appreciate that," Freddie nodded. "Which is why I made a few appointments to look at some open houses next week after work."

"Open houses?"

"Just to get an idea," Freddie told her. "All the places are local, so we won't have to worry about our jobs or friends. What do you say?"

"I say yes," she said. "Under one condition."

"What?"

"Whatever place we buy needs to have a full sized kitchen."

"Deal," Freddie smiled.


	108. Chapter 108

"Houses? That's exciting," Carly said, taking a bite of her salad.

"I know, it makes everything more…official," Sam nodded. "We're going to look at a place after work today."

"Wait," Carly frowned. "Where _is_ the house? It's not out of Seattle is it? Because I don't-"

"Relax, Carls," Sam laughed. "We're staying local. The place we're looking at today is actually only a few blocks away from our place."

"Cool," Carly smiled. "I can pop by unannounced at your front door now; karma from high school."

…..

"It's a beautiful house," the realtor said, walking through the front door of the house with Sam and Freddie. "Three bedrooms, 2.5 baths and a spacious backyard. Plus it's in a great school district, if you decide to start a family here."

"It does look nice," Freddie nodded, looking around.

"The house was built only five years ago," the realtor continued. "So the structure is still in almost new condition. I'll let you two look around. Feel free to go into any of the rooms. If you have any questions, just yell."

"What do you think?" Freddie asked as him and Sam walked into the living area.

"It's…good. The kitchen could be bigger."

"It's a regular-sized kitchen, Sam."

"Yeah, but that oven doesn't look like it could fit more than a ten pound ham in it."

"Let's just look at the rest of the house," Freddie told her. "We don't have to decide anything right now."

They walked upstairs to the bedrooms.

"This looks like the master bedroom," Sam said. "Oh my gosh, it has on of those Jacuzzi tubs in the bathroom!"

"Yeah, but the shower's sort of small," Freddie frowned. "I like to have space when I shampoo."

"Who cares about the shower? Check out this tub!"

"You can't soak in a Jacuzzi everyday, you'll get all wrinkly."

"So? This baby has six different bubble speeds!"

"And it has a tiny shower right next to is."

"I'm sure it's a regular sized shower, Freddie."

"Cute," he smirked. "Look, whatever house we buy we obviously both have to agree on. I mean, we'll be living in it for quite some time hopefully."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Sam nodded.

"It's a nice house," Freddie said. "But I don't think it's really for us, do you?"

"No," she sighed. "Not really."

"We have another appointment to look at a house tomorrow," Freddie told her. "Maybe we'll like that one better."

…

"I still don't see how you could get your foot stuck in it for three hours," Freddie frowned.

"My laces got caught!" Gibby defended.

"He's got a point," Spencer said, sitting down on his couch between the two with a bowl of popcorn. "When I went to that petting zoo with Carly, right before that goat got to her, this lamb came up to me and-"'

"Okay, subject change, please," Freddie cringed. "When's this _World of Warlords_ animated thing supposed to start?"

"Five minutes," Spencer said. "Can you believe the girls didn't want to watch with us?"

"I know! Who'd want to miss the best MMORPG coming to life on cable T.V.?"

"Weirdoes?" Gibby suggested.

"Spencer," Ella said, coming downstairs with Dina in one hand and Bryan in the other. "You promised me you'd give Dina her bath tonight. I still have to nurse Bryan and give him his cold medicine."

"Yeah, I will in a minute," Spencer said. "During the commercial."

"But your Wartoads thing hasn't even started yet!"

"Warlords, Ella. Warlords. Wartoads are just fancy amphibians with swords."

Ella rolled her eyes, plopped Dina in Spencer's lap and disappeared into her bedroom with Bryan.

"Okay, Dina," Spencer told his daughter. "This is an important day for you. You get to see your first glance of the best game on the Internet. Maybe when you can talk in full sentences daddy will build you your own character on the game."

"That would be so cool," Gibby said. "A toddler org."

"Gibby, there you are," Carly said, bursting into the apartment. "I just called the tux rental place and they said that you ordered a sports coat to wear for the wedding."

"Yeah. I was gonna get a tux, but then I saw this sports jacket that was rented by Bob Barker! I had to get it!"

"Gibby, you're Freddie's best man," Carly sighed. "I'm sure he doesn't want you up there by the alter being the only guy not in a tux."

"I don't really care, actually," Freddie shrugged. "A sports coat looks nice, too, and-"

"Freddie!"

"Um, get a tux, Gib," Freddie said, slightly scared of the face Carly was making.

"But I want to wear my Bob Barker coat."

"Wear it to the rehearsal dinner," Carly said.

"Rehearsal dinner? Why do we need to practice eating dinner? I do it every night. Sometimes twice."

"It's not-I-You, oh, what's the point," Carly sighed. "Just make sure you have a tux for the wedding, Gibby, or I'll have you kicked out of that church so fast your head will spin."

"She's scarier than Sam," Gibby said.

"Shhh! It's starting!" Spencer said excitedly.

"Spencer, did you rent your tux?" Carly asked. "I want to make sure that-"

"Quiet! No one talks until this is over!"

"Everyone's gone crazy from this wedding," Gibby whispered to Freddie.

"Yup," Freddie nodded. "Or it could just be a Shay thing."

…


	109. Chapter 109

"Ring shopping?" Sam frowned, trying to untangle her earbuds attached to her pearpod. "Freddie already bought me the ring back at Christmas, remember?"

"This is for your wedding bands," Carly explained. "You know, the ones the ring bearer carries down the aisle and you and Freddie put on each other's fingers at the alter? The rings that bind you together for life!"

"Easy there, crazy," Sam said. "Don't get too excited."

"Sorry," Carly said. "But the wedding getting closer now, and I can't wait! Now go get that fiancé of yours and meet me at the mall in a half hour so we can take a look at some bands."

"Um, Carly, not that you're not a fantastic maid of honor and everything, but don't you think wedding band shopping is more of a bride and groom thing?"

"Nice try," Carly said. "We both know if I'm not there you'll drag Freddie off to look at zombie masks and edible boomerangs."

"They have those?"

"I promise I won't interfere," Carly told her. "I'll just be in the background to make sure you two stay on task. Deal?"

"Fine," Sam sighed. "But seriously, edible boomerangs? Where can I get those?"

"Just go get Freddie!"

…

Sam unlocked Freddie's door and walked in.

"Hey, nub," she said, throwing her bag on the floor. "We have to go meet Carly at the mall so we can-" she frowned as she looked around at the empty apartment. "Um, Fredhead?"

"I'm here," Freddie mumbled, walking out of the bathroom. He was still wearing his pajamas and his hair was a mess. He looked absolutely horrible.

"What's wrong?" Sam asked, concerned.

"I think I'm coming down with something," he said, falling back onto his bed. "I was up half the night with some sort of stomach virus. I feel awful."

"Yeah, you look like it," Sam said, sitting down at the edge of the bed.

"Thanks."

"I'm serious," Sam said. "You need to stay in bed."

"But Carly's making us pick out our wedding bands," he said, coughing furiously.

"We can do that next week, when you're better," she said. She felt his forehead. "You have a fever. I'll get you some aspirin for that, oh, and some ginger ale to help your stomach."

"Wow, Sam," Freddie said weakly, pulling his covers up over him. "I've never seen you acting so…nurturing."

"Yeah, well," Sam said, handing him two pills and a glass of ginger ale. "This is only while your sick. Once your better it's going back to you waiting on me."

"Deal," Freddie said, giving a small smile.

"You want anything else?"

"Um, well, you think you could just stay here?" Freddie asked.

Sam nodded. "Yeah. I can."

The couple spent the entire afternoon in bed. Even when Freddie drifted off to sleep Sam stayed at his side. She only got up to make him a bowl of soup. Just as she was pouring the contents of the pot into the bowl, the apartment door barged open and Mrs. Benson barged in with a steaming container.

"Oh, look at my poor baby!" she exclaimed. "Sick as a dog. I knew this would happen once he moved out!"

"Will you be quiet; he's sleeping!" Sam hissed, stepping over towards her future mother in law.

"Would you look at this," she said, pointing to Freddie's foot, which was peaking out from underneath his sheets. "He's going to freeze like this! Oh, I suppose I'm going to have to spend the next few days here so I can take care of him. Samantha, go get me some pillows and sheets for the couch and-"

"Actually, Mrs. Benson, I'm taking care of him," Sam said.

"You?"

"Yes, me, I'm his fiancé, after all."

"But-but you can't take care of him! You were going to let his foot freeze off!"

"I've been taking care of him all day," Sam said firmly.

"Really?" Mrs. Benson snapped, crossing her arms. "I'll bet you haven't been taking his temperature."

"Every two hours," Sam said.

Mrs. Benson looked slightly shocked. "Well…I'm sure you haven't rubbed his back like he likes when he's sick."

"Yup, for the past five hours," Sam said proudly. "Small circles for ten minutes, then bigger ones for twenty, then back to small ones."

"I-I-Soup! Freddie likes soup when he's sick! I have a bowl right here for him."

"So do I, it's on the stove," Sam replied. "Chicken noodle with crushed crackers in it. His favorite."

"But-you-you-" she stammered. She glanced over at her sleeping son and sighed. "Alright then. It-it looks like I have nothing else to do here. I'll-I'll just go back home."

She picked up her soup container and slowly headed out the door.

Sam looked back at Freddie and rolled her eyes as she headed to the door after Mrs. Benson.

"Marissa," she said, catching up to her in the hallway. "Um, don't-don't get all sad, will you?"

"I'm not sad," she said. "Just because a mother has no place in her son's life anymore doesn't mean she's going to go home and cry while she listens to her old Elton John records. No, I'm perfectly happy."

Sam sighed. "I'm not trying to take your place in Freddie's life." She stared at the woman that looked like she was going to burst into tears at any minute. "Look, why don't you come back over and-and help me take care of Freddie?"

"Help you?"

"Sure," Sam nodded. "Um, you can do that back rubbing thing and I can give him his medicine and soup and that stuff."

"Can I sing to him?"

"Er, okay," Sam frowned. "Sing to him."

"Fantastic," Mrs. Benson grinned, perking right back up. "Well, if we want to get my Freddie back up and about, you'll need to run to the health store and pick up some antacids for his stomach. Oh, and pick him up an extra blanket, that apartment feels a bit nippy. While you're gone I'll start sanitizing the whole apartment so we can kill all those yucky germs. Oh, this will be so fun!"

Sam stared after her as she entered Freddie's apartment again, still chatting to herself.

"That woman's crafty," Sam said, shaking her head. "Too crafty."


	110. Chapter 110

"Mm, what time is it?" Freddie yawned, sitting up slowly.

"Midnight," Sam answered from the couch where she had been sleeping. She looked over at her fiancé. "You okay?"

"Yeah, actually, I feel a lot better," he nodded. "I can't believe I slept the whole day away." He frowned. "Um, why are you sleeping on the couch? You know you _can _come up here on the bed with me."

"Your mom's in the bathroom."

"What?"

"She's been here all day," Sam said. "She fed you soup from a straw. You don't remember that?"

"Must've been too doped up on meds," Freddie said. "Wait…are you telling me you stuck around here all day with my _mother_?"

"Uh-huh," Sam nodded. "So next week when I ask you to buy me the new mint flavored bacon that's coming out at The Meat Place, I don't want to hear any complaints, got it?"

"Got it," Freddie smiled.

Sam sat down on the edge of his bed and felt his forehead. "You don't have a fever anymore…must've been some sort of twenty-four hour thing."

"I guess," Freddie said. "Hey, Sam?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for taking care of me," Freddie said. "I know you wouldn't do that for too many people."

"Like I said before, don't get used to it," she grinned.

Freddie rolled his eyes leaned over and kissed her.

"Fredward Benson!" Marissa exclaimed, coming out of the bathroom. "What in the name of Oprah do you think you're doing?"

"Um, I-"Freddie stammered as him and Sam pulled away, blushing.

"Get back to sleep, you need to rest," she said, pushing Freddie back down onto his pillows. She turned to Sam. "And you! You should know better than to infest my sick boy's mouth with your germy saliva!"

"Mom, I'm not sick anymore," Freddie told her.

"You still need to rest for at least one day after the virus has left your body," Marissa stated. "Or for all you know you can wake up tomorrow without the use of your limbs!"

"Look, can we just go back to sleep," Sam said, rolling her eyes. "It's late and we all know that I don't miss out on my sleep. I'll go back to the couch," she added to Marissa.

"Fine," Marissa conceded. "But your getting a sanitizing shower first thing in the morning, Freddie."

"Mom! I'm twenty-one!"

"Fine…tick bath?"

"No!"

"Well can I at least spray you?" she asked, exasperated.

"Not in the face?" Freddie asked, raising an eyebrow.

"But-! Fine, not in the face."

"Then deal," Freddie nodded.

"What am I marrying into?" Sam mumbled.

…

"Welcome back," Carly said as Sam walked back into her apartment. "I haven't seen you in two days. Is Freddie feeling better?"

"Yup," Sam nodded. "He'll be at work tomorrow. Sucks that he got sick on the weekend and didn't get to use any of his sick days."

"Is his mom still there?"

"She had to go to work about an hour ago," Sam said. "I swear, that lady gets crazier with age."

"I bet," Carly laughed. "Anyway, since we didn't get to go wedding band shopping this weekend we can do that after work tomorrow."

"Cool chiz," Sam nodded. "Where's Melanie?"

"Out with Cody," Carly replied. "They have reservations at that French place."

"Gross, snails," Sam cringed. "Whatever, I'm going to bed."

"It's nine thirty," Carly frowned.

"Yeah, but between Freddie's uncomfortable couch and his whackjob of a mom, I barely got any sleep," she yawned.

"Oh, rough," Carly nodded. "Well, g'night. Remember, we have to wake up about half an hour early tomorrow if we want to get some of Spencer's chocolate chip pancakes."

"Sweet! I haven't had those in months," Sam said.

"Yeah, me neither," Carly said. "So that means no lounging around in bed until the last minute like you always do, got it?"

"Carly, please, you know I would never jeopardize me getting food."

"I know, I know," Carly laughed.

…

"How can a toddler get so sticky," Ella muttered, trying to wipe all the syrup off of Dina's face.

"She gets it from her dad," Carly commented, watching Spencer trying to get syrup off of his own nose.

"Mm, these were really good, Spence," Sam said, stealing another pancake off of Freddie's plate. "Yeah," Melanie nodded in agreement. "Taste better than the ones you get in restaurants."

"Aw, chucks," Spencer said playfully, finishing up his orange juice as he got up to wash his plate.

"I wouldn't know," Freddie said. "Sam's eaten almost all of mine."

"Because you take five years to eat them!" Sam exclaimed.

"Pancakes require a precise syrup to butter ratio," Freddie explained. "You can't just pour everything over them and expect it to work out."

"Hey, Carly, I got an email from dad!" Spencer said, looking at his phone.

"Really, what's it say?" Carly asked, jumping up.

"He wants us to come up to the base to see him this weekend," Spencer read.

"No way! That's so cool!" Carly said happily. "I haven't seen him forever!"

"There's only one problem," Spencer frowned.

"What?" Ella asked.

"Well, they don't exactly let you bring kids to the base," Spencer said. "We'd need to leave Dina and Bryan with a sitter for the weekend."

"Where would we find anyone to-"

They turned to Sam and Freddie.

"Why us?" Sam asked. "Why don't you look at Melanie?"

"You know I'm going to New York next week for spring break with some friends," Melanie pointed out. "So I can't watch them."

"Come on you guys, please?" Spencer begged. "I made you pancakes today!"

"I can barely handle them for an hour," Freddie said. "A whole weekend would be tough."

"Yeah, but they like Sam way more than you," Spencer said. "They'll behave for her."

"Gee, thanks," Freddie said, rolling his eyes.

"Did it ever occur to you that maybe we were planning on doing something this weekend?" Sam asked.

"Oh come on, you guys are engaged," Carly said. "You're going to be spending the rest of your lives together. Can't you sacrifice one weekend so I can see my dad?"

"Come on," Spencer said, putting Dina in Sam's lap. "You can't say 'no' to that face, can you?"

Sam sighed and looked at Freddie, who shrugged. "Fine," Sam said. "We'll do it."

"Thanks," Carly said, throwing her arms around her best friend. "We really owe you one."

"You better believe it, Shay."


	111. Chapter 111

"I still say these things are way overpriced," Sam said as her and Freddie examined a tray of wedding bands the jeweler at the mall had given them. "I say we just got buy two from the gumball machine at the front of the mall and be done with this."

"Ahem."

Sam turned around and caught Carly's warning glance.

"But we won't." she said, rolling her eyes.

"What about these?" Freddie asked, picking up a pair of rings. "They seem nice."

"Yeah, not too shabby," Sam commented, looking them over. They were plain, simple gold bands, but Sam couldn't help but think of how nice one would look on Freddie's finger.

"Very nice selection," the jeweler said, walking back over to them. "Now, with these, you can actually get engravings placed on the inside portion of the ring."

"Um, I dunno," Sam said, looking at Freddie. "You think-"

"Could I just make a tiny suggestion," Carly said.

"Go wild, Carls," Sam said.

"Well, while I was doing some wedding research a couple of nights ago, I came across this one article. A lot of couples are putting little messages on the others rings, and then at the alter, they see the other's for the first time. I just think it's sort of, you know, cute."

"That actually doesn't seem too crazy," Sam said slowly. She turned to Freddie. "What do you think?"

"Sounds like a good idea to me," Freddie said.

"Just write down your engravings on here," the jeweler said, handing each of them a form. "And I'll take them when you're ready."

Sam and Freddie moved to opposite ends of the counter so the other wouldn't see what was being written for them. Once they finished, they handed the slips to the jeweler, paid for the bands, and then left the store.

"Okay, one more thing for me to check off my list," Carly said happily. "And the band just confirmed this morning…oh and Sam, you got an email from the dress shop. Your wedding dress will be finished with all the altercations on Thursday, and-"

"You went through my email?" Sam frowned.

"Oh please, like you don't read mine," Carly said.

Sam shrugged. "Yeah, okay."

"So anyway, Sam, tomorrow I was thinking we could-"

"Sorry, Carls," Sam said. "Tomorrow me and Freddie are looking at another house."

"Really, another one?" Carly said. "How many does that make?"

"Eight," Freddie said. "We just can't find a place we agree on."

"He liked this one house with these weird windows in the kitchen," Sam said.

"They were stained glass windows, Sam," Freddie said. "They add sophistication to the kitchen."

"No they don't. They make it look like some kid got to them with finger paint."

"Well that house was still better than the you one you liked," Freddie pointed out.

"That place had a huge pool!"

"Yeah, and family of drummers living next door. Do you really think you would've liked the house that much at three in the morning when you couldn't sleep over all the noise?"

"There's got to be some house you guys will agree on," Carly told them. She looked at her watch. "I think I'm going to stay here for a little bit longer and try to find a few gifts for my dad for next weekend."

"That's cool, we're gonna head over to that sushi place by the apartment," Sam said. "See you at home."

"Yeah, and thanks again for that tip with the wedding bands," Freddie said.

"No problem," Carly smiled. "Have fun with your sushi."

….

"Four bedrooms, two baths," the realtor said, leading Sam and Freddie into the house. "One of the best homes on the market, in my opinion."

"It is nice," Sam said, looking around.

"I'll let you two just look around then," the realtor nodded. "Just find me if you have any questions."

"Look at that fireplace," Freddie said, walking into the living room. "Really adds to the room, don't you think?"

"Yeah," Sam nodded. "I sort of always wanted a fireplace growing up. It'll be nice for the wintertime…and roasting marshmallows."

"I like how high the ceiling is in here too," Freddie said, looking up.

"It's a pretty spacious living room too," Sam commented. "Plenty of room for a trampoline…"

"Sam, you know we can't put a trampoline in our house," Freddie said. "But you're right. It is a pretty big room. A lot more room than any of the other living rooms we've seen."

"Wow, so we both like one room," Sam said. "Seems like progress."

"Let's go see the kitchen then and see if we can make this two for two."

The couple headed into kitchen. It had marble countertops and a large stove right next to the sink.

"Wow, it's so pretty," Sam whispered. "And it even has the island like you wanted."

"Yeah, and look," Freddie nodded. "It has a conjoined dining room."

"And no weird, finger painted window," Sam added.

The couple headed upstairs to the bedrooms and looked at the master bedroom.

"Well, it doesn't have a Jacuzzi tub," Sam said, looking in the bathroom. "But it still seems okay."

"It has a big shower," Freddie pointed out.

"The bedroom is nice too," Sam said. "Walk in closet, soft carpet…you know, baby, I really like this place."

"Me too," Freddie nodded. "Can you picture us living here?"

"Yeah," she smiled.

"Why don't we finish looking at the rest of the house," Freddie told her. "And then we'll go get those papers from the realtor."

…

"Okay," Ella said, dragging out her suitcase. "You two have all of our cell numbers, the doctor's number is on the fridge. I filled Bryan's bottles with formula this morning, they're all in the fridge, and Dina's sippy cup is in the cabinet next to the sink."

"Got it," Freddie nodded.

"We've watched the kids a million times before," Sam said. "Or, at least I have…just get going."

"Diapers and everything are where they always are," Spencer said. "There's money for takeout in one of the drawers in the kitchen."

"Guys, come on," Carly said, checking her watch. "We're going to miss our train!"

"Call us if anything happens and we'll come right home," Ella said. "Okay?"

"Everything's going to be fine," Freddie assured her.

"Well…alright," Ella nodded.

After her and Spencer kissed each of their kids goodbye, Carly and them headed out of the apartment.

"This won't be too hard," Freddie said, watching Dina play on the floor while Bryan slept in his playpen next to the couch. "They're so little; what can they possibly-"

Suddenly, Bryan awoke with a loud cry.

"You were saying?" Sam said as she got up and picked up the infant. She sniffed and cringed. "Here," she handed him to Freddie. "Go change him."

"Why me?"

"Because I've changed his diapers way more times than you have since he was born and it's your turn."

"I changed him once and you know what happened!"

"Just be quick," Sam shrugged. "And you won't get peed on."


	112. Chapter 112

"Mo' coki!"

"No, Dina, no more cookies," Sam said, trying to wipe crumbs off the toddler's squirming face. "As much as it pains me to deny someone junk food, I'm not going to deal with you on a sugar rush. When your parents get back home I'll slip you a whole box of cookies, okay?"

"Mo' coki!"

"Yo, nub, you done feeding Bryan? I need to give him a bath."

"He spit up about half the bottle, but yeah, I'm done," Freddie said, trying to wipe spit-up stains off of his shirt with a napkin as he passed Bryan to Sam.

"Gross, you smell like sour milk," Sam commented.

"Thanks," Freddie snapped. "I'm gonna go grab a shirt from Spencer's closet."

"Thank God," Sam said. She headed upstairs with Bryan while Freddie went into Spencer and Ella's bedroom. He came out five minutes later with a fresh shirt. He looked around the empty living room and frowned.

"Um, Dina?" Freddie called. "Where are you?"

Of course no answer came and Freddie, now starting panicking, began looking under the couch and behind the T.V.

"What are you doing?" Sam asked, coming back downstairs with Bryan.

"Sam," Freddie said. "Um, where was Dina when you finished feeding her?"

"By her high chair," Sam said. "Wait, why?"

"Well she's not there anymore."

"You lost her?"

"Hey, you were the one who didn't put her in the playpen when you finished feeding her!" Freddie pointed out. "Like I told you to."  
"She has to be somewhere in the apartment," Sam said, placing Bryan in his playpen. "She can't open doors…I hope."

"Right," Freddie nodded. "You look downstairs and I'll look upstairs."

"Okay, now go!"

Sam looked in Spencer and Ella's bedroom, in the cabinets under the kitchen sink and in the bathroom. She even looked in the elevator, but Dina was nowhere to be found. She was just about to give up where she heard a noise coming from underneath the stairs. She moved away a bunch of Spencer's sculpture materials and found Dina covered from head to toe in red paint and happily smearing a coat of it onto the leg of Spencer's beloved Bottle Bott.

"Freddie, I found her!" Sam called upstairs.

"Where was she?" Freddie asked, hurrying downstairs. He caught sight of the infant and frowned. "And why is she red?"

"I guess she got into Spencer's art stuff," Sam said, lifting Dina up. "The paint's not toxic, at least, but she did paint the entire right leg of Bottle Bott."

"Do you think it will come off?"

"I hope so, you know how much Spencer loves that thing," Sam said. "You try and clean it up and I'll go give Dina a bath."

"Don't know which one's going to be harder," Freddie muttered.

….

"You know how I used to make fun of Spencer and Ella for going to bed before ten every night?" Sam yawned as her and Freddie pulled out the sofa bed at nine that night. "I get it now."

She lay down on the bed. "And it's not even comfy…"

"Spencer and Ella said we could've slept on their bed, remember?" Freddie pointed out, settling down next to her.

"Yeah, but Spencer cuts his toenails in bed," Sam reminded him.

"Oh, right."

"Whatever, I can deal with the bed, I guess," Sam said, covering herself up with the sheets. "I just want to sleep."

"Same here," Freddie agreed, turning off the lamp. "I'm exhausted. I feel like-"

Suddenly there was a loud cry from Bryan's room.

"What kind of baby cries in the middle of the night?" Sam exclaimed.

"Most of them," Freddie mumbled. "He's probably hungry."

"So go feed him."

"I already _did_ feed him," Freddie said. "And he ruined my shirt from the Grand Canyon!"

"But I'm tired," Sam whined.

"I'll wake up with him the next time he gets up," Freddie promised.

"Ugh, fine," Sam said, throwing back the covers as she got up. "Man, Spencer and Ella really owe me."

…


	113. Chapter 113

"How could she get food on the ceiling?" Freddie said as he stood on the island, trying to scrape off the pudding that Dina had flung up there.

"Just hurry," Sam said, picking up the many toys that lay scattered on the living room floor. "Ella said they'd be here in five minutes!"

"I'm hurrying, I'm hurrying," Freddie said.

"And did you ever manage to clean that paint off of Bottle Bott?" Sam asked.

"It wouldn't come off," Freddie said. "So I just got some paint that was the same color as his leg and painted over it."

"Is it noticeable?"

"Not if you don't get too close."

"Whatever," Sam said, kicking the last few toys underneath the couch. "I'm gonna go get Dina dressed really quick. Keep an eye of Bryan."

"Got it," Freddie said.

He finally managed to scrape the pudding off of the ceiling just as Sam came downstairs with a fully dressed Dina.

"Here, play with this," Sam said, handing Dina one of her dolls.

"Everything's all cleaned up," Freddie said, wiping the sweat from his brow.

"Finally," Sam said, dropping down onto the couch.

Just then the front door opened and Spencer, Ella and Carly walked in.

"Hey," Carly smiled. "We're back."

"Oh, I've missed my babies," Ella said, picking up Bryan as Spencer picked up Dina.

"So," Spencer said, turning to Sam and Freddie. "Did you guys have any trouble with them?"

"Nope," Sam said. "They were easy. I don't know what you and Ella are always complaining about."

"I've got to say, I'm surprised the place is in one piece," Ella said.

"Yeah," Carly nodded. "You guys did a really good job watching them."

"Hey!" Spencer exclaimed. "What happened to Bottle Bott?"

"I'm really sorry, Spencer," Freddie said quickly. "I didn't know what else-"

"He had his fencing sword in this arm," Spencer said, switching the sword from Bottle Bott's left arm to his right.

"Oh, um, yeah, it fell and I just put it back in that arm," Freddie said, relieved.

"Well, we're gonna get out of here," Sam said, grabbing Freddie's arm and pulling him towards the door.

"Thanks again for watching them," Ella said. "We really owe you one."

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Freddie asked Sam as they closed the door behind them.

"Your place for a nap?"

"A long one," Freddie yawned. "We probably slept six hours this whole weekend."

"Get a move on it then, Benson," Sam said.

…..

Sam stood in front of the full-length mirror on the back of the girls' bedroom door. She had picked up her wedding dress from the shop a few days ago, and had decided to try it on while she had the apartment to herself.

As much as she normally hated wearing dresses, she had to admit, she absolutely loved this one. It made her feel like a princess.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door.

_That must be Freddie_, she thought frantically as she unzipped the dress and began to quickly undress. _Dang; that nub's not supposed to be here for another hour. _

"Just a second!" Sam called, hanging the dress back up in the closet. She hurriedly pulled on the tank top and shorts she had been wearing before and ran to the front door.

"Oh, it's you," Sam said, opening the door to reveal her sister. "Why'd you knock? You could've just let yourself in."

"I left my key on the dresser," Melanie explained. "And I saw your car in the parking lot, so I knew you were home. Why are you so out of breath?"

"Um, you know, working out," Sam lied.

"Sam, you hate exercise," Melanie said, raising an eyebrow. "What were you doing?"

"Just…trying on some clothes."

"Uh-huh," Melanie smiled knowingly. "And would that happen to include your wedding dress?"

"It might have."

"Can't say I blame you," Melanie said, grabbing a bottle of iced tea from the fridge. "If I was the one getting married, I think I'd try on my dress everyday until the wedding. I just love wedding dresses; I don't think I've ever seen an ugly one."

"Yeah? What about the one mom bought when she almost married that custodian?"

"I forgot about that," she said thoughtfully. "It was sort of…grotesque."

"Yeah, and hideous," Sam nodded.

"That's what-never mind," Melanie sighed. "So, what are you doing tonight?"

"Freddie and I are going to go look around the house we're interested in again. We're gonna talk money with the realtor, and if everything goes well, we're probably going to put in a down payment on the place."

"So when do Carly and I get to see this place?"

"Probably sometime next week. The good news is that if we do buy the house, I can distract Carly from the wedding by letting her help us pick out our new furniture."

"Oh, can I help too? I always wanted to be an interior designer! If I wasn't going to school to become a designer I'd totally want to do that!"

"Yeah, sure," Sam shrugged. "All I care about is making sure I get a comfy bed, big table and a quality T.V. Oh, and kitchen stuff."

"Speaking of which, I finished registering you and Freddie at the mall for your wedding gifts," Melanie said. "Since you couldn't be bothered to."

"Cool, thanks," Sam said. "And remember, don't tell Carly about that or I'll never here the end of it."

"Where is Carly?"

"Tutoring Guppy in algebra," Sam answered. "And then I think those two and Gibby are going to the pet store to buy Guppy a guppy. Looks like you'll have the place for yourself for a little bit tonight."

"Nah, I'm heading out again after I take a shower. Cody and I are going dancing. Hey, if you and Freddie have time after you look at your house you should come with us! It would be a lot of fun."

"Freddie's not into dancing," Sam said. "The only time he's been to a dance club is when he took you to that place when we were fifteen and he thought you were me."

"He's dancing at the wedding, right?"

"Oh yeah," Sam nodded. "I made sure of that."

"Good," Melanie laughed. "I'm gonna go start getting ready. Is it cool if I borrow those purple shoes of yours? They make us 5'8, and that way, Cody won't have to lean down so much when he kisses me."

"Sure," Sam nodded. "How tall is that guy anyway? I swear, he can barely fit through the door."

"6'6," Melanie answered. "He played basketball in high school."

"Wow, and I thought Spencer was tall," Sam said.


	114. Chapter 114

"This pudding is terrible," Gibby frowned, spooning the desert into his mouth.

"That's because it's baby food," Ella told him. "Green Beans, to be specific."

"Oh, well it's not too bad then," Gibby shrugged as he continued to eat.

"Guys, stop goofing around," Carly said. "This is important."

"Then start talking," Spencer told her. "And hurry. T-Bo challenged be to a smoothie drinking contest in half an hour."

"Fine," Carly said, standing up. "As we all know, Sam and Freddie's wedding is in exactly one month and 22 days."

"Yeah," Melanie nodded. "Which means we have a lot of work to do."

"Work?" Gibby frowned. "I didn't sign on for work."

"You're the best man, Gib," Carly sighed. "It's an important job. It's like the male brides maid."

"And have you left anything for Gibby to do?" Ella pointed out.

"Okay, fair enough," Carly shrugged. "But for this, we do need your help."

"We need you and Spencer to start planning Freddie's bachelor party," Melanie said. "And Ella, Carly and I need help planning Sam's bachelorette party."

"Oh," Gibby nodded. "That I can do. I love parties! Hey, can I make it an ostrich theme?"

Carly looked pleadingly as Spencer, who mouthed, 'I'll handle it.'

"We should probably do the parties on the same date," Carly said. "Because if we do one party first, the other will know that theirs will be coming soon too. This way we can really catch them both off guard."

"Good idea," Ella nodded. "How about we do it that weekend before the wedding? They'll both probably be feeling stressed out, so it will be a good way to get them to relax."

"Yeah, that could work," Melanie agreed.

"Alright, so Gibby and Spence, get to work with Freddie's party, and us girls will start on Sam's," Carly instructed. "We'll correspond once a week to see where the other is."

Gibby raised his hand.

"Yes, Gibby?"

"I don't know what correspond means."

…

"Hey, Sam," Carly greeted her best friend as she walked into the apartment. "I saw this living room set at the furniture store that would look great in the house."

"Cool," Sam said, grabbing her car keys. "You want to come with me?"

"Come with you where?"

"The house," Sam replied. "They're delivering the bed me and Freddie ordered last week, and since he had to go into work to finish making those edits to that _Peck and Bell _episode they shot a couple weeks ago, I need someone to help me with it."

"Um, okay, but you do realize I'm not going to be any help moving a bed."

"Yeah, I know," Sam said. "But the rest of the bedroom furniture came yesterday and you know I suck at arranging furniture."

"Oh, well that I can help with," Carly smiled. "So I'm guessing you finished painting the bedroom then?"

"Uh-huh. I've got to say, that weird cream color that Freddie insisted on doesn't look half bad," Sam nodded. "Don't tell him I said that, though."

"Of course not."

Once the girls arrived at the house and the deliverymen had dropped off the bed, Carly and Sam got to work.

"I think you should have the dresser here," Carly said, walking around the room. "It will be at a good angle with the closet. And we can put the lamp here and-"

Suddenly the doorbell rang.

"Are you expecting anyone?" Carly asked Sam.

"No," Sam, who had been tearing the plastic off the mattress, said. "It's probably just some salesmen. I wonder if he's selling any chocolate…"

The two headed to the front door and opened it to reveal a young woman with red hair.

"Um, hi?" Sam said.

"Hello," the woman said brightly. "My name is Jill; I live across the street and I just wanted to introduce myself to my new neighbors!"

"Oh, well, that's…nice," Sam said. "I'm Sam and this is my friend Carly."

"How nice! The two of you are going to love the neighborhood! It's-"

"She's not moving in," Sam said quickly. "She's just helping me unpack. Me and my fiancé Freddie and are going to move in after our wedding."

"Splendid; newlyweds!" Jill said, smiling so big that her face looked like it was going to crack. "Me and my husband Jack moved in here right after we got married too!"

"So you're…Jack and Jill?" Carly asked.

"Yup! And the two of us just love people!" she nodded. "In fact we're co-presidents of the neighborhood Fun Club."

"Fun Club?" Sam repeated.

"That's right! We organize the annual bake-off, the neighborhood street fair, and print the bi-weekly issues of the _Suburbia Gazette_."

"Oh my God," Sam said, looking at Carly, who gave her a 'be nice' stare.

"Now, every Friday is Bingo night at our house," Jill continued. "The winners get shout-outs in the _Gazette_, so come with your game face on! Oh, and Wednesdays are Spooky Story Nights, so you can just scooter yourselves over and be terrified out of your little minds! Can I count you and your husband in once your all moved in?"

"Lady, there's no way we're going to-"

"-be able to resist!" Carly finished for her. "Sam and Freddie will just _love_ that."

"Super!" Jill grinned. "Well, it had been just awesome meeting you, Sam. I can just see the two of us becoming great friends!"

"Really? I don't-" she started, but then Carly elbowed her in the ribcage. "See how we couldn't," she finished, cringing.

"Well, Sam and I really need to get back to unpacking," Carly said to Jill. "Bye!"

"Toodles! Drop by anytime!"

"We've got to move," Sam said as Carly closed the door. "There is no way I'm living next to that freak show!"

"Sam, I know she's a bit…over the top," Carly said. "But you can't go making enemies with your neighbors."

"Why not?"

"Because it just makes things awkward," Carly said. "You don't want to live in a place with all sorts of tension going on, do you?"

"I'm good with tension. I deal with Freddie's mom, don't I?"

"Just be nice," Carly said. "Who knows? Maybe those Bingo Nights will be fun."

"Yeah, and maybe scraping my eyes out with a dull knife won't be painful," Sam said, rolling her eyes. "I'm gonna go start painting the bathroom."

"Well," Carly said as Sam went off to get the paint. "Good luck Jill."


	115. Chapter 115

"No, no, no!" Carly exclaimed into her phone. "I specifically ordered lavender table cloths, not purple!"

"Um, Carly, purple's fine-" Freddie started, but Carly waved at him to shush.

"We'll need to reorder them, then," Carly said. "And I still need them here by the first! I don't care if that's impossible; make it happen!"

"Wow," Freddie said as Carly hung up. "I've heard of Bridezilla's, but I've never seen Maid of Honorzilla."

"Honorzilla?" Carly said, rolling her eyes. "Please."

"Well I think you just made that poor guy at the tablecloth place cry a little," Freddie said.

"I guess I was a little harsh," Carly nodded. "But there's just so much that needs to get done! We need to take Dina's flower girl dress to be fitted, we need to get an extra table into the reception area because Sam's uncles managed to get parole from jail and can come now, I need to make sure the ice sculpture's coming along-"

"Ice sculpture?" Freddie frowned. "We never asked for an ice sculpture."

"Oh trust me, you want one," Carly told him. "And the wedding's in a little less than a month, so everything's getting down to the last part. It's the most stressful time of the wedding."

"I have a feeling when it's time for your wedding you'll be in the hospital with some sort of stress-related aneurism," Freddie said, rolling his eyes.

"Where's Sam, anyway?" Carly asked, ignoring his comment. "Her and I were going to go get the centerpieces."

"She's hanging out with Wendy," Freddie said. "So I'm guessing they're throwing something at somebody."

"Oh, I have to bring Wendy her bridesmaid dress to try on!" Carly said. "I almost forgot about that! I'll drop that off at her place right now, I guess."

"Is it cool if I stay here?" Freddie asked. "I don't know how, but somehow my mom locked all the channels on my T.V. except for the art channel and the a couple of preschool ones."

"Yeah, sure," Carly nodded. "I'll see you in a little-" she stopped talking and her eyes grew wide. "Oh my God!"

"What?" Freddie exclaimed, jumping a little at the sudden outburst.

"I totally forgot all about your honeymoon!"

"What about it?" Freddie frowned.

"Planning it! It's going to be impossible to find any hotels in decent areas that are available with such little notice. Do you think Sam would mind going to Dingoworld for her honeymoon? Or maybe-"

"Relax, Carly," Freddie laughed. "Believe it or not, Sam and I aren't _completely_ hopeless when it comes to wedding stuff. Her and I planned our honeymoon two months ago."

"Two-two months ago?" Carly stammered. "And nobody _told_ me?"

"You've been a little busy," Freddie pointed out. "What with everything else you've been doing."

"Well…yeah," Carly nodded. "Okay, you've got a point. Man, have I really been _that_ crazy with this wedding?"

"Um, just a little bit," Freddie said. "But honestly, Sam and I are fine with it; you're doing a better job with the planning stuff than Sam or I could ever do. Even if you are insane at times."

"Aw, thanks," Carly chuckled. "So, where are you going for your honeymoon?"

"California," he replied. "We booked a hotel right on the beach. We're also going to Hollywood one day for me, and Sacramento another day for Sam."

"Why Sacramento?" Carly asked.

"Apparently there's some great big pig fair there this time of year," Freddie shrugged. "And you know trying to keep Sam from a fair of soon-to-be bacon is like trying to keep Nug Nug from the internal power source of Gati."

"Er, yeah, sure," Carly nodded. "Whatever you say."

….

"Sam, you're over-reacting," Freddie said as him and Sam pulled into the driveway of their new house.

"This woman is a nut job," Sam said, getting out of the car and walking to the trunk.

"I'm sure she's not that bad. Besides, you think everyone's a nut job," Freddie pointed out, opening the trunk and picking up one of the boxes from it.

"But this one really is," Sam said, grabbing the other box. "Are you sure it's too late to move?"

"Sam, we've already put a payment down on this place," he sighed as they walked to the front door. "Besides, it took us forever to find a place we both like. I love this house and so do you."

"Fine," Sam said, rolling her eyes. "But if crazy Jill come over and tries to make us-"

"Yoo-hoo!" came a voice from across the street. The couple turned to see Jill and a man who must've been her husband, Jack, coming over towards them.

"Not again," Sam moaned.

"Well hey there neighbors!" Jill said, stepping happily up to the couple. "Good to see you again! I'm guessing this handsome man must be that fiancé of yours! Oh, he's a cutie!"

"Um, yeah," Freddie said awkwardly. "I'm Freddie."

"Freddie! What a name!" the man said. "I'm Jack! Wow, look at those biceps; you must work out! Do you work out?"

"Er, sometimes."

"Well I just found myself a gym partner, honey," Jack said, smiling at his wife.

"How dandy!" Jill laughed. "And Sam, while the men are getting all sweaty and icky at the gym, I can come over and show you some of my fruit pie recipes! They're all natural and contain no trans fat!"

"I _like_ trans fat," Sam said.

"What a kidder!" Jill exclaimed, chuckling.

"Well, Jack, Jill," Freddie said. "Um, it's been _really _great meeting you and everything, but Sam and I have a few things we need to set up in the house."

"Oh, we can help!" Jack cried. "We're great at decorating! Jill and I won first place in the couples room set up contest last year!"

"No!" Sam said. "I mean…Freddie and I, we, um-"

"-forgot a bunch of boxes back at Sam's apartment," Freddie told them. "I just remembered!"

"Yeah, me too," Sam nodded. "So it looks like we're just going to drop these boxes off and go back and get the others."

"Oh, well hurry back!" Jill said. "We'll be waiting!"

"What are we going to do now?" Sam asked as her and Freddie got back in the car.

"Park on the street behind this one," Freddie said, backing out of the driveway. "Then we'll come in through the backyard and go in the back."

"Nice thinking, Fredwus," Sam said approvingly. "Now, what was it that you were saying about those two being 'not so bad'?"

"I was so, so wrong, baby," Freddie said. "Just promise me one thing."

"What?"

"_Never_ make me go to the gym with that Jack guy."


	116. Chapter 116

"And see with ostrich eggs, you get a lot more of an impact on your target," Wendy told Sam.

"Impressive," Sam nodded approvingly, looking at the carton of ostrich eggs the redhead had brought home from college.

"Um, you two aren't going to throw those at people, are you?" Carly frowned.

"No," Sam said quickly, flashing a grin at Wendy.

"So did you get the dress I dropped off at your house with your parents?" Carly asked Wendy.

"Yup," she nodded. "Looks great, and it fits perfectly."

"Good," Carly nodded. "And Sam, did you stop by Schneider's Bakery yet and approve the final design for the cake?"

"Uh-huh. The guy even added an extra tier for me."

"All right, everything's right on track then," Carly said happily. "Looks like I can relax tonight."

"Why don't the three of us head over to Build-A-Bra?" Wendy suggested. "You know, for old times sake?"

"Sounds like a plan," Sam said. "I need a new strapless bra for my wedding dress anyway."

The door to the girls' apartment opened and Freddie walked in.

"Hey, good to see you again, Wendy," he greeted the girl, giving her a friendly hug.

"You too, Freddie," she said. "You'd better treat Sam good when you two are husband and wife or I might come after you. And trust me, I'm almost as menacing as Sam."

"Er, got it," Freddie nodded. "But you don't have to worry about that. Um, are those ostrich eggs?"

"Yeah," Sam said. "There's an ostrich farm next to Washington State, so Wendy bought a whole bunch before she came back here."

"Can you not throw them at my mom's car this time?" he asked.

"Hey, if she didn't want an eggy windshield she should've dodged the eggs better," Sam pointed out.

"The mall closed in an hour and a half," Carly said, looking at her pearphone. "If we want to go, we'd better leave now."

"What are you guys getting there?" Freddie asked.

"Bras."

"Alrighty then, I'll stay," Freddie said.

"Good choice," Wendy laughed. "And don't touch out ostrich eggs!"

"Bye, Fredpop," Sam said, giving her fiancé a quick kiss on the lips.

"See you, have fun," Freddie said as the girls left the apartment.

…..

"Okay, here's the seating arrangement for the church," Carly said, handing Sam and Freddie a sheet of paper. "Just go over it and make sure you don't want to make any changes, and then Freddie, I'll show you the reception seating arrangements Sam and I finished last night."

"Sounds like a plan," Freddie nodded.

"I need iced tea," Carly commented. "Sam, did you leave me any in the fridge?"

"I was supposed to save you some?"

"Ugh, I'll go buy a bottle from the vending machine in the lobby," she sighed. "And make sure you keep your paws off it."

"Okay," Sam said as Carly headed out. "The left side is where your guests sit, and the right is mine."

"Hey," Freddie frowned. "You have like three times the people on your side as I do mine!"

"Oh, interesting," Sam shrugged. "Anyway-"

"Look at this!" Freddie exclaimed. "You must have a good one hundred people on your side I have maybe thirty."

"Well I have a lot of family members," Sam pointed out. "I _am_ Italian, remember?"

"How many cousins do you have? I don't remember this many at Ella and Spencer's wedding."

"Well that's because these ten were still in jail," Sam explained. "And these uncles couldn't get parole for her wedding because they had just thrown a frozen chicken at one of the CO's."

"Well that's just great," Freddie mumbled. "I'm going to look like a total loser at my own wedding."

"No you're not," Sam assured him. "And if you do, it's not going to be because you have less people on your half of the church. I will probably be because you trip and fall off the alter or something nubish like that."

"Ha, ha," Freddie said dryly.

"Here, maybe we can move some people around," Sam said. "I know, the other writers from work can sit on your half. They all know your techy friends from the editing office, so it will be fine."

"That only gives me five more people," Freddie said.

"Um…oh, here we go," Sam said. "Carly put Gibby's family on my side. They can be with you. Gibby's your best man, after all."

"Okay, that's a little better," Freddie said. "That and the writer's brings me up to ten more people."

"Let's see, the security guards that are there to watch my uncle Carmine and my other family on parole can sit on your side."

"That still gives me even less than half of the amount of people you have."

"Well," Sam said. "We can always go back to our new house and invite Jack and Jill like they've been hinting and have them sit on your side."

"I'm good," Freddie said quickly.

"I thought so," Sam nodded.

"Wow," Freddie said, leaning back in his seat. "Can you believe it?"

"Believe what?"

"Only two more weeks," Freddie said. "And then we're officially married."

"That seems so close," Sam said.

"I know," Freddie nodded. "Right around the corner."

"It's…exciting," Sam said. "Do you think we're ready for it, though?"

Freddie put his arm around her and pulled her close to him. "Yeah," he said. "I think we are."


	117. Chapter 117

"So," Carly said as her, Sam and Freddie walked through the main lobby of the television studio on their way to the parking lot after work. "Just think, Sam. Today was your last day of work being Samantha Puckett. When you come back on Monday, you'll be Samantha Benson."

"A week from Monday," Sam reminded her. "Freddie and I get time off for our honeymoon, remember?"

"Right, right," Carly nodded. "So all your relatives are in Seattle?"

"Most of them, yeah," Sam nodded. "My cousin Gale is coming in tomorrow afternoon and my aunt Laura should be here by tonight."

"What about you, Freddie?"

"Yup, everyone's here already," Freddie nodded. "My grandparents are staying with my mom, my dad's staying with an old friend and everyone else found hotels."

"Looks like we're all set for Sunday," Carly said brightly.

"Good," Sam said. "Hey, can we stop and get Chinese food on the way home? I'm starving and-"

"Is that Spencer standing by your car?" Freddie frowned.

Sure enough, Spencer was leaning against the hood of Carly's car, grinning as the three approached.

"What are you doing here?" Sam asked.

"Well, Ms. Bride-To-Be," Carly said, linking arms with her best friend. "It's sort of a tradition for people to have a sort of…party before they get married."

"Wait, is this-?" Freddie started.

"Yup!" Spencer nodded happily. "Happy Surprise Bachelor/Bachelorette party!"

"Everyone's waiting for us down at that dance place you like," Carly said to Sam.

"And everyone's waiting for you at that new place downtown," Spencer told Freddie. "Now come on! I've got my party on!"

"Um, please never say that again," Carly frowned. "But seriously, let's get going!"

"You guys are the best," Sam said, hugging Carly.

"Yeah, thanks," Freddie smiled.

"Yes, yes, we know," Spencer said, pulling Freddie towards his car. "Now hurry up! I want to dance!"

…

"Mmmmm," Sam moaned, burying her head under her pillow. "What time is it?"

"Almost two o'clock," Carly yawned, sitting up in her old bed.

"We slept the whole day away?" Melanie frowned, sliding on her slippers.

"We didn't get home until three," Sam pointed out. "Man, that's almost twelve hours without eating…I'm starved."

"Oh, shoot, eight missed calls," Carly said, looking at her pearphone as Sam climbed down from the top bunk.

"From who?" Sam asked.

"The flower place…but they left a message. All they wanted to confirm that everything was delivered to the church and reception area. Let's see, two from the band, again just confirming that everything's fine, and then five from…uh-oh."

"What?" Sam asked, sitting down at the end of Carly's bed. "Why uh-oh?"

"It's the priest who's supposed to be performing the wedding tomorrow," Carly said. "Hang on, he left a voice mail…"

"I'm sure it's nothing," Melanie assured her sister, sitting down next to her. "He's probably just calling to check the time or something like-"

"No!" Carly exclaimed. "No! No, no, no!"

"What?" Sam demanded.

"The priest just told us that he can't make it tomorrow," Carly said. "He came down with some sort of weird stomach virus from his trip to Europe!"

"What are we going to do?" Sam asked. "The wedding's in almost 24 hours and we have no one to marry me and Freddie!"

"Do you think you can find someone else really quick?" Melanie asked.

"I don't know, I'll try," Carly said. "Can you grab me a phonebook?"

"Carls, when was the last time any one of us used a phonebook?" Sam cried. "For the love of ham use the Internet on you phone!"

"Oh, right," Carly said.

"Man, this is a disaster," Sam moaned.

"Calm down, everything will work out," Melanie said.

"No it won't!" Sam said. "There's no way we can find someone last minute! The wedding's ruined! Jeeze, you see what this is doing to me? It's making me act like Carly!"

"Hey!" Carly said, offended.

"Come on, I'll cook you some eggs," Melanie said. "And bacon."

""Fine," Sam sighed. "No use in starving myself. Can you add that special soy sauce to the eggs?"

"Gross," Melanie cringed. "But, whatever."

The twins left Carly in the bedroom as they headed out to the kitchen.

"I still can't believe this," Sam said, pouring herself a cup of coffee.

"It _is_ bad luck," Melanie agreed. "But Carly will find someone. She's great with this sort of thing."

"I hope," Sam mumbled.

Just then the door opened and a tired, but cheerful looking Freddie walked in.

"Hey," he smiled, giving Sam a quick kiss on the lips. "You guys just wake up too."

"Uh-huh," Sam said glumly.

"What's wrong?" Freddie frowned.

"The priest just called and said he couldn't make it," Sam said. "Carly's trying to find a replacement now, but I don't think she'll have much luck last minute."

"He canceled?"

"He got some European virus," Sam said.

"Really?" Freddie said. "That's, um, too bad. Well, I just wanted to stop by and see if you guys got back from your party last night safely. I'll see you at the around."

"Wait, where are you going?" Sam demanded. "You're not going to help us?"

"I'd love to, babe, but my mom really needs me to help her with her uncle Stevie. Apparently he's stuck in the tub or something. I'll stop by again before the rehearsal dinner tonight, though."

"I'm going to kill him at that dinner," Sam mumbled. "Leaving me to deal with this…"

"Sam," Carly said, running into the kitchen, her phone pressed against her ear. "Would you object to having an eleven year old priest marry the two of you? He's apparently some sort of prodigy. We'd just have to bump back the wedding time to six to make sure he's home for his bedtime."

Sam groaned as she buried her head in her arms.

….

"Oh, what about this guy?" Carly asked, scrolling down the list on her laptop. "He's performed over one hundred weddings."

"Um, look closer," Melanie frowned. "They were all dog weddings."

"Okay, what about him?" Carly asked. "He seems decent."

"He marries people in prison," Sam pointed out, reading his description.

"Well I'm sure he could still perform a wedding for two people not in prison," Carly reasoned.

"No, I mean it says that _he's_ in prison," Sam said. "He was selling used cars illegally over the Internet."

"Man, is really unhelpful," Carly sighed. She looked at her watch. "And it looks like the rehearsal dinner's in three hours."

"Great, we're going to have to call off the wedding," Sam said.

"I'll keep looking while you two start getting ready," Melanie offered. "There's got to be someone…"

Suddenly the front door opened and Freddie walked in.

"Oh, look who decided to come back," Sam snapped.

"Hello to you too," he replied, rolling his eyes.

"Hey, I'm with her on this one," Carly stepped in. "Your wedding's on the verge of being canceled because it seems like there's no available priest in Seattle for tomorrow and you leave to go pull your uncle out of a tub!"

"Excuse me, but I happened to have fixed this while dilemma," Freddie said proudly.

"How?" Sam asked suspiciously, crossing her arms.

"Well, it took a lot of steaks and my next paycheck, but I found us a priest," he replied.

"You did?" Sam exclaimed.

"Uh-huh," he nodded, grinning. "And not just any priest; Father McGarthy. Or you may know him as-"

"The world's fattest priest?" Sam cried. "You didn't!"

"I did," Freddie said, holding his arms out as Sam threw hers around his neck.

"Wait, so that's what you were doing all this time?" Melanie asked.

"Uh-huh. I had to track down his number from that world records lady. He said he'll be at the church an hour before the wedding tomorrow."

"You're the best," Sam said, giving him a kiss. "I can't believe I'm going to be married by the world's fattest priest! I'm the luckiest girl alive!"


	118. Chapter 118

"Alright, how's it going in here?" Carly asked, coming into the room in the church where Sam was sitting in front a large mirror. She was dressed in her wedding dress and was carefully applying lipstick while Melanie, Ella and Wendy worked on her hair.

"Pretty good," Melanie said. "I had to stop Sam from eating a barbecue rib sandwich that she smuggled in here, but other than that everything's fine."

"I'm starving," Sam moaned.

"You'll eat at the reception in two hours and eleven minutes," Carly said, looking at her pearphone. "I'm just going to check on the lighting by the alter and then I'll be right back."

"I don't know how she's doing all this running in those heels of hers," Wendy said, combing through Sam's golden locks.

"I know, but she's been planning this thing for the past six months," Melanie pointed out. "She's probably just excited to see everything finally happening."

Sam didn't say anything as her sister and Wendy began to add a few extra curls with a curling iron.

"You okay?" Melanie asked, noticing her twin's silence.

"Yeah," Sam nodded.

"Nervous?" Ella asked knowingly.

Sam nodded again. Ever since she had woken up this morning, she had felt the cliché butterflies fluttering around in her stomach. It almost stopped her from eating her bacon this morning. Almost.

"Everyone feels that way before the big moment," Melanie assured her. "It's natural."

"What if something goes wrong?" Sam asked softly.

"I think Carly has made absolutely sure that everything goes smoothly," Wendy laughed.

"No," Sam said, looking at the ground. "What if-what if Freddie doesn't say 'I do'?"

"That's crazy!" Melanie said.

"Yeah, that kid's head over heels for you," Wendy nodded.

"But what if he realizes that I'm all wrong for him?" Sam asked. "What if he realizes he deserves someone better than a mean, aggressive, loud wife?"

"What's going on?" Carly asked, coming back into the room.

"She's having all these ridiculous delusions that Freddie's going to dump her at the alter," Wendy said.

"That's insane!" Carly exclaimed.

"That's what we said," Melanie nodded.

"Sam," Carly said seriously, kneeling down next to Sam's chair. "You've dated Freddie for three years. You've been friends with him for nearly ten. You know he's in love with you. How often does he say it?"

"Everyday," Sam mumbled.

"Exactly! Look, I think I speak for everyone in this church when I say that you and Freddie are literally meant to be together. Freddie loves you. Everyone knows it, and so do you."

Sam nodded. "Thanks, Carls."

"What are Maid of Honor's for?" she smiled. She stood back up. "Okay, you two, finish her hair! Then we need to get our bridesmaid pictures in and then it's show time!"

…

"Mom! Ow!" Freddie cried as his mom ran a comb through his hair.

"Fredward Benson you stay still!" she ordered. "This is your wedding day, and I will not have you out there for everyone to see dressed like a slob!"

"Your hair _does_ look nicer now," Gibby said.

"Gibby!"

"And straighten your bow tie," his mother continued. "I knew we should've gone with the red instead of the black. And-"

"Aw, look at wittle Freddie all dressed up," Spencer cooed, walking into the room.

"Hey," Freddie greeted him, freeing himself from his mother's grasp.

"Mrs. Benson, Carly said that guests are arriving so you should start directing everyone to the seats."

"Oh, right, of course," she nodded. "I almost forgot. I'll see you at the alter, everyone! And Freddie, make sure you use the restroom. You wouldn't want any embarrassing accidents while everyone is staring at you; you remember how awful you felt in your first grade play when you-"

"Mom!"

"So, I take it you've been having a fun time in here," Spencer said as Marissa hurried out.

"Hey, have you guys tried these peanuts?" Gibby asked, taking some nuts from a glass dish on the dressing table. "I think they're honey roasted. You want some, Freddie?"

"No," he shook his head. "I'm too nervous to eat."

"Ah, the pre-wedding jitters," Spencer smiled, clapping a hand on Freddie's shoulder. "I remember them well. Don't worry; they'll go away once everything starts."

"Good," he nodded. "Because right now I feel like my stomach's going to fall right out of me."

"Dude, that would be gross," Gibby said.

"Don't worry about it," Spencer told him. "You're going to be fine. The wedding's going to start in half an hour and then after the priest says a few things, BAM! You and Sam are a betroved couple."

"Unless something goes wrong," Freddie frowned. "What if I forget my vows? Or I drop the ring? Or-Or what if one of Sam's relatives here on parole decides to make a run for it in the middle of the ceremony and takes out all the security guards?"

"Okay, Freddie, listen. None of that's going to happen," Spencer said. "Believe me. I was thinking those same thoughts right before I married Ella, but you know what? It turned out I was over reacting! And if my wedding turned out relatively normal, then I'm sure yours will too."

Freddie chuckled. "You've got a point there."

There was a knock at the door and Carly poked her head in. "Hey."

"Hey," Freddie smiled. "You look nice."

"Aw, thanks," Carly said, walking over to give him a friendly hug. "You do too. I just wanted to see how you were holding up."

"Pretty well, I guess," Freddie said. "Even though I'm pretty sure my heart's beating twice its usual pace."

"Relax, Sam's nervous too," she told him.

"Really? She never gets nervous."

"Well she is now," Carly said. "But a good nervous, you know? Anywhere I read in some magazine that if the couple isn't nervous the day of the wedding it's not a good sign for their future, so this is really a good thing."

"If you say so," he laughed.

"Anyway, it's about time to start getting ready out there," Carly said. "Freddie, you need to get up at the alter, Spencer, go find Sam so you can walk her down the aisle, and Gibby come with me; you're walking me in."

"Alright," Gibby said, standing up. "Let's go."

He held his hand out to Carly, who reached for it, but then stopped.

"Um, Gib?" she said. "Why do you have peanut dust on your hands?"

"Because I was eating peanuts; duh."

"Wash them. Wash them now."

…..

"Oh, you look so pretty!" Melanie said as she finished placing Sam's veil on her head. "I can't wait to look like this for my wedding!"

"Wow," Sam's mom said, walking into the room. "You make a hot bride, kid."

"Mom, you're supposed to me sitting with Lewbert in there!" Melanie said. "The wedding's going to start in ten minutes!"

"I'm the mother, I had to see my daughter before she became a wife," Pam said. "Like I said, Sam, you look good."

"Thanks, mom," Sam said.

"I know neither of us are good with this cheesy chiz, so I'll be quick," Pam said. "I've-I've watched you grow up into this…beautiful young woman, and now you're getting married and soon you'll be starting your own family, and-and I just wanted to let you know how much I love you. Even though I have an…odd way of showing it."

Sam smiled. "I love you too."

The two stood in silence for a moment before Melanie cleared her throat and said, "You guys are probably supposed to hug now."

Pam laughed and pulled her daughter into an embrace. "Good luck out there, Sammy." She pulled away. "Alright, I'm out of here. I think your uncle Todd was trying to squeeze Lewbert's wart…"

As Pam left, Spencer entered. "Whoa, Sam, you look…beautiful."

"Thanks."

"Mel, Carly says you need to go with her, Wendy and Ella. It's almost time."

"Oh, right," Melanie nodded. She turned to her sister and gave her one last hug. "Everything's going to be fine. This is the happiest day of your life. Just go out there and do what you do, okay?"

"Alright, now go," Sam said. "Or you'll miss your entrance and screw up my whole wedding."

Melanie smiled and shook her head as she quickly left the room.

"How's Freddie?" Sam asked. "I haven't seen him all day."

"He's doing well," Spencer replied. "Nervous, but well."

Sam nodded. "So, do we have to get out there too?"

"Unless you want Carly to have an aneurysm, yes," Spencer nodded. He held out his arm for her. "Well, I guess this is the last time anyone can address you like this, so come on, Ms. Puckett. Time for you to get married."

…

Freddie stood at the front of the church. He looked out at the wedding guests; his side with his mother and father, both sitting a good distance apart from one another, his grandparents and other relatives and friends, and Sam's side, with her loud, crazy family.

He saw the organ player take his seat and the music began.

Dina was the first one out. She was wearing a yellow dress and was happily throwing flower petals throughout the aisle, just as Carly and Sam had spent weeks teaching her to do. Then the ring bearer came out, holding the satin pillow with the two wedding bands placed in the middle. Next came Melanie, Wendy and Ella, then Carly and Gibby together.

Freddie felt his heart skip a beat as he prepared for what was next.

The guests all stood up as Sam entered with Spencer. All the nervousness and anxiety Freddie had been feeling only moments before vanished as he saw Sam approach him, looking absolutely breathtaking. He could feel a goofy grin spreading over his face, but he didn't care. He felt like the happiest man alive.

When Spencer and Sam reached the alter, Spencer gave Sam a kiss on the cheek and she stepped up to the alter. She smiled at Freddie through her veil. "Try not to drool, nub," she said as Freddie lifted it up.

Once everyone had taken his or her seats, Father McGarthy cleared his throat. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join Fredward Benson and Samantha Puckett in holy matrimony. Now, the bride has asked me to skip all the usual formalities I usually say at weddings and get right down to business. The couple has written their own vows, which they will now recite to one another. Mr. Benson, if you would start us off."

"Okay," Freddie nodded, still not taking his eyes off Sam. "Sam, I've known you for a good portion of my life. We started off as enemies, and then we slowly progressed towards tolerating the other, then we moved to being close friends, and then finally, boyfriend and girlfriend. Today we're going to make the final transition and become husband and wife and I couldn't be more excited. You're the only girl I could ever imagine spending the rest of my life with. I know that throughout our lives you're going to cause me physical pain, probably call me names everyday and eat all of my food. But I also know that you're going to make everyday worth living for me. I love you, Sam, and I always will."

Freddie heard Carly whisper "Aw!" to Melanie, and he saw Sam's cheek turn a rosy shade as she tried not to blush.

"Very beautiful," Father McGarthy said. "Now Ms. Puckett, your turn."

Sam took a deep breath. "When I fist met you, Freddie, I took the corndog you were eating, pulled down your pants and shoved you into a locker. Later, when Carly made me let you out of the locker and apologize to you, you asked me why I did that. I told you it was because you looked like a total loser and that I knew I hated you, but that was a lie. I didn't know exactly what it was, and I didn't figure it out until much later, but there was something about you. And while we fought a lot, even after we started high school, whenever I told you I hated you, I never once meant it. When we finally started dating, I always kept asking myself what I did to deserve you, and even today, I still don't know the answer. All I know is that I love you. I want to be with you forever. I know I'm hard to get along with, but no matter how many times I call you names and pull your pants down in public and steal your food, I'll never stop loving you."

This time Carly 'Awed' so loud that the entire church heard her.

"Precious," Father McGarthy said. "Now then, the rings, please?"

Sam and Freddie each took the others ring from the ring bearer.

"Samantha Puckett, do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband? For better or for worse? Through sickness and through health? Till death do you part?"

"I do." Before she slid Freddie's ring onto his finger, she mouthed "Read it."

Remembering the engravings inside the rings, Freddie looked at the inner part of the ring. It read _Forever and Always_.

"And Fredward Benson, do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife? For better of for worse? Through sickness and through health? Till death do you part?"

"I do." And before he slid Sam's ring onto her finger, he showed her the engraving he had written for her, which said _Perfection_,

"Does anyone object to the union of these two people?" Father McGarthy. "Speak now or forever hold your peace."

There was complete silence.

"Then by the power vested in my by the state of Washington, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Cheers erupted as Sam and Freddie shared their first kiss as husband and wife. Then from somewhere in the crowd came the loud cry of "Seddie!".

Sam and Freddie broke apart and saw the infamous Gilbert smiling happily as he continued to chant "Seddie! Seddie! Seddie!"

"Did you invite him?" Sam asked Carly, trying to suppress a laugh.

"No," Carly said.

"How the heck did he get in here then?"

"No idea," Carly shrugged. "Want me to call security?"

"Nah," she grinned. "Let him stay."

…

The reception was held at a large hall about five minutes from the church. Guests were already getting seated at their tables when Sam and Freddie entered.

"Ladies and Gentlemen!" Spencer said loudly, standing up. "Presenting for the first time ever; Mr. and Mrs. Benson!"

Claps rang through the hall as Sam and Freddie found their table.

"We did it," Freddie whispered to Sam. "You're my wife."

"And I'm stuck with a nub for a husband," Sam grinned, leaning in to kiss him again.

"Congratulations, you guys!" Carly exclaimed, running over to the couple and sitting down at their table. "Your vows to each other were amazing!"

"Thanks," Freddie said. "And Carls, thanks for organizing this whole thing. We really couldn't have done this without you."

"Yeah," Sam nodded. "I promise when you get married, I'll do the same for you…although now that I think about it, you'll probably want to go through all this planning stuff again. Whatever, I'll do _something_ big for you."

"Aw, you're the best," Carly laughed. "And before you ask, the food should be served any minute."

Sure enough, a line of waiters came into the hall carrying sliver platters. Melanie came over to the table with Cody and Joey found Carly just as plates of fine ham were placed in front of everyone.

"Best. Ham. Ever," Sam said, digging in right away.

"It is really good," Freddie commented.

"Yeah," Cody nodded. "And I don't even like ham that much."

Sam almost choked on her meat. "Mel. Dump him."

"So," Joey said, cutting his own ham. "When do you guys leave for your honeymoon?"

"Tonight," Freddie answered. "Our plane for California leaves tonight at two. Or rather, tomorrow morning at two. We're heading over to the airport right after this."

"Hey!" Spencer said, standing up from the next table, clinking his glass with his spoon. "I'd like to make a toast to the bride and groom. I've watched these two grow up. They both practically lived at my house while they were growing up, and I feel like I know both of them very well. I just want to say that I know they'll be very happy together, and that I think that they're one of the most perfect couples out there. So to Sam and Freddie! May they have a wonderful life together!"

"To Sam and Freddie!" echoed around the hall.

"I'd like to make a toast too," Carly said, standing up with her glass as well. "Sam and Freddie are two of my closest friends. When we were kids I had to referee their fights and keep Sam from causing Freddie serious pain. I still have to do that, and I probably always will, but even with all of that, I know that the two of them will have a strong marriage. They are the definition of a couple, even if they are a bit…odd at times. But hey, that's what's going to make their lives so entertaining over the years! So to Sam and Freddie…again!"

Once the plates had been clear, the DJ introduced the band, who began to play. Freddie stood up and extended his hand to Sam for their first dance.

Freddie wasn't a dancer. He tripped over his own feet whenever he attempted the simplest of moves. But he knew how much Sam liked it, so for the past month, he had been practicing in his apartment.

"Hey, you don't suck!" Sam whispered excitedly.

"Thank you," Freddie laughed.

When the dance ended, there was applause before everyone else made his or her way onto the dance floor.

Freddie ended up talking with a few of his cousins while Sam continued to dance, though he did find his way back to her frequently.

At last it was time to cut the cake, and Sam of course took the tradition of smearing icing on the groom's nose to a whole new level and plastered a whole piece into Freddie's face. He didn't mind in the slightest, though, and simply countered by doing the same to her.

The reception ended around ten o'clock. After saying their goodbyes to everyone Sam and Freddie found Carly.

"You guys are heading off to the airport now?" Carly asked.

"Yeah, we're just going to go change," Sam nodded. "You'll take my dress back to the house?"

"Yup, along with your presents," she smiled.

"You're not going to start opening them, are you?" Freddie asked knowingly.

"No, no," Carly said, eyeing the pile of presents eagerly. "Come on, Sam. I'll help you get out of the dress. I'll see you when you get back from California, Freddie."

"See you, Carls. Thanks again for everything."

"So," Carly said as her and Sam headed a room in the back of the hall where Sam had a change of clothes. "Does it feel any different?"

"Does _what_ feel any different?"

"Being married!" Carly exclaimed.

"Oh, that," Sam said. "Sort of…it feels…"

"Amazing?" Carly asked.

"Yeah," Sam smiled. "Amazing."


	119. Chapter 119

Sam slowly opened her eyes as the sun began to creep onto her face from the open window next to the bed. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes as she sat up, lounging against the pillows.

"Hey," Freddie smiled, walking out of the bathroom, running a towel through his wet hair. He sat back down on the bed and gave his new wife a long kiss. "Morning."

"Morning," Sam grinned once the two had broken apart.

"You look really beautiful first thing in the morning, you know," he said, running his hand through her tangled curls.

"You need to stop being such a sap," Sam laughed.

Freddie raised an eyebrow. "You really want me to?"

Sam smiled. "Maybe not."

"Good," Freddie said. "So, what do you want to do on our first day as a married couple in California? Hit the beach? Go shopping?"

"Why don't we just enjoy the room for the first day?" Sam asked. "This _is _a four-star place, you know."

"Sounds good," Freddie said. "Breakfast in bed? I'll call room service?"

"Better make it lunch," Sam said, looking at the clock. "It's one in the afternoon."

"Lunch it is," Freddie nodded. He picked up a menu and handed it to Sam. "Here. I'm going to go brush my teeth while you decided what you want."

"I just want three of everything," Sam said. "I don't need a menu."

"Surprise, surprise," he laughed. "Well, if you know what you want, you can just call for it."

"'K," she nodded, picking up the phone.

After Freddie had rinsed and spit, he climbed back onto the bed and pulled his arms around Sam.

"Food's going to be here in twenty minutes," Sam said, nuzzling her head into his shoulder. "I should probably go get dressed."

"Nah, if we're not going out, who cares what you wear?" Freddie said. "I happen to think you look pretty sexy in that old t-shirt of mine."

"Good," Sam said. "Because odds are you aren't getting it back." She reached for her pearphone and unlocked it. "One missed call from Carly," she commented. "I told her not to call on the first day."

"It's Carly," Freddie said, rolling her eyes. "You know she couldn't restrain herself."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Sam nodded. "I'll call her back tomorrow. In the mean time," she leaned up and kissed Freddie's lips. "I know what we can do for the eighteen minutes until the food comes."

….

"Sam!"

"Ow, Carly!" Sam cringed as her best friend threw her arms around her in a huge hug. "You have no idea how sunburned I am."

"Sorry," Carly said, releasing her. "I've just missed both of you so much."

"We missed you too, Carls," Freddie said.

"Yeah," Sam nodded. "So how about me and Freddie go find our luggage and then we can go out for lunch."

"How can you still be hungry?" Freddie asked. "You must've eaten at least twenty bags of peanuts."

"I can't fill up on those," Sam said. "Oh, and Carls, you're not going to believe this thing I found at that pig fair in California! It's a bacon alarm clock!"

"A bacon alarm clock?" Carly repeated.

"Oh, yes," Freddie nodded. "It's a real thing."

"It's a wooden box that has a pig face painted on it with a built in clock," Sam explained. "And inside the box is this frying pan thingy. Anyway, the night before you just put in the uncooked bacon, set the alarm, and the next morning you wake up to the scent of bacon!"

"Wow," Carly smiled. She turned to Freddie. "You do realize that you whole bedroom is going to smell like bacon now?"

"Eh," he shrugged. "At least she'll be easy to wake up now."

"That's true," she agreed. "But how was the rest of the honeymoon? The beaches? Hollywood? The hotel?"

"Hollywood was the best," Freddie said eagerly. "Guess who we met?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe-"

"Alan Redwood!"

"Um, who?"

Freddie gasped.

"Don't worry, Carls, I had no idea who this dude was either," Sam said.

"He's only the best short films director around," Freddie said. "He directed and stared in over one hundred short films and he's famous for using light as almost its own character."

"We also saw Mathew McConaughey," Sam said, ignoring her husband.

"No way! Was he as beautiful in person as he is on screen?"

"More," Sam grinned. "I _was_ going to ask for his autograph, but then this one saw this store that sold autobiography DVD's on all these famous directors and dragged me inside."

"Well how was your hotel on the beach?" Carly asked. "I've always wanted to stay in a place like that."

"So amazing," Sam said. "You know the hotel had a hot tub on the balcony of each room?"

"And the beach was great too," Freddie added. "The ocean was so clear."

"I'm glad you guys had fun," Carly said as Sam and Freddie grabbed their bags from the luggage carousel. "And you'll be happy to know that all your wedding presents are waiting at your new house, completely unwrapped, I might add."

"I forgot about the presents!" Sam exclaimed. "Let's go open them now!"

"What happened to lunch?" Freddie asked.

"Order take out when we get there," she said. "Come on! I want my presents!"

….

"Wow," Freddie said as Sam ripped the paper off of a toaster oven one of her cousins had purchased for the couple. At least, Freddie _hoped_ it was purchased. "I think we pretty much got everything we need for our kitchen. Plates, silverware, a blender, microwave…we're all set."

"And you guys got a lot of other cool stuff," Carly reminded them. "I think I might come over here to use that his and her bath set thing Wendy got you guys."

"Just your present's left now," Sam said, picking up the last of the gifts.

"It took forever to find everything," Carly said as Sam started to tear off the paper.

"Sam, can't I at least open one?" Freddie asked.

"Um, yeah, sure," Sam said slowly. She handed Freddie the partially wrapped gift. Freddie began to neatly unwrap the gift. Sam sighed audibly but didn't say anything. After nearly a minute, Freddie revealed a lavender photo album. He opened up and saw page after page filled with pictures of him and Sam.

"Some of these are pretty old," Sam commented, looking at a picture of her eleven year-old self making bunny-ears behind the pre-teen Freddie. "You kept these all these years?"

"Yup," Carly nodded proudly.

"How'd you get some of these?" Freddie asked, flipping further into the book to see more recent pictures of him and Sam sitting on the couch kissing and cuddling.

"You guys seriously forget I'm in the room sometimes," Carly told them. "So of course you don't notice when I snap a picture every now and then. Oh, and I added the last page the day after the wedding."

Freddie went to the last page and saw pictures of him and Sam at the alter, him and Sam cutting their cake, sharing their first dance, and laughing in each others arms.

"Carly, this is…unbelievable," Freddie said.

"Definitely," Sam agreed. "Thanks a lot, kid."

"You're welcome," Carly chuckled. "So, what are you guys going to do on you first day in your new house as a married couple?"

"We have to finish unpacking everything still," Sam replied. "And now that we got all this new stuff, we'll have to find places for them."

"So you're going to be…decorating?"

"Yes, Carly," Sam said, shaking her head. "You're more than welcome to help."

"Sweet!" she exclaimed. "Can I start with these wall hangings? They'd look so good in the front entrance! Or maybe above the fireplace…hmmm…oh well, I'll figure it out. And this vase you guys got would look great under that doilies set that-"

"You know, we could probably just sit here and watch T.V. the rest of the day and she wouldn't notice," Sam whispered to Freddie.

"I think you're right," he nodded.


	120. Chapter 120

"Wow, pretty sweet crib," Sam's mom said, looking around her daughter's house.

"Thanks," Sam said, rolling some meatballs.

"Kinda big for only two people, though, don't you think? Me you and your sister lived in that dinky one bedroom place for the longest time, remember?"

"The place with that weird French guy living next door? Yeah, I remember."

"So what are you doing with the three other bedrooms?" Pam asked.

"We made one a guest bedroom," Sam said. "And then Freddie's using another one for an office and we don't know what we're going to use the fourth one for so we just keep a bunch of things that we don't know where else to put them."

"Good deal," Pam nodded. "Well, now I know where I can crash if I ever need a place."

"You're kidding, right?"

"I've got to run," Pam said, grabbing her purse. "I'm getting a tattoo of an alligator on my spine."

"Have fun," Sam said, rolling her eyes.

She put some sauce in a saucepan and then placed the meatballs inside. Just as she was putting some water on the stove to boil for the spaghetti, the front door opened and Freddie came in.

"Hi," he said, kissing Sam on the lips. "Smells good."

"I was bored," Sam said, shrugging. "So I figured why not make food."

"Sounds like something you'd do," he laughed. "Saw your mom outside. Is she really getting another tattoo?"

"Yup," Sam nodded. "You know, I always promised myself that by the time I was eighteen I would have at least three tattoos."

"So what happened?"

"I'm…not a fan of needles," Sam muttered. "My mom took me to the parlor on my fifteenth birthday. I was going to get a ham on my shoulder blade but then I saw the size of the needle and I-"

"Chickened out?" Freddie finished, grinning.

"Shut up," Sam said, hitting him in the arm. "You can't tell anyone that. I have a rep, you know?"

"Relax, I won't tell anyone," Freddie said, still grinning.

"You'd better not," Sam warned. "Just because we're married doesn't mean I won't beat you up. So how was that monkey movie you saw with Gib?"

"Monkey couldn't act," Freddie said simply. "Anyway, we saw this trailer for this cool looking-"

Suddenly the doorbell rang. Freddie got up to answer it, but Sam pulled him back. "Don't answer it. It's Jill. She's been coming over all day trying to get us to come to some potluck dinner at her house tonight."

"Those people can't take a hint, can they?" Freddie said.

"Well if _somebody_ would let me-"

"No, Sam! No butter sock."

"Well then we're going to be stuck dealing with them the rest of our lives!"

"Look," Freddie said. "Maybe tomorrow if we sit down with them and calmly explain that we'd just like a little space, they'd-"

"Guys, I know you're home!" called the voice from behind the front door. "Both your cars are here!"

"Spencer?" Freddie said, opening the door and letting the man in. "What are you doing here?"

"Bryan's just getting over a cold and he's finally going to sleep for the first time all day," Spencer said, walking into the house with Dina. "So she told me to take Dina somewhere so she wouldn't wake him up. Oh, do I smell meatballs?"

"We thought you were crazy Jill!" Sam said. "Tell Freddie I should be allowed to use my butter sock on that whack job!"

"Hey, I hear you," Spencer said to Sam. "I know my fair share about dealing with whack job neighbors. I _do _live across the hall from Freddie's mom."

"This lady is even worse!" Sam exclaimed.

"My mom's not _that _big a whack job," Freddie defended.

Spencer and Sam looked at him.

"Okay, maybe she is," Freddie sighed.

"Whoa! You guys have the limited edition cotton candy pudding!" Spencer said happily, opening the fridge and grabbing a cup. "This stuff is delicious!"

"Don't eat my food," Sam said.

"Heh, it's kind of funny being on the other side of that saying," Spencer chuckled, ignoring her as he opened the pudding.

"Hey, you guys," Carly said, opening the front door and walking in with Melanie. "Oh yum, spaghetti."

"Shut the door, will you?" Sam hissed. "And lock it!"

"Are we hiding from Jack and Jill?" Carly asked.

"Yup," Freddie nodded. "She wants us to go to a potluck. Sam says she's been coming by all day."

"Hey, Sam?" Melanie asked, looking at her phone. "Is it cool if Cody stops by? He loves spaghetti and meatballs."

"Sure, why not?" Sam said, rolling her eyes. "We've already got the whole group here. Unannounced."

"You remember when we were in high school and I told you that one day I was going to be the one crashing at your house all the time?" Carly asked, grabbing a water from the fridge. "Well, it starts now. You guys have the best place, so this is where we hang out from now on."

"Yeah, it's group dynamics," Spencer nodded, finishing off his pudding.

"Guess we should've expected this," Freddie said to Sam.

The front door opened again and this time Gibby walked in. "Hey, Freddie, you left your wallet in my car."

"Oh, thanks, Gib," Freddie said, catching the wallet Gibby tossed to him.

"How'd you get in?" Carly asked. "I locked the door behind me."

"Freddie keeps his key in his wallet," Gibby said.

"Idiot," Sam said, shaking her head at her husband.

"It kept falling out of my pocket!" Freddie exclaimed. "My pockets aren't skin tight like yours!"

"Alright, meatballs!" Gibby said, looking in the pan. "I'm starved!"

"So I guess I'll get eight plates out then," Freddie said. "Spence, there's some folding chairs in the hall closet. We need four more for the table."

"On it," Spencer said, heading off.

The front door opened again.

"Who else is here?" Carly asked.

"That might be Cody," Melanie said. "He only lives five minutes away."

"Yoo-hoo!" came a sickingly cute voice. "Anyone home?"

"Oh no," Sam frowned.

"I saw the door was open," Jill said, walking into the kitchen. "So I just let myself in. I knew you wouldn't mind."

Sam threw Gibby a dirty look.

"Anyway, I was just coming over to see if you changed your mind about the potluck. Oh, I see you have company! Well you all can of course come! The more the merrier!"

"Cool," Gibby said. "That sounds like-" Sam elbowed him in the gut, which made him fall silent.

"Um, actually," Carly said as Sam opened her mouth. "We're actually, um…in mourning."

"Mourning?" Jill gasped. "Oh no!"

"Yes," Carly nodded. "Sadly, my brother Spencer passed away today."

Freddie chocked on the drink he had been sipping.

"Daddy dead?" Dina asked.

"Kids," Carly said sadly. "She still doesn't understand what's going on. Anyway, we were having a private get together to remember his memory. We made his favorite meal and everything."

"I'm so sorry," Jill said. "Of course, this makes more sense. I was wondering why Sam would turn down a potluck with the whole neighborhood."

"Yes, we're all shaken up," Carly said. "And we'd invite you to stay, but this is sort of a personal mourning thing."

"Of course," Jill nodded. "I'll just be going now! Oh, I'm so sorry! Now, I've taken two psychology courses in college, so I'm familiar with the grieving process. You just saunter right over across the street if you need to talk."

She pulled Carly and Sam into a tight hug.

"Well," she said, releasing the girls. "I'll leave you to mourn now."

"Thank you," Carly said.

"Carly Shay," Sam said approvingly once Jill had left. "I'm impressed. That was one heck of a lie."

"Hey, you do what you gotta do," Carly grinned.

"Here are the chairs," Spencer said, coming back into the kitchen. "I heard the door again. Who else came?"

"It was Jill," Sam said. "But don't worry. Carly got rid of her."

"Of cool," Spencer said, setting the chairs down. "How?"

"She killed you."


	121. Chapter 121

"Sam," Freddie said, gently shaking his wife's shoulder. "Baby, it's time to get up."

"Mmm," she moaned, burying her head in her pillow. "You go take your shower first."

"I already did, Sam, like I do every morning," he said. "Come on, we'll be late for work."

"Fine," Sam sighed, kicking the covers off. "But if _somebody _didn't break my bacon alarm clock, we wouldn't have this problem!"

"I didn't break it! You're the one who tried to cook three packages of bacon at once!"

"Yeah, yeah," Sam said as Freddie kissed her quickly on the lips. "All I know is that I'm back to baconless mornings."

"I'll go make you some bacon," Freddie laughed. "Will that make you happy?"

"I suppose."

Freddie rolled his eyes as he leaned down to give Sam another kiss before heading to the kitchen. Sam took a quick shower and changed into her clothes for work.

"You're breakfast is on the table," Freddie said as Sam walked into the kitchen.

"Are you working late tonight?" Sam asked, grabbing a bottle of orange juice from the fridge.

"Yeah, we still have a lot to get done for that episode of _Girly Cow_," Freddie nodded. "I'll probably be home around nine."

"I guess I'll catch a ride home with Carly," Sam said, digging into her bacon.

"I hope we finish everything tonight," Freddie said, buttering his toast. "We've been working on this one episode for the past five days."

"This is why I'm glad I just write," Sam said. "All I've got to do is come up with good ideas, which I'm amazing at."

"That you are," Freddie chuckled. He looked at his watch. "Come on, we should get going. It's 7:40."

"Yeah, way too early to be up," Sam yawned. "I need my coffee."

"You can get some at work," Freddie said, grabbing his bag. "Now let's go; you know there's a ton of traffic at time in the morning."

"When'd you turn into my wife?" Sam asked, grabbing Freddie's car keys and heading outside.

Freddie shook his head and followed her out.

….

"There needs to be more of an original ending to this episode," Alice said, looking at what her and the other writers had come up with so far. "Moss and Danielle "took a break", but there needs to be a little more comedy in it."

"Alright, well, all of the other characters were in the next room listening to the break-up," Carly said. "So what if Bebe and Monique break the lock on the door and wind up getting everyone stuck in there until Danielle notices them in there the next morning."

"Yeah, I think we could make that a really funny ending scene," Sam agreed. "You know, lighten the mood a little after the break-up."

"I like it," Alice nodded. "I think it would really fit in with the flow of things. Everyone else agree?"

The other writers nodded their heads.

"Fantastic," Alice said, scribbling the idea down. "Well, now that we finally have the ending, I think we can call it a day. It's ten past five, and I want to get out of here; we can write this into the script on Monday. Have a good weekend, everyone."

"Finally, the weekend," Sam said as her and Carly headed out of the writing room. "I'm sleeping until three o'clock in the afternoon tomorrow."

"But then you lose the whole day," Carly pointed out.

"Using the day for sleep time is not losing it," Sam defended. "Hey, I'm going to go stop by and say bye to Freddie, okay?"

"Okay. I'll wait for you in the car," Carly said.

Sam turned the corner and headed down the hall where the editing station was.

"Hey," she said, walking into the room where Freddie sat hunched over in front of three computers. She looked around the room. "Where's everyone else?"

"They decided to take their dinner break early," Freddie said. "I want to try to get as much done as I can so I can get home earlier. I feel bad; this will be the fifth night in a row I'm staying late."

"Don't worry about me," Sam said. "I know you don't want to stay. Me and Carly were going to go out for dinner, so if you want I'll pick you up food and bring it home for you."

"Yeah, that sounds great," Freddie said. "I'll see you then, okay?"

"Bye," Sam said, giving him a short kiss.

She left the editing room and hurried out to the parking lot where Carly was waiting in her car.

"You want to go to the mall?" Carly asked, starting the engine. "There's a new Thai place there, plus we can shop!"

"Why not," Sam shrugged.

The girls drove to the mall, and after eating their meals, and getting one to go for Freddie, they began walking through the mall.

"How cute is that dress?" Carly asked, looking happily at a pink, sparkly dress in the window of a store. "It would go so well with those shoes I just bought."

"How many dresses do you _own_?" Sam asked.

"Well there's different categories," Carly explained. "There's everyday dresses, formal dresses, date night dresses, party dresses,-"

"Whoa, Carly look!" Sam said, looking across from the shop. "It's a new pet store!"

"Aw, it looks like they got rid of the candle store," Carly commented.

"Who cares? Come on, let's go in!"

Sam dragged Carly over to the pet store.

"It kind of smells in here," Carly said, wrinkling her nose. "It's like a mixture of cat liter and- Oh my God look at those hamsters!"

"You were saying?" Sam laughed as her best friend walked over to the hamster cages.

"You know, Spencer's birthday is coming up," Carly said. "I should buy him one. He had one when he was sixteen, but it escaped. He's convinced it went to Mexico."

"Ella would probably kill you," Sam said. "She doesn't like rodents."

"Oh yeah," Carly nodded. "Too bad. Maybe I'll get him another fish then. He has too kids now, maybe he'll remember to feed it this time."

"I doubt it," Sam laughed. She looked across the store at the puppy pens. "Aw, Carly, look at them!"

"I know, they're adorable," Carly agreed, going over to them with Sam.

"Look at this one!" Sam said, reaching her hand into the pen to pet a small chocolate lab.

"I think he likes you," Carly smiled as the puppy began licking Sam's hand.

"Can I help you ladies?" a salesperson asked, approaching the girls.

"We're just looking," Carly said.

"Okay," the salesperson said. "But you if have any questions, just ask!"

"We will," Carly said.

"Actually," Sam said. "I have one…"

…

"I still can't believe you," Carly said, pulling into Sam and Freddie's driveway.

"Come on, Carly, how can you turn down this face," Sam said, happily rubbing the stomach of her newly purchased puppy.

"You didn't even ask Freddie before you bought it," Carly said.

"Him," Sam said. "He's a him."

"Fine, him," Carly said, shaking her head. "Couples are supposed to talk before doing things like this."

"Well Freddie wouldn't answer his cell phone if I had called him; he's too busy working," Sam reasoned. "Besides, the salesperson said he was very popular. If had waited until I talked to Freddie someone else would've bought him!"

"You know taking care of a puppy is a lot of work," Carly told her. "You have to train it, feed it, play with it-"

"I know all that," Sam said. "What? After all these years you still don't think I'm responsible enough to take care of another living thing?"

"No. It's just-"

"Come on, Freddie will love this little guy," Sam said, opening her car door. "You'll see."

"Alright," Carly sighed. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow then. Have fun with your new puppy."

"We'll have a blast, won't we?" Sam said snuggling her puppy. She grabbed her bag from the car and gave one last wave to Carly before heading into the house.

"Here's your new home," Sam said, setting the puppy down on the floor. "You like it?"

The puppy began to sniff around and gave a few happy barks.

"I'll assume that's a yes," Sam said. She took out the two bowls she had bought at the pet store and filled one up with water from the sink and the other with the pet food she had just purchased.

"Don't listen to what Carly said," Sam said, rubbing the puppy's ears as it lapped up the water. "Freddie will love you. And if he doesn't, too bad. You're here to stay."

The front door opened and Sam heard Freddie come in.

"Hey, Sam," Freddie called, tossing his keys into the bowl by the front door. "I finished all of my editing. The other guys are still there working now. They'll probably be there until ten o'clock."

"That's nice," Sam said, standing up. "We picked you up some chicken from that place you like at the mall."

"Alright, I'm starving," Freddie said. "I haven't eaten since-"

Freddie glanced down at his wife's feet and frowned.

"Um, Sam?"

"Yes?"

"Why is there a dog sitting by your feet?"

"Um, well," Sam started. "Don't-don't you think he's cute?"

"Sure, I guess," Freddie shrugged. "But why's he in here?"

"Because," Sam said slowly. "I, um, I sort of…bought him."

Freddie blinked. "What?"

"Me and Carly were walking around the mall," Sam explained quickly. "And we saw this pet store, so we went in and well, I just fell in love with the little guy!"

"So you bought him," Freddie said, still frowning. "Without even calling me to ask my opinion?"

"I figured you were busy," Sam said. "Come on, what's the big deal?"

"The big deal, Sam, is that we're a married couple. We have to make these decisions together. How would you like it if I came home one night with a pet ostrich?"

"Now you're over-reacting," Sam said. "You like dogs!"

"That's not the point! The point is that you didn't even think to consult me on this! A dog is a big responsibility! It's probably not house trained yet, and we'll have to take it to the vet to get all its shots, one of will have to walk it-"

"Freddie, come on, I'll help with all of that," Sam said. "Look, I get it. I should've asked you before buying him, and I'm sorry. Next time, I'll talk with your before I do something like this."

Freddie crossed him arms. "You promise?"

Sam nodded. "I promise. So…do you-do you want to keep him?"

Freddie looked down at the puppy, who was currently rolling around on the floor.

"Well," he sighed. "I guess it wouldn't be fair to send him back, now that he's used to the place."

"So we can keep him?"

"I guess having a puppy isn't the worst thing in the world," Freddie said.

"Thank you, baby," Sam said, throwing her arms around him, planting a long kiss on his lips.

"Anything for you," he said, smiling as they pulled apart. He looked back down at the puppy. "So, what's his name?"

"He doesn't have one yet," Sam said. "I figured I'd leave that for you to do."

"Really?" Freddie asked. "I get to name him?"

"Just nothing too nubby, okay?"

Freddie thought for a moment. "I like Max."

"Max…" Sam repeated. "I guess I can live with that."

"Then Max it is," Freddie said, kneeling down to pet the puppy. "Welcome to your new home, Max."


	122. Chapter 122

"So," Carly said, sliding off her flip-flops and pulling off her sundress to reveal a light blue bikini. "How's Max doing?"

"We took him to the vet to get all of his shots yesterday," Sam said, pulling off her own tank top, leaving her in black bikini top and shorts. "And now we're just trying to train him to pee outside."

The girls had decided to spend the day relaxing at the pool in Carly's apartment, and with the sun blazing down on them, it was looking to be a very promising day.

"Freddie getting along okay with him?"

"He loves that dog," Sam said. "He's trying to teach him to play fetch. But Max just goes after the toy Freddie throws and doesn't come back with it."

"That's cute," Carly laughed. "Joey's sister just got this adorable puppy too, but it likes chewing up everything in sight. He got to my new boots the other night…"

"Poor Carly, you must only have thirty pairs of boots now," Sam laughed.

"Twenty-eight, actually," Carly said seriously. "I need to go shopping…"

"Where's Melanie?" Sam asked, looking at her pearphone. "Wasn't she supposed to meet us here with smoothies?"

"There she is," Carly said, nodding over to Melanie, who was just walking through the gate with three smoothies in her hand.

"Sorry I'm late," Melanie said, handing the girls their smoothies. "There was a huge line at the Groovy Smoothie."

"That's okay, thanks for getting them," Carly said, as Sam sipped her drink. "Man, isn't this nice? We have the whole pool to ourselves, it's a sunny day; we can just sit out here for hours."

"Er, actually I've got to get going at four," Melanie said. "Cody's taking me on moon-lit dinner boat."

"I heard the food at those things isn't that good," Sam commented.

"It's not the food you go there for," Melanie explained. "It's the romance; how much more romantic can you get than a boat ride under a full moon?"

"She's right," Carly nodded. "Who cares what you eat there."

"You guys are strange," Sam said, rolling her eyes.

"So what are you going to wear?" Carly asked as Sam groaned.

"I was thinking that dark red strapless dress. You know, the one with the really nice silk fabric?"

"Oh, that would look so perfect! And those shoes I just bought would look great with that; you should borrow them!"

"Really? Okay, thanks!"

"You know, I did bring water balloons," Sam said, holding up a handful of water balloons.

"Sam, the manager told you not to throw water balloons at people anymore," Melanie reminded her.

"So? I don't live here anymore, what's he going to do?"

"He'll kick me and Melanie out for bringing you around," Carly said.

"You guys over react," Sam said, shaking her head.

"Anyway, do you know how you're going to accessorize?" Carly asked Melanie. "That could make or break the whole outfit."

"I know, that's why I was thinking of those gold hoops with maybe a simple gold necklace? Or should I go with silver?"

"Definitely gold; works good with your hair," Carly said.

"Oi," Sam sighed, putting on her headphones.

….

"Oh hey, good, you're home," Freddie said as Sam walked into the house. "I'm on the phone with the pizza place now. Meat lover's special?"

"Duh," Sam nodded.

She grabbed a soda from the fridge and began to drink from the can.

"Alright, it should be here in half-an-hour," Freddie said, hanging up his phone. "Wow, you're sort of red."

"Mel, Carly and I all fell asleep in the sun for like six hours," Sam said. "So we all got burned. Of course now Melanie's with Carly freaking out because she has some big date with Cody and she looks like a lobster. What'd you do all day?"

"Helped my mom clean out her closet."

"Gross," Sam frowned, finishing the can of soda and tossing it into the recycling bin. "Well, I guess I should change out of my swimsuit before the pizza gets here."

"You don't _have_ to," Freddie grinned.

"What, you want me to sit around in my bikini top and shorts for the rest of the night?"

"Well I wouldn't _object_ to having to stare at my hot wife's hot body for the next few hours, if that's what you mean."

"You're such a boy," Sam laughed, hitting him lightly on the shoulder.

"I would hope so."

"Fine, I'll keep it on," Sam smiled. "Just for by gigantic nub of a husband."

"Aw, you really do love me," Freddie said playfully, tilting her chin up gently to kiss her.

…..


	123. Chapter 123

"Please tell me you're not watching what I think you're watching," Sam said, coming into the living room, running a comb through her damp hair.

"What? It's the complete life story of Pan Duo from _Galaxy Wars_!" Freddie defended. "Man, it's amazing what you can find on this Sci-Fi network."

"Yeah, it really is," Sam said, rolling her eyes. She threw the comb at Freddie and grabbed her bag. "I'm running to the grocery store, 'k?"

"Alright," Freddie nodded as Sam leaned down to give him a quick peck. "Please don't get into any fights with the deli guy this time."

"Hey, he was trying to charge me for half a pound of Swiss when I only bought a quarter!" Sam said. "I was just stopping myself from getting jipped!"

"You didn't have to make him cry," Freddie pointed out.

"Whatever," Sam said, shaking her head. "Let Max out soon, okay? Or _you're _cleaning up after him."

Grabbing her car keys Sam headed out.

Freddie turned up the volume and leaned back to enjoy his show.

"Hey Max," he said as the puppy jumped up on the couch. "You want to watch? Alright, since Sam's already trained you to chew up my _Galaxy Wars _action figures, maybe this can reverse the damage a little bit."

Just then the door barged open and Jack walked in.

"Some guard dog you are," Freddie muttered under his breath as Max went to greet him.

"Oh, you look so happy and peaceful," Jack said, standing right in front of the T.V.. "Too bad I'm going to have to ruin your day with some unhappy news."

"What unhappy news?" Freddie frowned.

"It's supper, supper bad," Jack said. "If there was a bad news contest, it would win first place."

"Again, what news?" Freddie asked.

"Oh, I just _hate_, having to deliver this sort of news," Jack sighed, moving to sit down on the arm of the couch next to Freddie. "It makes me feel so…icky. I'll need a bubble bath after this."

"Are you going to tell me this news or what?" Freddie asked, trying to keep his temper.

"I had to wait until I saw Sam leave," Jack said. "I've been staking out in your front bushes all morning."

"You've what?"

"Well I couldn't tell you this in front of her! Now, brace yourself for this."

"Okay, I'm…braced," Freddie said.

"I saw Sam yesterday on my daily power walk around the park…kissing another man."

Freddie nearly spit out the coffee he was drinking. "What?"

"I saw it with my own eyes," Jack said. "Oh, see, now you feel awful. I know, come over for lunch with me and Jill. She's making TexMex!"

"There's no way Sam was kissing another guy," Freddie said, trying to wipe some off the coffee off of his shirt. "You must be mistaking."

"I thought so too, at first," Jack said. "But when I power walked past them, I saw her face up close and it was definitely her."

"Sam wouldn't cheat on me," Freddie said firmly. "We love each other."

"Oh, I see, this is the denial phase," Jack said. "Well, you take as long as you need to accept the fact. Jill and I will be waiting for you when you do. It must be a real shock to learn that your relationship is failing, unless…are you and Sam swingers? Is that why she was with another man?"

"No!" Freddie exclaimed. "We are _not _swingers and Sam is _not _cheating on me."

"I didn't want to have to do this," Jack said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his phone. "But I see I have no choice." He pulled up a photo on his phone screen and showed it to Freddie. "There. Photographic proof."

Freddie took the phone and looked at the picture. He laughed. "This isn't Sam."

"What are you talking about? You don't recognize your own wife? Has the denial made you delirious?"

"That's Sam's sister," Freddie said, handing the phone back to Jack. "Melanie. They're twins. She's with her boyfriend, Cody."

"Twins? Twins? Well by golly, I didn't know she was a twin! They look exactly the same!"

"Yeah, they're identical," Freddie said.

"Oh, now I feel so stupid," Jack said. "Coming over here, telling you your wife is cheating on you."

"It's okay; honest mistake," Freddie said. "No harm."

"No, no, I'll make it up to you some how," Jack said. "Why don't I take you out for lunch?"

"No, really, it's fine," Freddie said quickly. "In fact, um, I was just about to leave. I need to go pick up a few things."

"Well why don't I come with you? Company's always good."

"Um, well, I'm going to the doctor's…can't really have company there can you?"

"Sure you can! Why I used to always come with the guy who used to live her before you to his prostate exams! He tried to tell me he didn't need me, but, well, Jack is nothing if not a good friend, so I stuck by him."

"Yeah…I'm sure you did," Freddie said, frowning. "Okay, tell you what. You can come with me if you run back to your house and make us a bag of popcorn for the road."

"Okkie Dookie!" Jack said, jumping up. "I'll be back in a jiff!"

Freddie waited until Jack left the house and then jumped up and grabbed his car keys. After making sure Jack went back into his house, he made a run for his car and sped out of his driveway.

…

"So he thought we were swingers?" Sam said, pulling back the covers and getting into bed next to Freddie.

"Yup," Freddie nodded.

"Wow, he's almost as bad as Jill," Sam said. "When I got back from the store and you had 'fled', she was waiting at the door with this Do-It-Yourself bikini wax thing that she wanted to test out on me."

"They're really something," Freddie said, leaning back on his pillows.

"Which is why tomorrow I'm going to train Max to attack them whenever they come to the door," Sam said.

"Sam," Freddie sighed. "You can't do that."

"I'm sorry, do you want Jack at every one of you doctor's appointments?"

"Well…maybe you can train him to growl menacingly at them," Freddie said.

…

**AN- So, I don't know if you all saw iopen a restaurant last night, bu**t…**I'm a little bit in shock still. Usually I don't like really dumping on any character from the show, but really Freddie? I don't think I've ever actually been this mad at a fictional character before. Well, I just this whole issue resolves itself within the next few episodes. **


	124. Chapter 124

"Sam," Carly said, letting her self into her best friend's house. "You here?"

"In the kitchen," Sam called.

"Of course," Carly said. She headed into the kitchen where Sam was sitting on the counter tossing tiny bits of bacon to Max. "Is Freddie home?"

"Yeah, he's upstairs taking a shower…Max peed on his leg when he fell asleep on the couch."

"Gross," Carly said. Then she frowned. "Sam, please don't tell me you're rewarding Max for that with bacon."

"It was pretty funny Carls," Sam said, tossing her dog some more meat. "Wasn't it Max? Yes, it was."

"You two sure have one strange marriage," Carly laughed.

"So what's up?" Sam asked, jumping down from the counter, eating the last of the bacon herself.

"Well, you know how Melanie went with Cody to Oregon this weekend to meet his parents?"

"Sure," Sam nodded.

"Well, that kind of leaves me in the apartment by myself," Carly continued. "Which is sort of…scary."

"Scary?" Sam smirked.

"Yes, scary," Carly snapped. "Anyway, I was sort of wondering…I know you have that guest room, and-"

"Do you want to stay here until Melanie gets back?" Sam asked knowingly.

"Yes please."

"I'm fine with it," Sam said. "But you're going to have to be the one to tell Freddie he has to take down that model train track he has running through that whole room."

"Model train track?" Carly frowned. "He does know he's an adult, right?"

"Welcome to my life, kid," Sam said. "He spent at least six hours on that stupid thing."

"What stupid thing?" Freddie asked, walking into the kitchen. "Oh, hey Carls."

"I was just telling her about that lame train thingy you put together last week in the guest room," Sam said.

"It's not lame!" Freddie gasped. "That is an exact replica of the Vermont Central Train Station that was built in-"

"Okay, I really don't need a history lesson," Sam interrupted him. "But Carly has to tell you something about it."

"What?" he asked.

"Um, well," Carly said. "See, Sam told me I could sleep in your guest room until Melanie gets back from Oregon, if that's alright with you."

"Sure, I'm fine with that," Freddie shrugged. "But what's that have to do with my trains?"

"You have to take down your tracks, nub," Sam said, flicking him on the head as she walked past him on her way to the fridge.

"What?"

"It's fine, really," Carly said quickly. "I can just step over them."

"No, trust me, you can't," Sam said. "He has those train tracks running all over the room, don't you baby?"

"It's-It's no big deal," Freddie said shakily. "I'll just-I'll just take it apart and move it to my office…it only took me an entire afternoon to build."

"Aw, now I feel terrible," Carly said. "I just ruined Freddie's little train station."

"No, no," Freddie said. "It had to come down eventually…I was just thinking eventually would be when I was ninety and getting ready to move to a retirement home."

"Wow," Sam said, shaking her head.

"I'll go start taking it apart now," Freddie said.

"I'm really sorry, Freddie," Carly said.

"It's fine," he assured her. "And hey," he said, brightening up. "Now I can add this new brand of track I bought from the train store the other day! It's used by the top train-enthusiasts around the world!"

"Great," Sam mumbled as Freddie ran off excitedly.

"What is it with that boy and trains?" Carly asked.

"Who knows," Sam shrugged. "Who knows."

…..

"Sam, did we have to watch this movie?" Freddie grimaced as a crazed ax man chopped one of the zombies on screen to pieces.

"Yes," Sam said, not taking her eyes off the screen. "Oh my God, that guy got the flame thrower! Those zombies better think quick."

Sam and Freddie were cuddled together on the couch while Carly sat in the adjacent armchair, barely seeing the movie through her covered eyes.

"Is the blood gone yet?" she asked.

"Yeah, it's all-wait, nope, he just lost his head," Sam said. "Don't worry, it's almost over."

Sure enough, five minutes later the zombies had eaten every being around and the end credits rolled onto the screen.

"Wow, it's almost one," Freddie yawned.

"Shoot, we have work tomorrow," Carly said, standing up. "Thanks again for letting me sleep here, you guys. You know what, tomorrow morning I'll make pancakes for us all to pay you back."

"Sweet," Sam said.

"Yeah, can't wait," Freddie nodded.

"I'll even make some lemonade for-"

"No!" Sam and Freddie both exclaimed.

"Okay, that's it," Carly said, shaking her head. "One of these days I'm going to look up a new recipe online, but I still don't see what's so bad about mine."

"G'night, Carls," Sam said, rolling her eyes.

Carly headed to the guest bedroom while Sam and Freddie went into their own room.

"So," Freddie said as Sam pulled on a pair of pajamas. "Not that I mind having Carly here, but how long is she staying?"

"Melanie said she should be back home by Friday, so until then I guess," Sam shrugged. "We owe her, I figured. I mean, I slept at her place about a thousand times when we were kids and you camped out on her couch a good amount of times too."

"Yeah, that's true," Freddie said. "Plus she _is _making us breakfast tomorrow."

"Exactly," Sam smiled. She got into bed and Freddie put his arms around her.

"Night, Sam," Freddie whispered, kissing the top of her head.

"Night, nub," Sam said softly.

….

"Sam, we're back with the take-out!" Freddie called as him and Carly walked back into the house. "It took them a good twenty minutes to cook all of your food, but we got all of it."

"How much does this stuff weight?" Carly gasped, placing the large bag of food on the counter.

Sam was leaning against the counter, talking on the phone.

Freddie and Carly got their food and sat down at the table. After another five minutes Sam hung up and brought her food down to the table with them.

"Who was that?" Freddie asked, taking a bite of his chicken.

"Just the vet," Sam said, taking a wing out of her bucket of fried chicken. "They just wanted to check to see how Max was doing since his last appointment."

"That was nice of them," Carly said, peeling the skin off of her chicken.

Freddie frowned, but didn't say anything. He knew right away that Sam was lying, but he assumed that she would tell him later when they were alone.

After the three finished their dinner and watched a few re-runs of _Full House_, Sam announced that she was tired and was going to bed.

"I think I'll go to sleep too," Freddie said. "You gonna stay up, Carls?"

"Heck yeah, this is the one where Uncle Jessie and Becky get married!" she nodded. "See you in the morning."

Sam was already sitting on their bed when Freddie came in.

"What's up?" he asked, sitting down next to her.

"Why do you think something's up?" Sam asked.

"Are we really going to play that game?" Freddie asked, raising an eyebrow.

"The vet didn't really call," Sam mumbled.

"Yeah, I know," Freddie said. "Who was it?"

"It was the trauma hospital, you know, the one three or four hours away?"

"What's wrong?" Freddie asked, concerned. "Is someone hurt?"

"My dad's dead."

Freddie blinked. "Oh. That's, um-"

"He was in a car crash," Sam said. "He was drunk and driving way over the speed limit and he apparently swerved off the rode and hit a tree."

"Are you okay?" Freddie asked, putting an arm around his wife.

"Yeah, actually, I am," Sam nodded. "I mean, you know we weren't close…at all…it's just sort of…weird."

"That makes sense," Freddie nodded. "He was your dad, after all. Even if he did leave you when you were a kid."

"The only reason they called me was because he didn't have anyone else," Sam said. "I guess he took my mom off of his emergency contacts, and they probably couldn't get a hold of Melanie in Oregon."

"Are you going to tell your mom?" Freddie asked gently.

"I guess so," Sam nodded. "I'll tell her tomorrow. And I guess I'll need to call Mel too…"

"Why don't you take tomorrow off of work?" Freddie suggested.

"I already told you I'm fine; I'm not sad or anything," Sam said. "I'll go to work tomorrow."

"Alright," Freddie sighed, knowing that he wouldn't be able to talk Sam out of it.

"The lady that called me gave me the number for my dad's lawyer," Sam continued. "Apparently me and Melanie each get half of his savings, whatever that is. Probably not too much. Will you call him tomorrow? You know I'm not good with all that financial chiz."

"Sure," Freddie nodded. "And Sam, are you _positive_ that you're okay?"

"Yeah," Sam said, giving him a quick kiss. "I am."

Freddie nodded. "Okay. I believe you. But if you _do _start to feel bad or something, you'll tell me, right?"

"Yup," Sam smiled. "I promise."


	125. Chapter 125

"Alright, well, thanks again for letting me stay here," Carly said, zipping up her backpack.

"No prob," Sam said.

"Where's Freddie?" Carly asked.

"On the phone with my dad's lawyer," Sam replied.

"Oh, right," Carly nodded. "Did you-did you ever get around to telling your mom and Melanie that he died?"

"I told my mom a couple of nights ago," Sam said. "She didn't really say too much. She hasn't mentioned my dad since he left. And I guess I'll tell Melanie when she gets back. I didn't want to bug her in Oregon."

"Okay, well, I guess that's a good idea," Carly said. "Anyway, I'll see you around, Sam."

"Later," Sam said as Carly headed out the door. Sam stood up off the couch and headed into Freddie's office, where he was sitting at his desk, still talking on the phone. Careful to dodge the train tracks that were still laid everywhere, she sat down on the arm of his chair.

"Okay, I think that's everything I need then," Freddie said into the phone, scribbling something down on a pad of paper. "Thanks for all your help."

"So," Sam said once Freddie hung up. "What did he say?"

"What did your dad do for a living?" Freddie asked.

"I don't know," Sam shrugged. "He didn't have a job when he was still with my mom, and when me and Melanie went to find him a few years ago his house was disgusting, so I'm guessing he hasn't found a good one since. Why?"

"Well," Freddie said. "According to his lawyer he has 500,000 dollars in his savings account."

"500,000?" Sam repeated, jumping up. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah," Freddie nodded. "And that's after the banks took what they needed to cover all of his credit card bills and other expenses he had left open before he died."

"He must've hit it big when he was gambling," Sam said. "That's what he did all day when he should've been out looking for a job when I was little."

"The lawyer's arranging to have 250,000 transferred into Melanie's account and 250,000 transferred into yours," Freddie told her.

"Or," Sam said. "We can tell Melanie it was only 100,000 dollars left in the account, leave her fifty and give the rest to us."

"Sam…" Freddie said.

"Relax, I'm kidding," she laughed. "But dude, what are we going to do? We have an extra 250 k!"

"K?"

"K means thousand," Sam said, rolling her eyes.

"Well, if we leave it in your savings account," Freddie said. "It could gather interest their for-"

"Save it?" Sam scoffed. "How lame can you get?"

"Sam, we're not kids anymore; we have real responsibilities," Freddie told her. "We have a mortgage, car payments, electricity, water-"

"But we have our paychecks for that," Sam pointed out. "And we always managed to pay for all that stuff with those."

"But we could use this extra money to start saving for our retirement, or put away for an emergency or-"

"Come on, don't you want to have a little fun with it?" Sam asked, exasperated. "How often do you get an extra 250,000 dollars?"

"But Sam-" Freddie sighed.

"Okay, how about this," Sam cut him off. "We take most of the money and save it, but we take the rest of it and do something really cool."

"That sounds fair," Freddie nodded. "What did you have in mind?"

"Move," Sam commanded. Freddie got out of his desk chair and Sam began typing away at the computer. "Here, look at this."

Freddie leaned over his wife's shoulder. "The Food Channel? You want to buy a T.V. channel?"

"No!" Sam said. "Well, I would, but that's not what I'm talking about…look at this. Every year they have this huge party where all the chefs on the channel compete against one another and see who's the best. Obviously the food there is like, the best in the world, and the people that go to the party get to eat as much as they want. Plus you can meet all of the chefs. It's in Texas this year, and they're just starting to sell tickets."

"You want to go to that?" Freddie asked.

"No, Freddie," Sam said. "I just told you all of that because I have no interest in going. Yes I want to go! I figure the tickets for the party will cost 500 dollars for both of us, the plane tickets another 1000, and then like 600 for the hotel we stay at. And then we could put everything else away for saving like you want."

"When is this thing anyway?"

"In ten months," Sam said. "But you have to buy the tickets soon. As in the next three weeks."

"Well, I guess it does sound sort of fun," Freddie said. "So, sure, let's go."

"Whoo!" Sam cheered. "Oh my God, you realize this means I'll get to meet Tino Romano? He's like the best Italian chef ever!

"Hey, we can meet Bill Gray too," Freddie said.

"The guy who makes all the healthy meals?" Sam frowned. "Please, he's an insult to cooking."

"Why? Because his food won't give you a heart attack from eating it?"

"All he makes are tiny little salads with _low fat_ dressing!"

"All Tino does is make greasy pastas and meats that will clog your arteries the second you swallow it!"

"Take that back!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"You know what?" Freddie said, crossing his arms. "I bet Bill beats Tino in that cook-off."

"In your dreams," Sam said. She got up from the computer chair.

"Where are you going?" Freddie asked.

"To get some food. I'm really hungry now…"

…..

"Hey," Melanie said, walking into Sam and Freddie's house.

"Hey," Sam said, looking up from her laptop. "When'd you get back?"

"About an hour ago," Melanie said. "I just dropped my stuff back at the apartment. So Carly really stayed here while I was gone?"

"Yup, she didn't want to stay by herself," Sam said. She closed her laptop. "Um, so, there's something I need to tell you."

"What's up?" Melanie asked, sitting down next to her sister.

"Well, while you were gone," Sam started. "I, um, got a call…dad died."

"He did?" Melanie asked, frowning. "How?"

"Car accident," Sam replied.

"Oh, well, that's-that's too bad," Melanie said. "I mean, I know he left and didn't even contact us again, but it still feels-"

"Weird," Sam nodded. "Yeah, I know."

"Does mom-"

"I told her," Sam said. "She didn't say to much, but you know she never talks about him. Anyway, it turns out that since we're his only family and he didn't have any sort of will, we got half of his savings."

"Well that can't be too much," Melanie said. "You saw where he lived that one time."

"Yeah, I know," Sam nodded. "But I guess he was better at gambling then we thought…he had 500,000 dollars in his account."

Melanie's eyes widened. "500,000?"

"Yup," Sam nodded. "His lawyer his wiring half into each of our savings accounts."

"You realize I can pay off all of my student loans now?" Melanie said. "Oh, and I can start saving for a rainy day and-"

"Ugh, you're just like Freddie," Sam said. "Does no one like spending money around here?"


	126. Chapter 126

"Sam!" Dina exclaimed, running, or rather, toddling quickly, over to Sam.

"Hey, Dina," Sam grinned, throwing aside the magazine she had been reading as the toddler hopped onto her lap.

"How come she says your name right," Spencer said as he closed Sam and Freddie's front door, walking into the living room with a sleeping Bryan in his arms. "She still says 'daddy' like 'dede'."

"Dogy?" Dina asked, looking up with Sam just as Max came bouncing into the room. Dina squealed with delight as she sat down to pet the puppy.

"Thanks again for watching them," Spencer said, handing Sam Bryan.

"You didn't give me a choice," Sam pointed out. "You told me I either watch your kids or you're buying a lock for your fridge."

"Don't act like you didn't want to watch them," Spencer said. "We all know you could've picked any lock I put on the fridge."

"Yeah, well…I was bored," Sam said. "I needed something to do."

"Uh-huh," Spencer grinned. "Ella said she'll pick them up on her way home from work. I've got to get going; I need to have that toilet sculpture ready for the plumber to pick up by tomorrow evening and I've barely started on it."

Spencer gave his two children a quick kiss goodbye and then headed back out the door.

"Okay, Bryan," Sam said, gently placing Bryan in the playpen Spencer had dropped off the day before. "You sleep. I'm going to get me some potato salad." But no sooner had Sam stepped away from the playpen did Bryan wake up and begin to wail. Sam sighed as she scooped the infant up.

"Hey, Sam," Melanie said, opening the front door and walking into the house. "Babysitting, huh?"

"Here," Sam said, handing the baby off to her sister. "You want to change him?"

"Um, sure," Melanie said. "But afterwards I have something really big to tell you."

"As long as I have potato salad in my mouth, I'm fine," Sam said, heading off to the kitchen.

After Melanie had changed Bryan, she went back into the living room, where Sam was sitting on the couch with her potato salad, watching Dina and Max play.

"So," Melanie said, sitting down next to her twin. "As I was saying, I have some pretty big news."

"Did mom's rash come back?" Sam moaned. "Because it took five tubes of ointment to get rid of it the first time and I am _not_ going through that experience again."

"Gross, no," Melanie cringed. "Nothing like that."

"Oh, what's up then?"

"I'm engaged."

Sam nearly choked on her potato salad. "Engaged?"

"Yeah," Melanie grinned, showing Sam the ring on her finger. "Cody proposed last night at the botanical garden we went to after dinner. It was so romantic."

"Wow, that's-that's great, Mel," Sam said. She looked at her sister and sighed. "Fine, I'll hug you."

Melanie laughed as she pulled Sam into an embrace.

"So, who else have you told?" Sam asked as the twins pulled away.

"Just you," Melanie replied. "Well, I'm sure Cody told his brothers by now. Carly was asleep when I got home and gone by the time I woke up, and mom's still away at that seminar on how to give yourself your own tattoos."

"Carly will be excited that she gets to help plan another wedding," Sam said. "Though I'm guessing that you'll do a lot more than I did."

"I can't wait to start planning," Melanie said happily. "Cody doesn't want to wait too long, so we'll probably do the wedding around February. This is so exciting! I've got to go. I need to call my friends from school, I'll talk to you later!"

….

"Wow, she's really getting married?" Freddie asked, spitting out his toothpaste.

"Yeah," Sam nodded, tying her hair up. "And she's really quick with the planning too. Her and Cody have already booked the church for February ninth."

"Wow, she's a regular Carly Shay," Freddie laughed.

"Nah, I think Carly will be crazier," Sam said.

"You do realize you're going to be Carly's maid of honor when she gets married," Freddie pointed out. "Which means you'll have to deal with all of the crazy."

"Holy chiz, you're right!" Sam frowned. "Man. I thought I was getting out of all this when Melanie asked her best friend from college to be her maid of honor. You think if I fake some terminal illness when Carly gets married she'll keep me out of all the planning?"

"I doubt it," Freddie said.

"Me too," Sam sighed.

"Oh well," Freddie said, placing his toothbrush back in the cup by the sink. He walked over to Sam and put his arms around her waist. "But when that time comes, I promise, I'll come up with as many excuses as I can to get you out of flower shopping or dress fittings or whatever else Carly comes up with."

"You know," Sam smiled, standing on her toes to kiss him. "I've never been more attracted to you."

"Really?" Freddie grinned, giving her another kiss. "So does that mean you want to-"

"You're such a nub," Sam laughed, but she took his hand and began to lead him to the adjoining bedroom. The couple barely entered the bedroom though, when they heard their front door slam open.

"Sam! Sam!" Carly said, running into the bedroom.

"What are you doing here?" Freddie exclaimed.

"Melanie told you the big news?" Carly asked Sam excitedly.

"Yeah, her and Cody are engaged," Sam nodded. "But, um, Carly, you're kind of inturr-"

"We get to be the bridesmaids!" Carly said, jumping up and down. "Melanie said we get to pick out our dresses, too, so I brought some magazines so we can start leafing through!"

"The wedding isn't for like, three more months!" Freddie pointed out. "And, in case you didn't realize, it's eleven o'clock at night."

"Exactly. I knew you guys wouldn't be busy," Carly said. "I mean, what would you guys be doing at this hour."

"Yeah, what?" Freddie said sarcastically.

"Look, Carls, you know I could care less what dress I where," Sam moaned. "Can't you just pick out a dress for me?"

"Well, I guess," Carly frowned. "Are you sure? It would be really easy to just do it now."

"I'm sure," Sam said quickly. "Well, see you tomorrow, Carls. Drive safely!"

"But wait, do you-"

"Bye," Freddie said, turning Carly around and directing her out of their bedroom.

"Well," Carly huffed indignantly as she headed back out of the house.

"Now," Freddie said, running his fingers through Sam's hair. "Where were we?"


	127. Chapter 127

"How do you like it?" T-Bo asked Carly eagerly as she sipped T-Bo's newest smoothie creation, BLT Blast.

"It's…different," Carly grimaced as she struggled to swallow the beverage.

"Yeah," Freddie nodded, feeling his stomach churn as he quickly plucked a few French fries in his mouth to try to get rid of the taste. "I bet it's the only kind out there."

"I think it's great," Sam shrugged, gulping down her smoothie. "Can I get another one, Tebes?"

"Here, you can have mine," Freddie said, sliding his wife his cup.

"Do you think you could just bring me a blueberry-kiwi twist?" Carly asked, also pushing her drink over to Sam.

"Why? You have a problem with bacon blended up into a creamy smoothie?" T-Bo asked.

"No, it's just-"

"I see, everyone's got to criticize poor T-Bo," T-Bo snapped. "This is just like Massachusetts all over again!"

"What happened in-" Freddie started.

"I don't want to talk about it, smoothie critics!" he said loudly. "Oh, I don't mean you, Sam. You're the nice one out of this trio."

Freddie snickered into his smoothie, causing Sam to kick him hard in the shin.

"I don't think I'm getting my blueberry-kiwi twist," Carly sighed as T-Bo stormed off back behind the counter.

"Seriously, I don't know why you guys don't like this," Sam said, finishing off her own smoothie and starting on Freddie's.

"So, I spent all of last night looking at bridesmaid dresses," Carly said, pulling out her pearphone. "Alone, I might add, since you two were _so busy_ at eleven o'clock. Seriously, what were you-"

Sam gave her friend a look.

"Oh my God, gross!" Carly exclaimed.

"Did you pick out any dresses?" Sam asked.

"I have it narrowed down to twenty for each of us," Carly said. "There was just so many to choose from!"

"As much as I'd love to sit here and talk about dresses," Freddie said, pushing his chair back to stand up. "I've got to run."

"Where are you going?" Carly asked.

"I have to go into work for a couple of hours," Freddie said. "We have some last minute edits to make. See you later." He gave Sam a quick peck before heading out.

"You want to go see Spencer?" Carly asked Sam. "He texted me this morning and said that toilet sculpture was done."

"Definitely want to see that," Sam laughed, grabbing the smoothies. "Let's roll, kid."

The girls made their way over to Bushwell Plaza and up to the eight floor. Carly opened the door.

"Hey," she said. "Sam and I wanted to see-" she stopped talking. Spencer and Ella were sitting on the couch. Spencer had a serious look on her face and Ella looked angry.

"Um, what's going on?" Sam asked.

"Is everything okay?" Carly frowned.

"No," Ella said. She held up a white paper. "We're getting evicted."

"What?" Carly said. "Why?"

"I forgot to pay the rent last month," Spencer said.

"He left it the check in his pocket and forgot about it until we got that notice," Ella said. "We have three days to move out of the apartment."

"Are you serious?" Sam said.

"Can't you talk to Lewbert?" Carly asked. "Just explain to him that-"

"We already tried that," Spencer sighed. "But it's Lewbert. He just screamed at us. It's all my fault. I can't believe I forgot to send the check."

Sam stood up. "I'll be right back."

"Where are you going?" Carly asked.

"My mom's married to the guy," Sam said. "I better be able to get some benefits out of that whole disaster."

Sam took the stairs down to the lobby where Lewbert was sitting behind his desk, cracking cashews open with an old boot.

"Yo, Lewb," Sam said, stepping in front of the counter.

"What? Oh, it's you. Which one are you?"

"The mean one," Sam said. "I hear you're evicting Spencer and Ella."

"Their rent was late!" Lewbert yelled.

"So just let them pay it now," Sam argued. "They have it. Spencer just forgot to send it."

"Every tenant has to pay the rent on time each month!" the doorman spat. "Unless they notify me in writing two weeks prior, which those mouth sores did not do!"

"Come on, can't you just let it slide?" Sam asked.

"No!"

"Dude, as much as I hate to admit it," Sam sighed. "I'm sort of…kind of…in a way…your…step-daughter." She shuddered at the word. "And that means we're, unfortunately, technically family. Now either you do a nice favor for me, your, ugh, family member, or I'm going to tell my mom that it was you who lost her favorite tongue ring."

"But I didn't!"

"I'm a very convincing liar, Lewb," Sam said, smirking.

"You-I-gah! Fine!" Lewbert screamed. "He has 24 hours to give me his rent."

"That's what I thought," Sam said. She took the elevator back up to the Shay's apartment.

"So?" Ella asked as she stepped back into the living room. "What did he say?"

"Never doubt mama's power," Sam said proudly. "You have one day to bring him the money."

"Yes!" Spencer cheered, jumping up.

"What'd you say to him to convince him?" Carly asked.

"Just some stuff," Sam shrugged.

"I'm going to go give this check to him right now," Spencer said, going towards the elevator.

"I'll give it to him," Ella said, taking the check from her husband's hands. "You might forget to do it on your way down."

"You're never going to let me live this down, are you?" Spencer asked.

"Probably not," Ella grinned.

"Hey, cupcakes!" Sam said, looking over in the kitchen.

"Those are my cupcakes!" Spencer yelled.

"Hey, I just kept you from living on the street," Sam pointed out. "I think I deserve some cupcakes."

"Fine, just don't take the one with the sprinkles," Spencer said. "That one is my fav-aw, man. She licked it!"

…..

**AN- I'm very sorry, but there is a very good chance that I will not be able to update for about two weeks. I'll try, but I have AP exams these next two weeks at school, and I really need to study.**


	128. Chapter 128

"Just help me lift!" Freddie exclaimed.

"I am!" Spencer shot back.

"What the heck is that?" Sam frowned as Spencer and Freddie entered her living room, carrying a very large statue of a red figure.

"This," Freddie said proudly as him and Spencer set the statue down. "Is a one-of-a-kind, hand-crafted, autographed statue of NugNug."

"Yeah, okay," Sam said, getting up to get a better look at the statue, which stood a good ten inches taller than her. "Here's a question: what's it doing here?"

"I won it!" Freddie said happily.

"Won it?" Sam repeated.

"Yeah, it was awesome!" Spencer nodded. "We were at that convention all afternoon, and there was this contest-"

"I get to tell the story," Freddie interrupted him. He turned back to Sam. "There was this _Galaxy Wars _trivia contest at the Sci-Fi convention you refused to go to and the prize was a secret exclusive collectors item that couldn't be found anywhere else in the world. Now, you know I know more than my fair share of _Galaxy Wars _trivia-"

"Oh believe me, I do," Sam said, still staring at the statue with a look of disgust.

"And I beat out all the other competitors," Freddie continued. "Until it was just me and-"

"-Wayne Cozniac," Spencer said in a spiteful tone.

"Who?" Sam asked.

"He's the king of these conventions," Freddie explained. "He's the most popular guy there."

"Not really saying too much," Sam mumbled under her breath.

"Anyway, it was down to the lightning fire round, and we were both on our games," Freddie went on. "We went through over 300 questions."

"It was more intense than the Battle of Ogomi," Spencer said.

"Can we please just cut to the part where I find out why this thing is in my living room?" Sam snapped.

"Well, Wayne buzzed in before me on the last question," Freddie said. "Why did Princess Amdonra relinquish her Crown of Neutrality? And do you know what that stubrag said? He said because she needed to try to bargain with the Intergalactic Senate. Pfft, what a nub, right?"

Sam just rolled her eyes.

"I of course knew the right answer," Freddie said. "It was because she was going to become a spy, and the crown would've given away her identity! I won the contest with that!"

"Congratulations," Sam said. "You're clearly just as big a nerd as you always were."

"And this was my prize!" Freddie said happily, staring at the majestic NugNug statue. "Isn't it beautiful?"

"It's the loveliest thing I've ever seen," Spencer said, stroking the statue.

"Dude, we're not keeping that thing here," Sam said.

Freddie's jaw dropped. "What?"

"Come on," Sam said. "It's huge! Where are we supposed to put it?"

"There's more than enough room by the T.V.," Freddie pointed out.

"Hmm, maybe I wasn't clear enough," Sam said. "When I said huge, I meant it's hideous and lame and isn't staying in this house."

"You can't make him give up NugNug!" Spencer exclaimed, stepping in front of the statue protectively.

Sam gave him a look.

"On second thought, maybe you can," Spencer said, stepping back. "Wow, look at the time! I've got to get going."

As he passed Freddie, he whispered, "If she makes you get rid of it, give me a call."

"Sam," Freddie said as Spencer headed out. "You're being ridiculous! Why can't NugNug stay here?"

"Because he's a six foot tall statue of nerdiness!" she exclaimed. "It's bad enough you bought all those dolls and have them set up on out dresser!"

"They're action figures, not dolls," Freddie said.

"Just get rid of the statue," Sam said.

Freddie crossed his arms. "No."

"What?"

"I won him, I'm keeping him," Freddie said firmly.

"Dude, I swear, if you keep that thing in my house-"

"_Our_ house," Freddie said. "Which means I get just as much say into what goes in here as you do."

"Are you really pulling that whole 'marriage is a compromise' card?" Sam frowned.

"Yup," Freddie said. He walked over to the statue. "You know, I think NugNug will look really nice in here."

Sam opened her mouth to argue, but then shrugged. "Okay. Fine; your little statue can stay."

"Thank you," Freddie said. "You'll see, in a couple of weeks you'll really get to-Hey, where are you going?"

"Out," Sam said, grabbing her car keys and bag. She gave Freddie a quick kiss. "I'll be back in a couple of hours; I just need to…pick up some things."

"Er, okay," Freddie said.

He watched as Sam walked out the front door, and then turned to NugNug. "She's up to something," he said to the statue.

…

Two hours later, Freddie was sitting on the couch, still admiring his new NugNug statue as he took pictures of it from various angles with his pearphone. The front door opened and Freddie heard Sam come in.

"I ordered Indian food," Freddie called, looking up from his pearphone. "It's in on the table. I left you some-Ah!"

He was face to face with a full-length pop-out portrait of an absolutely hideous zombie-like creature.

"What is that?" Freddie cried as Sam set the portrait down.

"I found it at that thrift store by the grocery store," Sam said. "It was only twenty dollars; it's a pop out of Reapzilla, that zombie lord from Zombie Fight Out III."

"That thing is horrible," Freddie said.

"I think it's amazing," Sam said happily. "You know, I think it will look real nice right by the front door. That way, where we come into the house, it will be the first thing we see!"

"You can't seriously be thinking of hanging that thing up," Freddie frowned.

"Why not?"

"Because!" Freddie exclaimed. "It's gross and disgusting and totally unfit for decoration!"

"But Freddie, this is _our_ house," Sam said, putting on her innocent face. "So doesn't that mean I get just as much say into what goes in here as you do?"

"You-I-" Freddie sputtered. Of course…he should've realized Sam wouldn't have let this whole NugNug thing go so easily. If he was going to make her take down that zombie picture, he'd obviously have no choice but to get rid of NugNug as well.

"Okay," Freddie said. "It can go right by the front door."

"Perfect," Sam smiled. "I'll go hang it up there now."

"I'll help you," Freddie said. "You go ahead and eat your dinner."

"Thanks, baby," Sam said, handing the picture off to Freddie.

"No problem," Freddie said, cringing as he looked at the picture.

_It's okay_, he told himself. _Sam's only doing this to mess with me…I can handle this picture a lot longer than she can handle having that NugNug statue around._

Freddie hung the picture up, and felt a shiver run down his back as the grotesque zombie stared back at him.

_I hope_, he added to himself.

…..

**AN- Thanks so much for being patient with the updates, guys. My AP's are over and I'm pretty much done with high school . Now then…I don't know if everyone's heard, but iCarly is officially ending after this season. According to Dan, they will wrap up filming in June, and the last episode will air in November. I was really upset when I heard the news, but I'm trying to stay optimistic. Everyone's been predicting that Dan will bring back Seddie towards the end of the show, so if our predictions are right, that should mean Seddie's right around the corner. Plus, Jennette and Jerry will be getting their new shows, so that's something to look forward to, right? iCarly will always be one of my favorite shows, though, and of course I wish that it was not ending so soon, but I'm just hoping that maybe these positives will help ease the blow. **


	129. Chapter 129

"Hey, Sam," Carly said, opening the front door to her best friend's house. "Melanie wants to know if you wanted to come cake tasting with us to- Ah! What is that!"

"You don't like that picture?" Sam asked, walking over to by the front door, where Carly had dropped her bag in shock.

"No!" Carly exclaimed, bending down to retrieve her bag.

"It's Reapzilla," Sam told her.

"Why did you hang it right by the front door? You almost gave me a heart attack!"

"I figured it would be the place that would bug Freddie the most," Sam said simply.

"And you're trying to bug the chiz out of your husband why?" Carly frowned.

"Because," Sam said, leading Carly into the living room. "Look at that."

"Is that a statue of NugNug?" Carly asked, staring at the statue.

"Yeah, he won it at some convention and wouldn't get rid of it," Sam nodded. "So I went out and bought that picture, which he absolutely hates."

"I'm confused," Carly said.

"If he wants me to get rid of that zombie picture," Sam explained. "He won't be able to stop me from getting rid of NugNug."

"Oh, I see," Carly nodded.

"Yup, and he'll want to get rid of that picture long before I cave and get rid of that statue," Sam said.

"Wow, life for you two must never get boring," Carly laughed. "Where is Freddie now, anyway?"

"He took Max to the dog park," Sam replied. "He texted me and told me he should be back any minute now."

Right on cue, the girls heard the front door open. Max ran happily over to Sam and started licking her bare toes.

"Hi Maxie," Sam cooed, rubbing her puppy's belly.

"Hey," Freddie said, dragging a large box through the front door.

"What'd you get?" Sam asked, walking over to the box.

"Well," Freddie said, slowly opening the box up. "I figured since we seemed to be adding some new décor to the house I'd do a little shopping to help out, so I bought this." He pulled out a large replica of the _Black Star _that was about half his size. "I thought we could put it on the kitchen counter."

"The-The kitchen?" Sam frowned.

"Yeah, you don't mind, do you?" Freddie smiled.

"Nope," Sam said. "Go ahead."

"Ohh, in the kitchen," Carly chuckled as Freddie left the living room. "He's really egging you on there, Sam."

"He's clever," Sam said, narrowing her eyes. "But mama always wins. Come on."

"Where are we going?" Carly asked.

"Out," Sam replied. "We've got some shopping to do."

…

"Gibby, I promise you, that zombie picture is fake," Freddie told Gibby, rolling his eyes.

"I don't know, man, it looks pretty real," Gibby said.

"It's less real looking than the one Sam hung in our bedroom," Freddie mumbled. "I've had nightmares for the past two weeks."

"Why don't you just tell her you want to take it down?" Gibby asked.

"No, no, no," Freddie said. "She doesn't get to win. You see all this _Galaxy Wars _stuff around here?"

"Yeah."

"Sam hates it. But if she wants me to take it down, she's going to have to take down her zombies first. That's why I can't ask her to take down the zombies, because if I do, then I'll have no choice but to get rid of my _Galaxy Wars _items."

"So you guys are trying to see who can live with the others junk the longest?" Gibby asked.

"Yup, and I'm going to win," Freddie said proudly.

….

"I'm exhausted," Sam yawned.

"You woke up at noon today and it's only two thirty," Freddie pointed out, not looking up from his laptop.

"You snore; I couldn't sleep," Sam shrugged.  
"I do not! Maybe you couldn't sleep with that horrible thing hanging up next to our-"

"What was that?" Sam asked.

"Nothing, nothing," Freddie said quickly.

"You guys are both insane," Carly said, shaking her head. "I'm going to go to bathroom and them I'm gonna head over to Joey's."

Carly got up off the couch and headed to the bathroom.

"Man, you'd think these guys would get tired of losing," Freddie laughed, happily playing World of Warlords.

"Aw," Sam said, looking at the screen. "You're finally winning a fight, baby."

"It's all thanks to-" Freddie started, but he was interrupted by a loud scream from the bathroom.

"That's it," Carly said angrily, marching back out to the living room. "This little game of yours is ending right now, you two."

"What's got your pants in a knot?" Sam asked.

"I nearly had _another _heart attack when I saw that zombie hand sticking out from your shower drain," Carly exclaimed. "And when I jumped in surprise, I hit my head _hard_ on that stupid _Galaxy Wars_ helmet sticking out of the wall!"

"Carly, calm down and-" Freddie began, but Carly cut him off.

"Neither of you two," Carly said firmly, grabbing Sam and Freddie's sets of car keys from the table by the front door. "Are leaving this house until you come to some sort of twisted comprimise to this-this-thing you two have going on!"

"You can't just jack our cars!" Sam said indignantly.

"Yeah, that's called theft, you know," Freddie agreed.

"Comprimise!" Carly said loudly. "Now! I'll be back at around six to see if you two made any progress."

"Did she just ground us?" Freddie asked as Carly stormed out of the house.

"I think so," Sam nodded.

"So," Freddie sighed. "What are we going to do?"

"About the _Galaxy Wars _chiz and the zombie stuff?"

"Yeah."

"Well," Sam started. "I mean…I _guess_, we might've possibly taken this whole thing too far."

"You're right," Freddie nodded. "This has been going on for almost three weeks."

"What do we do with all this stuff though?" Sam asked. "Sell it online?"

"Sam," Freddie said. "Maybe…maybe each one of us could keep one thing we each like from all of this."

"One thing?"

"Yeah," Freddie nodded. "If I can keep my NugNug statue, you can keep one of your weird zombie things."

Sam pondered this for a moment. "How about this? You keep NugNug, but you have to put it in outside."

"Outside? How about… in the garage?"

Sam nodded. "Okay. I guess I can live with that…so does that mean I have to move my zombie picture from the front door?"

"Unless you want give heart attacks to whoever comes in our house," Freddie said.

"Okay. I'll hang it in the garage too," Sam said.

"That was pretty easy," Freddie smiled. "We never used to be able to come to agreements this easy; marriage is working pretty well for us."

"What do we do for the next three hours?" Sam asked. "We won't have cars until Carly gets back."

"Well," Freddie said, grinning. "With that zombie picture hanging right above our bed recently, we haven't really gotten a chance to, you know…"

"Hey, don't blame that on my zombie," Sam laughed. "Your oversized Koda stuffed animal on your side of the bed pretty much killed it for me."

"Well, seeing as we're getting rid of both those things," Freddie said, taking one of Sam's hands and pulling her to her feet. "I don't think we'll have any problems, do you?"

"Nope," Sam said, putting her arms around his neck. "I don't."


	130. Chapter 130

"No, mom," Sam said, rolling her eyes as she talked into her pearphone. "I'm not coming over to try and help you clip your toenails. Maybe Melanie would want-"

"Sam!" Melanie, who was sitting right next to her sister, hissed. "Don't!"

"Yeah, she said she'd be glad to," Sam said, ignoring her sister. "She'll be there at six."

"You're unbelievable," Melanie said as Sam hung up her phone.

"Oh calm down, weren't you going over there anyway to help her pick out a dress for your wedding?"

"But I wasn't planning on touching her feet!

"Well, now you'll have something to look forward to," Sam shrugged. She got to her feet. "You have anything good to eat in your fridge? Or do you and Carly stock it with healthy chiz now that I'm gone?"

"I think there's some leftover pizza in there," Melanie said. "Oh! But don't eat any yet; I have to show you your bridesmaid's dress and I don't want your hands to be all greasy."

"You picked it up already?" Sam frowned. "I thought Carly said the dress lady would need to see them on us so she could make the final alters."

"I just put it on and she did the altercations on me," Melanie said, coming back into the room with an elegant blue dress.

"Finally, a perk to being a twin," Sam smiled.

"Do you like it?" Melanie asked.

"Yeah, looks good," Sam nodded.

"Alright, so the bridesmaid dresses are taken care of," Melanie said. "I'm picking up my dress on Friday. I've finished the seating arrangements, and made sure that the cake will be ready in time for the wedding."

"You still have two weeks!" Sam exclaimed.

"I know, I was really cutting it close," Melanie said. "Hey, do you have any empty boxes at your place I could use?"

"Probably in the attic. Why?"

"Because I need to start moving my stuff into Cody's apartment," she replied. "You think I could swing by and pick them up tomorrow night?"

"Whatever," Sam shrugged.

"Thanks…um, actually, there was something else I was wanting to ask you."

"Ugh, what now?" Sam moaned.

"I was just sort of wondering…does being married change your relationship?"

Sam frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, did your relationship with Freddie change after you guys got married? Did you guys act differently? Was it weird being around each other so much?"

"I don't know, I guess it was different. You know, feeling someone's cold feet against you all night, having to wait to use the bathroom in the morning."

"But what about you and Freddie?"

Sam shrugged. "We're still the same. I hit him, he buys me food, and we fight over whose turn it is to fill the dishwasher. It just made us…"

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Sam!"

"Fine! It made us even closer than we were when we were dating," Sam said. "I didn't think marriage would be too different from dating, you know, since we had been together so long, but it did."

"That's so sweet," Melanie grinned.

"Yeah, so sweet I might just puke on your floor."

"I hope me and Cody will have that," Melanie said. "We did date for only a little over a year, and we didn't have the ten years of friendship you and Freddie had before."

"Eh, you'll be fine," Sam said, making an attempt to cheer her sister up, whose smile had just faltered a little bit. "Cody seems like a good guy, and when you two are together all you seem to do is swap spit."

Melanie chuckled. "You really think we'll be fine?"

"You'd better be," Sam said. "Because I'm not going to go through more wedding plans if this one doesn't last."

….

"What are these little red things in here?" Sam cringed, looking at the tuna casserole that Freddie had made for dinner.

"Crasins," he said proudly. "You know how some people put raisins in tuna casserole?"

"No one does that."

"Yes they do! Anyway, I figured why not step it up a notch and use something different? You like it?"

Sam carefully took a bite of his creation. Sure, she didn't exactly have high standards to what she ate, but this was…awful.

"It's…good," Sam said, forcing herself to swallow.

"Really? Wow, I guess I'm good at cooking then," Freddie smiled. "Who would've thought?"

"Why'd you want to cook me dinner anyway?" Sam asked, washing down the tuna with a long gulp of water.

"Well, see, I sort of found something out at work today…"

"What?" Sam asked.

"Well you remember when I had to go to New York awhile ago to help out with some of the tech things in the studio over there?"

"Sure."

"Well, the head of that studio apparently really liked my work, and he wanted me to do some work for another project he's working on."

"Wait," Sam said slowly, setting her fork down. "You're going to New York. Again?"

"Connecticut, actually; that's where they're shooting scenes for the project."

Sam didn't say anything.

"Sam, come on, don't be mad at me," Freddie said, reaching for her hand across the table.

"I'm not mad," she mumbled.

"Yes you are."

"Well, you couldn't even check with me before you agreed to go?" Sam snapped.

"I would've, you know that," Freddie said. "But I was put on the spot! The guy called into the office today and said he needed a decision in the next five minutes. And I couldn't say no! I'm still the new guy in there sitting at the bottom of the totem pole. I'll never move up if I don't do things like this every now and again."

Sam crossed her arms.

"They're paying me a _lot_ of money to do it too," Freddie added. "With that plus the money we saved from your dad we'll be set for awhile."

Sam sighed. "When do you leave?"

"The day after Melanie's wedding. I come back three weeks later."

"That's almost a month!"

"I talked them down to that from two months," Freddie said. "Come on, Sam, I'm sorry I'm just springing this on you and all. I really am."

"Whatever," Sam said, playing with her food. "I guess you didn't have a choice."

"If it makes you feel any better, I'll be completely miserable there," Freddie said. "Last time the guys at that studio tricked me into buying and wearing a pair of cowboy boots to the set because they told me it was Western Week."

Sam showed a small smile. "You're too gullible."

"And you know that without you there, I won't be having too much fun."

"I guess," she mumbled.

"Hopefully next time that studio needs someone to go over, there will be a new new guy that will have to go," Freddie said, putting a forkful of the casserole into his mouth. He nearly gagged.

"This is disgusting!"

"You made it," Sam reminded him.

"Yes, and please never let me do that again," Freddie said, getting up and throwing his plate into the sink.


	131. Chapter 131

"Sam, you almost done?" Freddie asked, knocking on the bathroom door. "We have to be at the church at three and it's an hour drive."

"Hold your horses, Fredshred," Sam called back.

"It's one forty-five," Freddie said, looking at his watch. "You know if we're late Melanie will be upset and Carly will-"

Sam opened the bathroom door and stepped out wearing her blue bridesmaid dress. "You happy, nub? You can stop having a heart attack now."

Freddie grinned. "Well it definitely was worth the wait. You look great."

Sam rolled her eyes, but she smiled. She grabbed a pair of earrings from her dresser. "You-you all packed for Connecticut? We'll probably be getting back late, so you won't have too much time to pack."

"Yeah, I did it while you were getting dressed," Freddie nodded, stepping behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Oh."

"You'll be fine, Sam," he said softly, kissing the top of her head.

"I know. I'm just worried about how you'll be without me," Sam said quickly. "You're a little co-dependent, you know."

"Only when it comes to being with you," Freddie chuckled. "Come on, we need to get going."

By the time Freddie and Sam had reached the church there was half-an-hour left until the ceremony started.

"Hey, we're here," Sam said as her and Freddie entered the room where Melanie was getting ready.

"Good, we were getting worried," Melanie said, standing up.

"Doesn't her hair look so nice?" Carly asked. "We worked on it for three hours."

"Very nice," Freddie said, giving Melanie a hug. "You look beautiful, Mel."

"Thanks," Melanie smiled.

"We passed by Uncle Horace trying to sell one of Cody's cousin's his special 'shampoo'," Sam told her sister.

"I told him not to do that," Melanie moaned.

"Don't worry, I broke up the sale," Sam assured her.

"I just need everything to go smoothly today," Melanie said.

"Eh, they behaved for my wedding, they'll behave for yours," Sam shrugged.

"Besides," Carly said. "I caught Cody's sister shaving her toes in the parking lot. He doesn't exactly have a normal family either."

"I guess you're right," Melanie nodded.

…..

The ceremony started right on time, and other than a quick outburst from Sam and Melanie's cousin Ralph regarding a squirrel that was out to kill him, everything went according to plan. Cody and Melanie exchanged vows and became husband and wife. The reception was held at a nearby park where Carly and Sam had set up strings of lights and a large dance floor the night before.

"You want to dance?" Freddie asked Sam after the guests had finished up their dinners and were heading to the floor.

"After I finish this salmon," Sam said through her stuffed mouth. "My God, this is good salmon!"

"What's up?" Carly asked, sitting down at Sam and Freddie's table. "You guys having fun?"

"I thought you were dancing with Spencer," Freddie said.

"I was. But then he started doing that weird chicken dance cha-cha thing and I had to pretend I didn't know him," Carly replied.

"Where's Joey?" Sam asked.

"Bathroom. You know, I've been thinking," Carly said. "You're married, Melanie's married; next it's my turn! Can you believe that? The next wedding we go to might just be my own! How exciting is that? You think I could have it in Paris? Or-Or maybe Italy! Yeah, that would be so romantic, and you could be my translator, Sam!"

"How many glasses of wine has she had?" Freddie whispered to Sam.

"No idea, but lets get out of here," Sam whispered back.

Without Carly even noticing, the couple stepped onto the dance floor.

"You're a really good dancer," Freddie said to Sam as he put her hands on her waist and she put her hands on his shoulders.

"I did start dancing when I was three," Sam grinned.

"Why'd you stop?" Freddie asked.

Sam shrugged. "Too much work. Plus I mainly did it for those stupid pageants, and when I got kicked out of them there really wasn't too much of a point to going on with it."

"Well, maybe that worked out for the best; I heard somewhere that professional dancers don't really get too much time for relationships."

"Nope," Sam said, resting her head on Freddie's shoulders. "They don't."

….

The couple got back to their house at a little after midnight, so when Freddie's alarm clock went of at six the next morning, both him and Sam were still exhausted.

"At least your mom won't be here this time," Sam yawned, slowly sitting up as Freddie pulled on a pair of jeans over his boxers.

"Yeah, good thing she got stuck working the early shift this morning," Freddie nodded.

"Why do you always get the earliest flights?" Sam said, throwing the covers off her body and getting to her feet.

"You don't have to drive me, Sam," Freddie told her. "Go back to sleep. I can just park my car at the airport."

"No," Sam said, grabbing a jacket from her closet. "Someone would probably break into your car. That pathetic pear store license plate thingy you have will be a dead give away of what a nerd you are; that's the kind of easy picking car robbers go for."

"Yeah, you would know," Freddie laughed.

The couple stopped and picked up donuts and coffee on their way to the airport. After weaning their way through bag check and security they had reached Freddie's gate.

"I'll call you when we land," Freddie said, kissing Sam's lips.

"Okay."

"And I'll try to finish the project early," Freddie said. "Maybe I can be home in only two weeks."

Sam nodded, but didn't say anything.

"I have to go now," Freddie said softly, giving his wife one last kiss.

Sam wrapped her arms around her neck. "Bye, nub."

"Bye, demon," Freddie smiled. "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too," she whispered as Freddie turned to head onto the plane.


	132. Chapter 132

Sam moaned as she pounded the alarm clock with her fist. Normally, she would stay in bed for another fifteen minutes and have Freddie wake her up when he was done with his shower, but seeing as her husband was across the country, Sam figured she would have to get herself up. Sam sat up slowly. She felt a little dizzy and weak.

"Must be all that cotton candy I ate before bed," she mumbled. She dragged herself into the bathroom and turned on the hot water. After quickly washing herself and throwing on some clothes, Sam headed out to the kitchen. She grabbed a package of bacon from the fridge and threw it in the microwave and sat down. She still felt a little off.

"Hey, Max," Sam smiled as the puppy came over to her and started licking her leg. The puppy gave a sad little whimper.

"Aw, do you miss the nub too?" Sam asked, scratching Max behind his ears. "Yeah, so do I." Just then the microwave went off and Sam grabbed her bacon. The second the scent of the breakfast meat hit her nose, though, she cringed, and she felt her stomach gurgle.

_Maybe it's expired_, Sam thought. But then again, it's not like she hadn't eaten expired bacon before.

"Here, Max," Sam said, dumping the bacon into her dog's bowl. She threw a bagel into the toaster and took a bottle of orange juice to drink on her way to work. She made a mental note to stop by the store on her way home to pick up some bacon.

When she arrived at the studio, Carly was just getting out of her car.

"Hey," Carly greeted Sam. "Did Freddie get into Connecticut okay?"

"Yeah, he called as soon as he landed," Sam yawned. "And again before he went to bed. He says it's freezing there."

"It's freezing here too," Carly pointed out. "Um, are you okay? You look really tired."

"I didn't really sleep last night."

"Oh, because you missed Freddie?" Carly smiled.

"Will you shut up?"

"You know, you could always come and stay with me until Freddie gets back," Carly said. "It's kind of lonely living in the apartment all by myself now that Melanie's gone."

"Thanks, but someone has to stay with Max," Sam said.

"Oh yeah, I forgot," Carly nodded. "Well how about we hit the smoothie tonight? Apparently T-Bo just installed some sort of fancy thing into the sinks in the bathrooms that makes the water come out pink."

"Sure," Sam laughed. "You know Mama's a sucker for colored water."

As the day went on, though, Sam began to feel worse. She had a pain in her lower back and her stomach was feeling more and more queasy.

"On second thought," Sam said as her and Carly headed back out to the parking lot that evening. "I think I'll just head home. I think I caught something at the wedding."

"Feel better," Carly said.

Sam drove home, and just as she was pulling into her driveway, she let out a groan. "No…please no."

Standing by her door was none other than Jill.

"Evening, neighbor!" Jill said happily as Sam slammed her car door shut.

"How long have you been waiting there?" Sam asked.

"Oh, not long at all, only about an hour," Jill smiled. "I baked you some tofu meatloaf!"

"Fantastic," Sam mumbled, unlocking the front door. "I'll just take that. You probably want to get back home and-"

"Nonsense!" Jill exclaimed, marching right into the house. "I haven't gotten a chance to speak to you in weeks!"

"Yeah, what a shame," Sam said, her voice dripping in sarcasm.

"It most certainly is! Now why don't I just warm up this tofu loaf and we can all-Hey! Wait just a ding-dong minute! Where's the man of the house?"

"Freddie?" Sam asked. "He's out of-"

"Oh no! You're marriage is crumpling!" Jill cried. "He left you, didn't he?"

"What? No!"

"It's okay," Jill said, patting Sam's shoulder. "Not every marriage can be as perfect as Jack's and mine's. But I can help you get back out there! I can-"

"Freddie's on a business trip, you crazy!" Sam loudly.

"A business trip?" Jill repeated. "Oh, a 'business trip'."

"Why the air quotes?" Sam frowned, crossing her arms.

"No reason," Jill said. "And you know what? I'm sure any tall, hot woman that Freddie's associating with as we speak is strictly professional. Don't you worry yourself, Sam. Just because your husband is miles and miles away from you doesn't mean he's cheating on you. Nope, not at all."

"Okay, great," Sam said, rolling her eyes. "Can you leave now?"

"But still," Jill said, ignoring Sam's last comment. "If you even get the tiniest…suspicion that something's going on up there, I've got a sister who's a private investigator that could give you a great deal on-"

Just then, Max came running into the room and started barking at Jill.

"Ah! What's wrong with him? Is he going to attack me?"

"I think so," Sam said, struggling to keep a smile off her face. "You'd better run! He hasn't been tested for rabies yet!"

"I'm just a phone call away!" Jill called over her shoulder as she hurried out of the house. "If you ever want to talk!"

"Good boy, Max," Sam cooed, rubbing the dog's belly. "You chased the bad lady away!"

Sam tossed him a dog biscuit, threw the tofu loaf in the trash, and then settled down on the couch with a can of soup. She pulled her pearphone out of her pocket and dialed Freddie's number.

"Hey," she heard him say when he answered. "I was just about to call. You home from work yet?"

"Just got home. Wacko Jill tried to stuff tofu down my throat, by the way."

"I'm very sorry for you," he laughed.

"But it looks like all the training I did with Max finally paid off," Sam smiled. "He scared her off."

"Wish I could've seen that."

"I'm sure you'll get to eventually. So how's Connecticut been?"

"Still freezing. We had to be outside all day, and I swear, I lost a toe to frostbite."

"You're such a whimp."

"So what have you been up to?"

"Nothing much. I think I'm coming down with something, though."

"Really? Are you okay? Have you been to a doctor?"

"Calm down, will you? It's probably just some twenty-four hour thing. I'm sure I'll be fine by tomorrow."

"Okay…call me if you get worse though, and I'll come home. They can do the project without me."

"Yeah, yeah," Sam smiled.

"Listen, I have to go," Freddie said. "I have to be up at four in the morning tomorrow."

"Gross."

"I know. I'll talk to you tomorrow. I love you."

"I love you too," Sam said.

The couple hung up and Sam tossed her phone aside. She knew Freddie would never cheat on her, she wasn't worried about that. She did want him home, though. When he went away for the first time, it was hard, sure, but now that they were married and living together, it was like they were a collective unit, and now one big piece of that unit was missing, and Sam was left broken and alone.


	133. Chapter 133

It was Saturday, so Sam didn't have to set her alarm clock to wake up for work in the morning. Ordinarily she would've taken this chance to sleep in until at least noon, but at eight o'clock she found herself with her eyes open.

"You've got to be kidding me," Sam mumbled, punching her pillow, trying to fall back asleep. But it was no use. Reluctantly, Sam got out of bed, but the second her feet touched the floor, she was overtaken with a sudden feeling of nausea. She ran into the bathroom and kneeled over in front of the toilet where she retched up the contents of her stomach.

Every morning for the past week had begun this way and Sam was getting sick of it. She just hoped that whatever bug she had would be gone soon. At least the sickness went away for the most part after she woke up. It came back at times during the day, but not as bad.

After showering and eating five frozen waffles, Sam passed the morning that she should've spent sleeping in watching re-runs of cage fights. At around noon she heard her front door open and Carly let herself into the house.

"Hey," Carly greeted her best friend. "I'm surprised you're up."

"Yeah, me too," Sam said, turning off the T.V. "What's up?"

"Well, my dad just sent me these really fancy cakes from Hawaii, where he's stationed right now," Carly said. "And he wanted me to bring one to Spencer, so I figured I'd stop by here on my way over to see if you wanted to come with me to drop it off."

"By drop it off, I hope you mean devour it the second we walk into the apartment," Sam said.

"Of course," Carly laughed. "The cake has three different types of frosting on it."

"Then stop with the chit-chat, Shay," Sam said, getting up from the couch and throwing her jacket on. "My mouth is already filled with saliva just thinking about that."

Carly drove the two over to Bushwell Plaza and the girls hurried up to the eighth floor and opened up Spencer and Ella's door.

"I'll get the plates," Sam said, not even bothering to greet Spencer or Ella.

"What do you have there?" Ella asked, Carly, looking at the box in her hands.

"Dad sent you a Hawaiian cake," Carly said.

"Really? From Hawaii?" Spencer asked.

"No, from Spain," Sam said, rolling her eyes.

"I feel like that was sarcastic," Spencer frowned.

"Just go get a knife to cut the cake," Carly laughed. "Before Sam uses her hands to do it."

"Cake!" Dina exclaimed, running into the room as Carly opened the box to reveal a decorative cake. "Cake! Cake! Cake!"

"Dina, shh, you'll wake Bryan," Ella whispered urgently.

"I get cake, mommy?"

"You can have a piece," Ella said. "If you promise to go and take your nap right after, okay?"

"Okay! Cake! Cake!"

"Yeah, I'm sure she'll go down after all that sugar," Sam said, handing Dina a plate that Spencer had just served.

"Pretty cake," Dina said happily, scooping up the icing with her bare hands, ignoring her fork.

"Oh my God, this is amazing!" Carly said, taking a bite of her own cake. "Those Hawaiians really know what they're doing!"

"It's like I just swallowed heaven," Sam said, licking her fork.

"We're moving to Hawaii," Ella said, looking at Spencer. "I can't stand being so far away from cakes like this."

"Come on," Spencer scoffed, shaking his head. "I'm sure it's very good cake, but is it really-" he put a piece in his mouth and his eyes grew wide. "Oh my God! My taste buds; they're dancing!"

"Told you," Ella smiled.

After finishing off the cake, everyone felt full and satisfied.

"Man, I am stuffed," Spencer said. "I think I'm just going to sit here and-Ah! No! I forgot about the Carmichael sculpture!"

"You mean dad's friend, Joe Carmichael?" Carly asked.

"Yes! He ordered a sculpture of a racecar and I've been storing it in the storage unit and I completely forgot about it! I promised him I'd have it delivered by eleven this morning!"

"Well, Joe is a nice guy," Carly reasoned. "I'm sure he'll understand if you're late."

"No, he hates me," Spencer pointed out. "Remember? I set his shoes on fire five years ago?"

"I thought that was Uncle Don."

"No, I set Uncle Don't socks on fire," Spencer said.

"Okay, well, Joe likes _me,_" Carly said, grabbing her jacket. "I'll come with you when you deliver it and maybe he won't be so mad."

"Yeah…that's good!" Spencer nodded. "Come on, we'll take my truck!"

"Wow," Ella said, shaking her head as Spencer and Carly hurried out of the apartment. "He forgets that, but he remembers every line from the first season of _Seinfeld._"

"Weird," Sam agreed.

"Okay, Dina," Ella said to her daughter. "You made a promise. Now go upstairs to your bed to take a nap."

"No!" the toddler moaned.

"Yes," Ella said firmly. "Or I'm going to the T.V. people and tell them to cancel _Puppet Zoo_."

Dina gasped and ran upstairs.

"I am _so _good at parenting," Ella grinned.

"Uh-huh," Sam frowned. She was beginning to feel nauseous again.

"Hey, I need to run out and get some diapers," Ella said. "You mind staying here with the kids?"

"No," Sam moaned, trying to ignore the sickening feeling in her stomach. "I guess not."

"Are you okay?" Ella asked.

"Yeah," Sam nodded. "I just have some sort of stomach thing."

"Really?" Ella frowned.

"It's fine, though," Sam told her. "It's a lot better than it was this morning. It's been coming and going all week."

"You sure you're okay?" Ella asked.

"Yes, go," Sam said, now taking off her shoes and socks to reveal her slightly swollen feet, which she was now beginning to massage.

"Okay," Ella said. "I shouldn't be more than a half-hour."

She grabbed her purse and jacket and headed out.

As Sam continued to massage her feet, she felt a little better. She just wished she could do something about the pain in her lower back…

Her phone rang and Sam saw Freddie's name on the screen.

"Hey," she said, answering. "You missed some really good Hawaiian cake."

"Hawaiian cake?" Freddie repeated.

"Yeah, I wonder if you can order it online," Sam said. "So what's up?"

"Well I just spent the last five hours working with a guy who smelled like a combination of pepperoni and body odor. All of the tech guys from up here are kind of nerdy."

"Yeah, as a pose to here where they're all just the coolest."

"I know that was sarcastic, but I'm going to take the compliment anyway. What's going on with you?"

"Nothing much," Sam said. "Just watching Dina and Bryan for Ella."

"Sounds fun. I-What? No, Hector, I don't want to go to your mom's teeth cleaning with you!"

"Sounds like you're having a blast," Sam laughed.

"Oh, yeah, sure. Listen, I just wanted to check up on you. Are you still feeling sick?"

"No," Sam lied quickly.

"Good. Well, I have to go. I need to finish recalibrating the white balance on a few more scenes. I'll talk to you tonight."

"Wouldn't want anybody's skin to turn magenta," Sam smiled. "Bye, Fredpuff."

Sam had just hung up the phone when Ella returned carrying a brown shopping bag.

"Are they still asleep?" she asked, tossing her keys onto the coffee table.

"Yup," Sam nodded. "Hey, can I watch a pay-per-view car race on your T.V.?"

"Yeah, whatever," Ella said. "But first, I bought you something."

"That new singing paddle ball thing from the commercial?"

"Um, no," Ella said, She tossed her cousin a small white box.

"What's this?"

"A pregnancy test."

Sam frowned. "Why would I need a-"

"Come on Sam, you're a smart kid," Ella said. "Morning sickness, swollen feet…those are kind of the trademarks of pregnancy."

"But I can't be pregnant," Sam said slowly.

"And why is that?"

"Because…because-"

"Look, I may be wrong," Ella shrugged. "But I _have_ had two kids. There's no harm in just checking; all you have to do is pee on the stick, after all."

"This is crazy," Sam said, getting up. "There's no way I'm pregnant."

Ella raised an eyebrow. "Tell me this; have you had any changes in appetite? Any foods all of the sudden make you sick just looking at them?"

Sam thought. "Well…I haven't been able to stomach bacon lately…but that's because I've been sick! Not because I'm pregnant."

"Change in appetite is another sign of pregnancy," Ella said. "I think you know what the last one is. Are you late?"

"That-that doesn't mean anything."

"Sam," Ella said gently. "Just take the test. It won't hurt."

Sam sighed and looked down at the box in her hand. "Fine," she said finally. "I'll do it." And with that, she headed into the bathroom.


	134. Chapter 134

_Five minutes_, Sam told herself, setting the test on the bathroom counter and setting the timer on her phone. _That's not that long of a wait._

Sam leaned against the wall and stared at the white stick. It was going to come back negative. She, Sam Benson, was not pregnant. She looked at her phone. Less than a minute had passed. Maybe it _was_ going to be a long wait.

Sam couldn't be pregnant. Well, it wasn't that she _couldn't_ be; it's not as if her and Freddie hadn't done, well, _it_. They _were_ married, after all. She glanced at the timer. Three minutes to go.

It's not as if she had anything _against_ kids and babies; she loved Dina and Bryan. It was just that her and Freddie had just gotten married a little less than a year ago. Weren't kids supposed to come later down the road? When they were more prepared?

Two minutes left.

But then again, it wasn't as if her and Freddie were just starting out in their jobs, barely making enough to get by. They both made good money at work, plus they _did_ have all the money saved up from her dad, plus the money Freddie was getting from Connecticut. They had plenty of room at the house, too. They _did _have three spare rooms that could easily be converted into a nursery.

One minute.

She did want to have kids, and she knew Freddie did too. She felt a smile creep onto her face as she pictured her and Freddie looking down at a tiny bundle of blankets…

The alarm on her phone beeped. Five minutes had finally passed, though for Sam it seemed like an eternity. She picked up the test with a shaky hand.

There was a tiny pink plus sign. She looked on the back of the box to see what that meant.

_It's positive_, Sam saw. _I'm going to have a baby._

She looked down at her stomach. Was there really something growing in there?

Sam cleaned up and then stepped out of the bathroom. Dina was now up from her nap and was rolling toy cars up her mother's leg. Ella looked up at Sam.

"Hey, Dina," Ella said. "Why don't you go in mommy and daddy's room and watch T.V. in there for a little bit?"

"Okay," Dina said happily running out of the room.

"So?" Ella said once she was sure her daughter was out of earshot. "What's it say?"

"It-It came back positive."

"You see?" Ella grinned jumping up to hug her cousin. "I told you! Congratulations! Are you excited?"

"Y-Yeah, actually, I am," Sam nodded, smiling. "A little surprised, though."

"Well yeah, I was too when I found out I was pregnant with my two," Dina replied. "Wow, this is so great. Dina and Bryan will have a new cousin to play with. Oh, and you can have any of our old baby stuff. You'll probably want to wait until you find out the baby's gender. Also, you'll have to make a doctor's appointment so that he can make sure everything's okay and prescribe you some prenatal vitamins. I'll give you the number of the guy I went to."

"Okay," Sam said slowly as Ella began to jot down a number. "And, um, Ella?"

"Yeah?"

"Could you not tell anybody? Not Spencer or Carly or anyone else? I-I sort of want Freddie to know before I let everyone else know."

"Yeah, I get it," Ella nodded, handing Sam the number. "My lips are sealed. But are you going to tell Freddie over the phone? Or wait until he gets home."

"I haven't really thought about it."

"Well, just do whatever you think is best," Ella told her. "I'm sure he'll be thrilled. You guys are going to make such good parents."

"Thanks," Sam smiled.

…

Sam lay on her bed that night, absentmindedly flipping through the T.V. channels.

She still couldn't get it through her head; she was going to be a mom. She was going to be responsible for another person. She sighed and clicked off the T.V. She had just gotten off the phone with Freddie. She hadn't told him the news; after a lot of consideration, she had decided to tell him when he got home in two weeks. She wanted to see his face when she told him.

He would be happy, right? Sure, it was much sooner than they probably would've liked, but, well, there wasn't too much they could do about it now. Sam rubbed her abdomen. It was still strange thinking that another person was growing inside of her.

"Good night," she whispered, and she turned off the lights and drifted off to sleep.


	135. Chapter 135

"Hey," Carly greeted Sam as Sam walked into their office. "I picked you up some coffee."

"Thanks," Sam said gratefully picking up the paper cup. As she raised the cup to her lips, though, she stopped, suddenly remembering her condition. "Um, actually, I just finished a cup in the car."

"Oh, okay," Carly shrugged. "Anyway, you'll never believe what happened last night."

"You got attacked by ninjas?"

"Um, no?"

"Oh, good," Sam said. "Because if you did, I'd be extremely jealous."

"You know that guy who lives in the apartment next to mine?"

"The one who I used think was a spy but just really turned out to be Canadian?"

"That's the one," Carly laughed. "It turns out he's moving to Vermont to be closer to his daughter. He came over last night and gave me his old pool table. It's in mint condition! He says it's too big for him to move with him."

"A pool table, are you serious?" Sam said. "That's awesome!"

"I know," Carly nodded. "Only, it's a little to big for my place. Do you think it would be alright if you kept it at your place?"

"Uh, it would be more than alright," Sam said.

"Freddie wouldn't mind?" Carly asked.

"Are you kidding? He loves pool," Sam replied. "He's actually pretty good at it. He says there's some sort of physics trick to it or something."

"Cool, I'll bring it by after work some time this week," Carly said.

As the day progressed, the girls continued to work on writing scripts for the television studio. At around noon they took their lunch break and headed into the cafeteria.

"Ugh, what's that smell?" Sam cringed when they walked in.

"It's ham and cheese sandwiches," Carly frowned. "I thought you loved those. You always get yours with extra ham."

_No bacon OR ham?_ Sam thought to herself, trying not to gag at the aroma. "I think I'll get the chicken today," Sam said. "Go grab us a table, I'll be right back."

Sam waited until Carly's back was turned and then she ran out of the cafeteria and into the restrooms.

_Morning sickness my butt_, Sam thought to herself as she cleaned herself up after she vomited her breakfast into one of the toilets. _It's afternoon!_ She just hoped Carly wasn't getting suspicious. Freddie was going to be home in about ten days, and every time she talked to him on the phone it was getting harder and harder not to let the news slip.

Sam dug through her pocket for a pack of gum she had wisely put in her pocket on her way out of the house that morning and headed back to the cafeteria, trying to ignore the sickening scent of the food she so dearly loved.

….

"Ugh, I don't know what any of this means," Sam said, opening one of her bills that had come in the mail that day. Freddie, having been in the Young Businessmen's club throughout high school, always handled the couple's financials.

"Eh, it can wait until he gets back," Sam said to no one in particular, tossing the bill onto her counter. She grabbed a container of cashews from the cabinet. Lately she had been craving them like crazy.

"Sam, you home?"

Ella had just walked through the front door.

"In the kitchen!" Sam called back.

"Since when do you eat cashews?" Ella asked. She noticed the five additional containers sitting in a shopping bag by the microwave.

"They're so good!" Sam said. "And I haven't been able to eat any ham or bacon or anything so leave me alone."

"Ah, the cravings are already starting," Ella laughed. "So, when's Freddie getting back?"

"Three days," Sam replied, grabbing another handful of cashews.

"You still haven't told him?"

Sam shook her head. "I wanted to do it in person."

"That's what I would've done," Ella nodded. "So anyway, have you made an appointment with the doctor yet?"

"Yup. For the day after Freddie gets back."

"Wow, I'm impressed," Ella said approvingly.

"This doctor better not be as weird as his name, though," Sam said. "Doctor Vishy…what kind of name is that?"

"He's a nice guy, don't worry," Ella assured her cousin. "Anyway, I just stopped by see if you wanted to watch my kids for me tonight."

"I watch those kids more than you do," Sam pointed out.

"Yeah, but you need the practice," Ella grinned. "So can you do it?"

"I guess," Sam sighed.

"Cool. Dina, you can come in with Bryan now!"

Dina toddled in from the front entrance with Bryan crawling behind her.

"You had them here the whole time?" Sam exclaimed. "What if I said no?"

"I would've left them with you anyway," Ella shrugged. "Have fun with them."


	136. Chapter 136

"Absolutely disgusting," Marissa said as her and Sam took two seats in the airport. "This seat is probably crawling with germs."

"Then stand," Sam said, trying not to scream at the woman.

"I most certainly won't," Marissa snapped. "A passerby might brush up against me. This place is filled with bacteria from all over the world! I don't see why Freddie could've found a cleaner way to travel."

"You know, you _could've_ stayed home."

"And miss seeing my Freddiebear after three weeks? I hardly think so!"

Sam rolled her eyes and began playing Phrases with Pals on her pearphone, trying to block out her mother-in-law's comments.

Freddie was coming home today, and that meant that she would finally be able to tell him that she was pregnant with their first child. She felt excited, but also a little nervous at the same time.

"You know, Samantha," Marissa said. "Your hair is so long and unruly. Maybe I should take you down to my salon and have one of the girls their do some work on it."

"I like my hair long," Sam said. "So does Freddie."

"But it's so-"

Just then a crowd of people began filing out of the gate where Freddie's flight was. Sam spotted Freddie amongst everyone. "He's here!" she said, standing up.

"Sam," Freddie said, throwing his arms around her. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too," she whispered.

"Ahem!"

The couple broke apart and Freddie turned to his mother, who was standing next to them, waiting expectantly.

"Hey, mom," Freddie said. "I-I missed you too."

"'Hey mom'?" Marissa repeated. "That's all I get after going three long weeks without seeing my only son!"

"Um, I bought you some soaps from Connecticut."

Marissa shoved herself between Sam and Freddie and pulled her son into a tight hug. "I'm going to call down to that studio," Marissa said. "And tell them enough is enough! You've been flying off too much, mister! It's bad for your eardrums, it's disgustingly germy and it rips apart your mother's heart!"

Freddie patted his mom's back awkwardly and looked at Sam, who just shrugged.

"Mom, as much as would love for you to keep clinging to me," Freddie said. "I'm pretty tired. I think what I really want is to just go home and rest for awhile."

"You're tired! But it's five o'clock in the afternoon! You see, the time difference has ruined your sleep schedule too!"

"Yeah, so get off him and let him go home," Sam said.

"Sam…" Freddie said, but he grinned at her.

When Marissa finally let go of her son, Sam and Freddie drove back to their home.

"Man, I've missed it here," Freddie said, dropping his bags in the living room.

"I thought they put you up in a four star hotel."

"They did," Freddie nodded. "Still, it wasn't the same. It was kind of lonely, you know, without you there." He pulled her closer and kissed her.

Sam eagerly responded. Her arms finding Freddie's neck as she deepened the kiss.

"You know what else I missed?" Freddie asked when they pulled away grinning. "You wanna, you know, go upstairs?"

Sam nodded, but then she remembered what she had to do. "I need to tell you something first, actually."

"Can't it wait?"

"Um, no, not really," Sam said. She sat down on the couch and Freddie sat down next to her.

"Is everything okay?" he asked, concerned.

"Yeah, yeah," Sam said quickly. "Um, you see, while you were gone, I-"

"Man, this thing is heavy!"

"Carly?" Sam frowned, looking over to the front door to see her best friend dragging in a pool table. "What are you doing here?"

"I told you, I was going to drop off the pool table here," Carly said. "Freddie! You're back!"

"Hey, Carls," Freddie smiled, hugging his friend. "What's this? You got us a pool table?"

"One of my neighbors gave it to me and it's way to big for my place," Carly told him. "So Sam said it would be cool to keep it here. She said you wouldn't mind."

"This is awesome!" Freddie said happily, examining it. "Sam, wait, was this what you wanted to tell me?"

"Not exactly," she mumbled.

"It's in great shape," Freddie said. "Wow, I still can't believe this, a pool table in my house!"

"You guys want to play?" Carly asked. "I can order some pizza and we can all have a sort of welcome back celebration for Freddie!"

"Hey, Carly?" Sam said. "Spencer called over here looking for you right before I left for the airport. He said something about finding your old stuffed elephant or something his storage unit."

"Tusky?" Carly exclaimed. "Oh my God! I haven't seen that thing in ages! Sorry guys, but we'll do pool some other time, okay?"

"Okay then," Sam nodded. "See ya'!"

"Man, this thing is in really great," Freddie said, holding up one of the cue sticks.

"Yeah, it's fantastic," Sam said. "Anyway, back to what I was saying..."

"Oh, right," Freddie said, dropping the cue stick. "Sorry. Go on."

"Look, while you were gone, I found out some pretty exciting-"

"Okay, I have enough tofu casserole and squash burgers for everyone!" came Marissa's voice as she slammed open the front door carrying an armload of food containers. "I'll set the table!"

"Mom, what are you doing?" Freddie frowned.

"I know what kind of food they feed you on airplanes," Marissa said. "Salty peanuts, processed pretzels…and I know you won't get any nutritious cooking over here, so I came over to make sure your at least well fed. Your immune system is probably shot, so this will be a start in recovering it."

Sam groaned. Really, they had to start looking around for a new lock for the front door.

"We're not really hungry," Sam said.

"You'll eat," Marissa said firmly. "Freddie, be a dear and get the plates. Samantha, I'm sure if you look hard enough in your kitchen you can find some napkins that don't have barbecue sauce on them."

"Mom," Freddie said warningly.

"How are we supposed to get rid of her?" Sam hissed as Marissa disappeared into the dining room.

"You know her," Freddie sighed. "I don't think we can. We'll just have to muster up and deal with it?"

"Muster up?"

"They-they used that phrase a lot in Connecticut."

"Whatever. Just eat quickly. I want to get rid of her as fast as I can."

…

Unfortunately, getting rid of Marissa Benson was far harder than Sam had thought. After everyone had eaten, she insisted on taking a sample of Freddie's blood to test at the hospital to make sure that he hadn't caught any strange viruses from the plane and then she guilted the couple into playing several rounds of go fish with her travel deck of cards. Finally, six hours later, she had to leave to go to work.

"She's the next person I'm training Max to get rid of," Sam said as Freddie locked the door behind his mother.

"It's pretty late," Freddie said. "You want to head up?"

"I'll be up in a minute," Sam told him.

The evening had not gone the way she wanted to at all. With all the interruptions, her and Freddie hadn't had any time alone. She definitely had to tell him about the baby tonight; they did have that doctor's appointment tomorrow, after all.

"Freddie," Sam said, heading into their bedroom. "I'm serious. We need to-Oh."

Sitting on her pillow was a pair of small, sapphire earrings that were the same exact blue as her eyes.

"With everything going on before I forgot to give them to you," Freddie said. "I saw them and I thought of your eyes, right away."

Sam didn't know what to say. She just sat down next to her husband on their bed and kissed him.

"Freddie," she said when they finally broke apart. "You-you know that thing I was talking to you about before Carly and your mom came?"

He nodded. "Yeah. What was it? You never got a chance to finish telling me."

"While you were gone," she started for the third time. "You remember me telling you how I was feeling sick?"

"Uh-huh."

"It turns out I wasn't," Sam said.

"Then what was wrong with you?"

"Nothing."

"Then why were you-"

"I'm pregnant."

Freddie's eyes widened. "You-Wha-? How?"

"Please tell me I don't have to explain _that_ to you," Sam said.

Freddie didn't reply. He just continued to look completely stunned.

"I-I was pretty surprised when I found out too," Sam said softly. "I get it, it's big news. You're probably-" she was cut off as Freddie crashed his lips to hers.

"I know it's sooner than we planned," Sam said when they broke apart.

"I don't care," Freddie told her. "It doesn't matter. We're-we're going to have a baby, Sam." He grinned at her. "A baby! We're going to be parents!"

"Well, yeah," she laughed. "That's kind of a given."

"Just think," Freddie said. "A little Baby Benson. Part Demon Part Tech-Nerd."

"Let's hope that tech nerd side doesn't show up too strong," Sam laughed. "One of you is enough."


	137. Chapter 137

"Why didn't I make an _afternoon _appointment?" Sam yawned, resting her head on Freddie's shoulder as they waited in the waiting room at the doctor's office.

"We should be going in soon," Freddie told her. "Then we can go back home and you can go to sleep."

"Samantha Benson?" a nurse called.

The couple stood up and followed the nurse back to one of the check-up rooms. "The doctor will be with you shortly," the nurse said. "Right now I'm just going to take your temperature and blood pressure, and then weigh you on that scale, Mrs. Benson."

Sam nodded. After the nurse finished the short procedures, she handed Sam a paper gown. "Please change into this behind those curtains so the doctor will be able to examine you."

"Okay," Sam said, taking the gown. Once she had changed she sat down on the examination table and waited.

"Morning, Mrs. Benson," the doctor said when he arrived. "I'm doctor Vishy. How are you feeling?"

"Um, good, I guess," Sam said as she watched the doctor turn on some machines.

"Any nausea this morning?"

"Yeah, and for the past three weeks," Sam nodded.

"That's completely normal," the doctor said. "And would this be the father?"

"Yeah, I'm her husband," Freddie nodded.

"Good, good," Doctor Vishy smiled. "Okay, well what I'm going to do today is a simple ultrasound to see how this little one is developing so far."

"We'll get to see the baby?" Sam asked.

"Yes you will," the doctor told her. "Okay, Sam. I'm going to have to squeeze this gel on your stomach, first, and it's going to be cold, so brace yourself."

"That actually feels pretty cool," Sam commented as the doctor began to spread the gel onto her bare stomach.

"Alright," he said, picking up a device that was attached to one of the monitors. "I'm going to use this now to take a look at the baby. Just keep your eyes on the screen and you'll be able to see."

Freddie stood by Sam shoulders and held her hand as the couple both stared at the screen. At first, it didn't look like much of anything; all they could see were a bunch of black and white lines.

"Here we are," the doctor said after about five minutes. "Here's your little baby boy or girl."

"That?" Sam asked softly. "That's-that's my baby?"

"Yes," the doctor nodded. "I know it looks very small now, almost like a peanut, but that's it."

"Is everything healthy with it?" Freddie asked.

"Everything appears to be fine," the doctor said. "You're about one month along right now. I'd like to see you at the end of the first trimester. By then the baby will look a little more like a baby."

Sam couldn't take her eyes off the screen. There was the proof that her and Freddie's child was growing inside of her. Even though it looked far from a baby right now, Sam still felt an instant bond to it.

"You and your baby are in very good shape," the doctor said, turning off the ultrasound machine.

"Is there anything she should be doing until the baby's born?" Freddie asked.

"She should definitively be eating healthy," the doctor said, scribbling a few notes down in his folder. "Please try to stay away from fast food as much as possible. A few fries and burgers here and there won't do any harm, but higher quality meals will help the baby develop smoothly. Also, as I'm sure you know, it's important that she needs to stay away from any caffeine, alcohol and smoking."

Sam nodded. Eating healthy…that was going to be a hard one. But then again, she hadn't had any bacon in three weeks and she was still alive.

"Make sure you get plenty of rest, too, Sam," the doctor continued. "As the pregnancy progresses it will be harder for you to get any, so I'm recommending stocking up now."

"Will the morning sickness go away soon?" Sam asked.

"Unfortunately, woman will usually experience that until the end," he said. "Some don't, though, so you never know. I'd like to tell you that as the pregnancy progresses your less pleasurable symptoms will subside, but be prepared for the cramps, nausea and body aches to get worse as you enter the second and third trimesters."

He turned to Freddie. "She'll also be experiencing mood swings due to the hormonal imbalance."

"Believe me, I'm used to her moods," Freddie told the doctor.

"I see," the doctor smiled. "Well, that looks like everything. I'm going to write you a prescription for some prenatal vitamins. Now would you like a copy of the ultrasound of DVD?"

"Yes," Sam and Freddie both responded.

"I'll be back in a minute then," he told them.

"That was actually pretty exciting," Freddie said as Sam began to put back on her clothes.

"Yeah, it was," Sam agreed. "And I can already tell the baby's going to be cute."

"How, it's just a little peanut shape right now?" Freddie laughed.

"I just know; it's got my genes, after all," Sam said, stepping out from behind the curtain. "And I'm adorable, right?"

"Yes, you are," Freddie grinned. "So, no junk food, huh? How are you going to handle that?"

"You mean how are _we_ going to handle it," Sam pointed out. "If I'm going on a new diet, so are you, Fredward."

"Fair enough," Freddie nodded. "Don't worry. It won't be that bad. And he did say you're allowed to have junk food once in a while. And I promise, I'll be your personal chef. You just tell me what you want to eat and I'll get it for you."

"How's that different from the way things are now?"

"Good point," Freddie shrugged. "So, only Ella knows about the baby, right?"

"Yup," Sam said. "I wanted you to know before I told everyone else."

"Now that I know then," Freddie said. "How are we going to tell them?"

…

"Spencer, you spilled iced tea all over me!" Carly exclaimed.

"Huh, oh, sorry," Spencer said. "Hey, Freddie? Is the chicken almost ready?"

"It's done," Freddie said, coming back in from the porch with a large plate of barbecued chicken.

"Seriously, why don't we all hang out over here more?" Carly asked, wiping the iced tea off of her shirt.

"Yeah, I know," Melanie nodded, picking up a plate.

"You guys _do_ come over here all the time," Sam pointed out. "Just never all at once."

"Hey, is this hickory barbecue sauce?" Gibby asked Freddie, taking a bite of his chicken.

"Yes it is," Freddie nodded.  
"Nice!"

After everyone got their food they took their seats at the dinner table.

"Wow, this chicken's really good," Ella said. "Nice work, Freddie. Connecticut must've amped up your cooking skills."

"Yeah, it's nice and moist," Spencer agreed. "That's the sign of fine chicken."

Freddie and Sam looked at each other and nodded.

"Okay, everyone? Listen up," Freddie said, and the conversations died down.

"We didn't invite you all over here just to have you eat our food," Sam said.

"We have something important to tell you all."

"Oh, I know, you're getting a dog!" Gibby said.

Sam frowned. "We already have a dog, Gib."

"Shut up!" Gibby said, his eyes widening. "You do not! Where is he?"

"About five feet away from your feet," Freddie said. "Remember, he tried to jump on you when you came in?"

"_That's _a dog?" Gibby frowned. "I thought that was a stray baby panther."

"Anyway," Sam said, rolling her eyes. "What we wanted to tell you, was that, well, it turns out that me and Freddie are going to have-"

"Are you _sure_ that's not a panther?" Gibby interrupted, looking down at Max. "He's pretty big for a dog."

"Gibby!"

"Me and Freddie are going to have a baby," Sam said before Gibby could interrupt again.

Carly dropped her fork. "A baby? You're pregnant? Sam! Oh my God!" she jumped out of her seat and ran over and hugged her best friend. "Oh my God! Oh my God! A baby! You're going to have a baby!"

"Congratulations, you two," Melanie grinned, also hugging her sister and Freddie.

"Finally, Ella and I won't be the only parents in this group," Spencer said. "It was beginning to make me feel old." He hugged Sam and Freddie too. "Isn't this great, Ella? Who would've thought?"

"She already knew," Sam told him.

"What?"

"She was the one who made me take the test," Sam said.

"She made me not tell," Ella said.

"Hey, can you name the baby Gibby?" Gibby asked.

"Definitely not," Sam said at once.

"Okay, what about just for a middle name?" he asked.

"Gibby!"

"So what did your mom say, Freddie?" Carly asked. "Was she excited?"

"Er, we haven't told her yet," Freddie replied.

"Have you told mom?" Melanie asked.

Sam shook her head. "That's next on our list."


	138. Chapter 138

"I swear, that cat hates me," Freddie mumbled as Sam opened the door to her mothers' house. Frothy had been taking a nap on the front steps and Freddie had accidentally stepped on his tail, which in turn caused Frothy to scratch him on the leg.

"Well then watch where you walk," Sam told him. "Hey, mom?"

"Huh? Where's your warrant?" Sam's mom said, jumping up from the couch where she had been sleeping. "Oh, it's you. What's up kid?"

"Where's Lewb?" Sam asked.

"Work," Pam yawned.

"Okay, good," Sam said as her and Freddie sat down on the couch. "We wanted to talk to you."

"Is this about the thirty bucks I took from your wallet?" Pam asked. "Because I swear, I was going to pay you back."

"What? No!" Sam exclaimed.

"That's where my thirty bucks went," Freddie mumbled.

"We just wanted to tell you that…I'm pregnant," Sam said.

"Pregnant?" Pam repeated. "Whoa, congratulations, kid!" She hugged her daughter and son-in-law.

"Thanks," Sam smiled.

"Another little Puckett running around," Pam said thoughtfully. "Seattle better prepare."

"It will have Benson blood in it too," Sam reminded her mom, squeezing Freddie's hand. "So it won't be a complete demon baby."

"I'm really happy for you two," Pam said.

"We're really excited," Freddie said.

"Yeah, so was I when I found out I was pregnant," Pam nodded. "Though I wouldn't recommend taking any bumpy bus rides when you're close to popping."

"Got it," Sam grinned.

"You're going to want to start shopping around for some new clothes, too," Pam said. "Unless you want to use my old maternity clothes, because believe me; you're going to get fat."

…

"This place is weird," Sam said as her and Freddie walked into a small teashop.

"It's where my mom comes on her lunch hour," Freddie said, leading Sam to a small table with three seats.

"I can't even have tea," Sam reminded him. "No caffeine, remember?"

"They have decaf," Freddie told her. "I heard they have this one kind that's supposed to be really good for pregnant women."

The couple each ordered tea and scones. By the time their orders arrived, Marissa had walked into the shop, still wearing her hospital scrubs.

"Hey, mom," Freddie greeted the woman as she took a seat next to him. "Thanks for coming."

"I'm always happy to meet my Freddie-Weddy for lunch," Marissa said. "…And Sam."

Sam put the last of her scones in her mouth to refrain from commenting.

"We just had some important news to tell you," Freddie said.

"I think I know what this is about," Marissa sighed. "Sam lost her job."

"What?" Sam exclaimed.

"It was bound to happen," Marissa continued. "She's loud, late-"

"Sam didn't lose her job, mom," Freddie said quickly.

"Oh. Well then never mind," Marissa shrugged. "What did you want to tell me then?"

"Well," Freddie began, looking at Sam. "We just found out some really, really great news. We're going to be parents; Sam's pregnant."

Marissa nearly choked on her tea. "P-Pregnant?" She turned to Sam. "You're pregnant?"

"Um, yeah," Sam nodded. "I'm-"

Marissa let out a squeal and jumped out of her seat, earning the party many stares from the other customers. "I'm going to be a grandma! I'm going to be a grandma!"

"Um, mom, people are starting to-"

"Where are your manners, Fredward Benson?" Marissa exclaimed, snatching his half eaten scone out of his hands and giving it to Sam. "Samantha is pregnant! She needs all the nutrients she can get."

Sam beamed as she took a bite out of her husband's scone.

"I need all of the details now," Marissa said, scooting her chair closer to Sam. "How far along are you? Do you know the gender yet? Have you been to the doctors?"

"I'm only about a month along," Sam told her. "They can't tell the gender yet." She pulled out some of her sonogram pictures from her bag. "Here. We got these yesterday at the doctors."

"Oh, it's adorable!" Marissa cried. "It looks just like Fredward did when he was growing inside my-"

"Okay," Freddie said quickly. "Um, mom, don't you have to get back to work?"

"Don't be silly, Freddie," Marissa snapped. "I just found out I'm going to be a grandma! Of course I'm taking the rest of the day off. Samantha, for these next nine months you are going to be pampered. I need to make sure that my grandson or granddaughter comes out perfectly. Come on."

"Where are we going?" Sam frowned as Marissa pulled her to her feet.  
"I know this lovely place to get massages," Marissa replied. "I'm going to treat you to a Swedish seaweed scrub and a relaxing back rub."

"Can I get a massage too?" Freddie asked.

"Don't be needy, Freddie, Samantha's the one carrying another human being," Marissa said. "Come along, Sam dear."

"Wait, don't leave me with the-" Freddie called as the women headed out of the teashop. "-Check."


	139. Chapter 139

"What? There's no way she deserves to be eliminated!" Carly exclaimed.

"Seriously!" Sam agreed. "That dude with the fake tattoo should've gone home!"

"You guys still watching America Sings?" Freddie asked, walking into the living room.

"More like 'America Sends Home the Wrong Person and Keeps the People With no Talent'," Carly said.

"I see," Freddie nodded. "Well, I'm meeting Gibby and Spencer down at the bowling alley. You girls sure you don't want to join out team? We have practice every Tuesday night."  
"I'm positive," Sam cringed.

"All right, but don't say we didn't ask," Freddie said, giving Sam a quick kiss. "Later."

"Can any of them actually bowl?" Carly frowned once Freddie had left.

"Not that I know of."

"So what should we do now?" Carly asked, turning off the T.V. "Besides write in angry complaints to America Sings."

"I dunno," Sam sighed.

"I know what we can do," Carly grinned. "We can-"

"No! No baby shopping!" Sam said.

"Why not?" Carly moaned.

"Because it would be stupid to buy everything this early," Sam said. "I'm only one month along! The stuff will just be sitting here for eight months doing nothing."

"Okay, okay," Carly nodded. "How about we just go to the store and look? You know, get an idea. That way in a few more months you can show Freddie what you want."

"You're not going to drop this until I say yes, are you?" Sam sighed.

"I'll buy us smoothies for the trip," Carly urged her on.

"Fine," Sam conceded. "But you're buying me the large."

…..

"They're really that small when they're first born?" Sam said, looking at a rack of baby clothes. "This looks like it could fit a bambie doll."

"You remember how small Dina and Bryan were when they were first born," Carly said. "Oh, look at this! If the baby's a girl you have to buy her this crib!"

"It looks like a pink can of paint threw up on it," Sam said. The crib was pale pink with bright pink roses and butterflies painted on it.

"Think I can buy it?" Carly asked. "I mean, I know I don't have a kid now but in a few years…"

"You'd look like a freak," Sam told her. "Come on, let's look at high chairs. That's the most important piece of baby furniture."

"Hey, so I was reading this thing online last night," Carly said as Sam began looking at a bright red high chair. "And it said that you can find out the gender of the baby at around the third month."

"Yeah, Ella was telling me that the other day," Sam nodded. "Hey, how much do you think this high chair tray can hold?"

"I don't know, you're not going to be feeing the kid that heavy of meals, I'm sure it's fine," Carly shrugged. "Anyway, as I was saying with the gender, are you excited?"

"Excited for what?"

"Well in two months you can find out what you're having!" Carly said. "I know you're only supposed to care if the baby's healthy, but which one would you rather have? A boy or a girl?"

"I think me and Freddie would be fine either way," Sam shrugged. "I mean there's not much we can do to change the baby's gender. It is what it is. Seriously, I don't think this tray can hold more than a few jars of baby food."

"I guess that's true," Carly nodded. "But I know for me, I really hope my first baby's a girl. I can dress her up in cute little dresses and paint her nursery pink or purple and find a collection of antique dolls to put on display above her changing table."

"Don't put dolls above her changing table, are you crazy?"

"What's wrong with dolls?"

"They're creepy! How many movies are there about them coming to life and killing everyone? You'll give that poor baby nightmares!"

"Okay, that's it," Carly said. "I'm calling your cable company and telling them to get rid of your horror channel."

"But then how else could I warn you about killer dolls?"

"There are no killer dolls!"

"That's always what the one naive character says," Sam told her. "And then she winds up having her head chopped off by the doll."

…..

"What the heck is this?" Sam frowned, picking at the brown goo on her plate.

"Some sort of soy based thing," Freddie replied. "I picked it up from this organic place by the dry cleaners."

"I don't think this chiz even qualifies as food," Sam said.

"I thought it would be good for the baby," Freddie said. "It has a ton of vitamins in it."

Sam tasted a bit of it. "Well, it definitely tastes like it's good for you, and that's not a good thing, by the way."

"Don't know how I ate this growing up," Freddie said, taking a bite of his own. "But hey, I also got some sort of healthy cheesecake for desert."

"Fantastic," Sam said dryly. "So, how was bowling today?"

"Well it turns out your husband is a very gifted bowler," he grinned. "I got four strikes in a row. The team we were playing against started throwing things at me; it was great!"

"Wow, I'm married to an athlete," Sam chuckled. "Very sexy, baby."

"So how was shopping with Carly?" Freddie asked. "I know it was probably hectic."

"Nah, it was actually pretty fun," Sam said. "I think I found our baby's high chair. It's guaranteed to hold sixty pounds on the tray."

"What do you plan on feeding this kid? An elephant?"

"Can you please find me an elephant that only weighs sixty pounds?" Sam said, rolling her eyes. "I want the baby to be well fed."

"Yes, and I'm sure with dinners that are sixty pounds it will be," Freddie laughed. "Anyway, Sam, I was thinking. Which room are we going to use for the nursery?"

"We could probably just clean out the room we're storing all our junk in now," Sam said, washing down some of her food with a long gulp of water. "That way we can still keep the guest room and your office."

"And by 'we' I assume you mean I'll be cleaning out the room?"

"I'm pregnant," Sam said. "The doctor said no unnecessary strains."

"You wouldn't have helped even if you weren't pregnant, would you?"

"Nope."

"I guess I'll start tomorrow then," Freddie said. "After we get back from work."

"Okay, and Freddie?"

"Yeah?"

"Never get this chiz again," Sam said, pushing away her plate. "I think I can hear the baby gagging on it."


	140. Chapter 140

"What do you think of this dress?" Carly asked Sam, walking out of her bedroom into the living room where Sam was busy playing a video game.

"You were not meant to wear yellow," Sam told her, pausing the game.

"You really think it looks that bad?" Carly frowned.

"How dark is the restaurant Joey's taking you?" Sam asked.

"Okay, fine, I'll find something else," Carly said. She turned to go back into her room. "Oh, what are you and Freddie doing Saturday night?"

"Nothing, why?"

"Because I signed you guys and me and Joey up for a pottery class."

"What?"

"Oh come on," Carly said. "It will be fun!"

"No it won't!" Sam exclaimed. "How will me spinning a lump of clay into a useless pot be fun?"

"Well, maybe you'll wind up liking it," Carly shrugged.

"Why would you sign me and Freddie up for that anyway?" Sam moaned. "Why couldn't you just go with Joey? He's the one dating you."

"I thought it would be fun to sort have a couple's night," Carly said. "I would've invited Melanie and Cody, but they're going to Cody's cousin's bar mitzvah."

"Couple's night?" Sam repeated. "Where do you come up with this stuff?"

"Well it was either this or a cooking class," Carly told her. "And I figured this way we'd at least we could all keep whatever we make."

"You opted for a pottery class over a cooking class?" Sam cried. "Dude! At least if we went to the cooking class I could've gotten free food!"

"Okay, how about I buy you and Freddie dinner before we meet Joey at the potter place?" Carly compromised. "You'll get your free food."

"You know, you can't always bribe me with food," Sam said.

"So I'll see you guys at Pini's at six?"

"…yeah."

….

"I hate this pottery class," Carly mumbled. "My stupid pot blows up in the oven, I got clay on my skirt and I'm pretty sure there's a broken piece of pottery in my bra."

"You're the one who signed us up!" Sam laughed. She looked at her own pot. "You know, I kind of like this."

"We can put it in the kitchen," Freddie said. "And we can put mine right next to it."

"Aw," Sam grinned, leaning up to kiss her husband.

"Yeah, it's adorable," Carly snapped. "I'm going to go see if Joey's pot is out of the oven yet and then we can go."

"Okay, we'll wait for you out front," Freddie said.

"I've got to say, this night turned out pretty well," Sam said as her and Freddie left the pottery room of the community center. "Got my hands dirty, Carly bought us dinner."

"It was fun," Freddie agreed. He stopped as they passed a bulletin board. "Hey, Sam. Look at this."

"What?" Sam asked.

"They have a Lamaze classes here."  
"What the heck is that?" Sam frowned. "It sounds French."

"It's a class pregnant women and their husbands go to," he explained. "We would learn birthing techniques, ways to-"

"No," Sam said. "There's no way you're dragging me to that."

"Sam, it would be good for us," Freddie told her. "I mean this is the first time we've gone through this, and I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be a confusing process. We should take advantage of any help we can get."

"You're not going to be the one giving birth," Sam pointed out. "So why do you care whether we're educated or not?"

"Because I care about _you_," Freddie said. "And the baby. Plus I may not be the one giving birth but I'll be there with you the whole time."

"You're such a girl," Sam said.

"Yeah, you've told me that a lot," Freddie grinned. "But I'm serious, Sam. I think we should sign up for these classes."

Sam sighed. "Fine. But only because you'll probably cry if we don't."

…..

"Come on guys, can't we please put the bumpers up?" Gibby pleaded.

"No!" Spencer said. "That would totally turn this guy's bowling night into a whimpy night!"

"But I keep getting gutter balls," he groaned.

"Step aside, Gib," Freddie said, picking up a bowling ball. "Let me show you how it's done."

Freddie rolled his ball down the lane and wound up getting a strike.

"Man, we're going to cream the Funky Foxes next week at the match!" Spencer cheered. "You know, starting this bowling team was the best idea I ever had."

"I'll second that," Freddie nodded. "But I'm not going to be able to make the match Saturday."

"What? You're the only chance we have of beating the Foxes!" Gibby exclaimed.

"Sorry," Freddie said. "But me and Sam have Lamaze class."

"Oh, she started dragging you to those?" Spencer said. "I remember going to those with Ella. Man, those are the most boring hours of your life."

"Actually, I suggested we sign up," Freddie said. "I had to talk her into it."

"Dude!" Spencer cried. "Do you have any idea what you just signed yourself up for? You could've been spared!"

"Ha, that's funny to say in a bowling alley," Gibby chuckled.

"Was it really that bad?" Freddie asked.

"No, no, not at all," Spencer said. "If you're a woman! All that class does is tell the girls some fancy way to breathe and makes the guys there feel guilty for setting the girls up for all that pain."

"You're exaggerating," Freddie said, shaking his head.

"Just you wait," Spencer warned. "But don't say I didn't tell you."

"Alright, I've been told," Freddie said. "Just bowl; it's your turn."


	141. Chapter 141

Freddie slowly opened his eyes. He glanced at the clock next to his bed and saw that it was a little after nine.

"Sam," Freddie yawned. "Come on, we have to-" he frowned as he looked over at Sam's side of the bed and saw an empty space. Then he heard a gagging sound coming from the bathroom.

"You okay?" Freddie asked, kneeling next to Sam, who was doubled over in front of the toilet.

"Yeah," Sam said shakily. "It's just the morning sickness."

"You know you can wake me up if you need to," Freddie told her.

"I don't really think barfing up my guts is a two person job," Sam said, smiling slightly. "But if I ever get lonely doing it, I'll wake you up; don't worry."

"I'll go start breakfast," Freddie said. "Remember, we need to be at the community center at ten thirty."

"I still can't believe you're making me go to that," Sam said.

"Lamaze class will be a good learning experience," Freddie told her.

"Learning experience," Sam repeated. "Yeah, that's promising."

After Sam and Freddie finished off the pancakes Freddie had made (along with a side of fruit so that they could claim that the meal was relatively healthy), they got into Freddie's car and he drove them to the community center.

"Am I really going to get that fat?" Sam whispered to Freddie as the couple entered the room where the Lamaze class was going to be held, looking around at women who looked to be about eight months along.

"Well, maybe they're having twins," Freddie reasoned. "Besides, I'm pretty sure you're not classified as fat if you're pregnant."

"Do they even have chairs in this place?" Sam mumbled.

"I think we're supposed to sit on these mats," Freddie told her, seeing other couples that were already seated on them.

"Great, I can't even be comfy," Sam moaned.

Her and Freddie took a seat on an empty mat.

"Good morning everyone!" a middle-aged motherly looking woman said brightly, stepping towards the middle of the classroom.

"She's way to chipper," Sam whispered to Freddie.

"I see we have a few new faces," the woman said, looking around the classroom. "So why don't we take a minute to go around an introduce ourselves?"

"Oh no," Sam said.

"Sam, be nice," Freddie said.

When the teacher finally got to Sam and Freddie she gave them an extra-wide grin. "Well it looks like you're not too far along at all," she said kindly.

"Um, yeah, I'm only two months in," Sam said.

"Well that's just fine. And what would your name be?"

"I'm Sam, and this is my husband Freddie," she replied.

"Hello Sam and Freddie," the class said in unison.

"It's like a cult," Sam said under her breath to Freddie.

"What was that?" the teacher asked.

"Nothing, nothing," she said quickly.

"Is this your first child, Sam and Freddie?"

"Yes, it is," Freddie nodded. "Which is why we came to this class; we wanted make sure we were prepared."

"Well I'll make sure you are," the teacher assured them. "So, now that we're all introduced we're going to work on some nice massage techniques. Fathers, would you please position yourself behind the mothers? I'll be instructing you on one of the most relaxing back-massage techniques which originated all the way in Japan."

"A back rub?" Sam said, perking up. Maybe this class wouldn't be so bad.

Once the teacher gave the instructions, she had the fathers try it out on their wives.

"How's that feel?" Freddie asked Sam.

"So good," Sam answered.

"See, I told you you'd enjoy this class," Freddie grinned.

"Now dads," the teacher said, walking around the class to check on everyone's progress. "This is one of the best stress-relieving remedies around, and we all know the moms need to have as little stress while they're pregnant as possible, so whenever she asks, it's important for you to practice this with her."

"Whenever she wants?" Freddie repeated.

"Sweet," Sam smiled happily.

After the class went over some breathing techniques and looked at quite a few disturbing diagrams, the teacher announced that they would be ending the class with a video.

"This video will show the birthing process without any epidurals," she explained. "It's important for you mothers to know exactly what you will be experiencing during the birth."

Freddie knew Sam wasn't a squeamish person. Heck, she watched the surgery channel just to see all sorts of gross things close up. But when she saw that woman screaming in pain and the baby being, well, 'born', her eyes widened in shock.

After the class, Sam didn't say anything. She was quiet the whole car ride back home too.

"So," Freddie said when the couple finally arrived home. "That wasn't so-ow!"

"This is all _your_ fault!" Sam exclaimed, hitting him hard on the arm.

"What?"

"You saw the video!" Sam snapped. "Did that look fun to you? No! That looked horrible!"

"Well, er, I'm sure they add in some screams for effect," Freddie offered weakly.

"That's going to be me in seven months!" Sam yelled. "I'm going to be the one screaming and in pain and that whole process did NOT look pretty!"

"Oh come on, last week you watched a guy re-stitch his own leg!"

"But that will never be me!" Sam exclaimed. "Do you have any idea how much this whole thing will hurt?"

"Um, a lot?"

"A lot? That's all you can say?" Sam yelled, hitting him again. "It's going to hurt so much that it will make the time I pushed you down that hill and you landed in that cactus bush look like nothing!"

"Okay, first of all," Freddie said. "I had thorns in places that should _never_ have thorns in them."

Sam shot him a glance.

"Listen, Sam," he said softly. "I know that you're scared-"

"Scared?" she scoffed. "I'm not-"

"Yeah, you are," Freddie cut her off. "Heck, I would be too if that was going to be me. You're right, it looked like the most painful thing I've ever seen."

Sam continued to glare at him.

"But just think," he said, taking her hands. "When it's all over…there's going to be a baby. You'll be a mom and I'll be a dad and we'll get to take this cute little person home with us."

Sam's face softened. "Well, when you put it that way…"

"I'm sorry it's going to hurt so much," Freddie said gently, kissing the top of her head. "And believe me, if there was anything I could do to make it not, I would."

Sam showed a small smile. "You did see the girl's husband on the video…she was squeezing his hand so hard it looked like it was broken in at least five places."

"I'll let you break mine in six," Freddie told her.

Sam laughed and leaned up to kiss him. "Alright," she said when they broke apart. "I think it's time for another massage."

"You're really going to take advantage of that, aren't you?" Freddie said, leading her to the couch.

"Hey, you're going to be doing this even after the baby's born," Sam said.

Freddie nodded. "Guess I should've seen that one coming."

"And when you're done," Sam said. "You should make me some of those mint things that are supposed to help morning sickness that the lady was talking about."

Freddie sighed. Maybe Spencer had been right about the Lamaze class.


	142. Chapter 142

"Carly, just for future reference," Freddie said, typing away on Carly's laptop. "If you get an email that says 'click here to win a 20,000 dollar shopping spree', don't click it."

"How bad was the virus?" Carly asked, looking over his shoulder.

"I think I can save your hard drive," Freddie said. "It will take awhile, though."

"Are you going to stay here and work on it while we're at the mall?" Sam asked, taking a pear out of Carly's fridge.

"Yeah, I guess," Freddie nodded.

"Thanks, Freddie," Carly said. "I owe you." She turned to Sam. "Do you want to start at the north side of the mall with all of boutiques or go in on the other side with all of the department stores."

"North side," Sam said. "That's where the pet store is. I'll buy some things for Max while you go and buy shoes or whatever it is Carlys buy."

"We should stop at Build-A-Bra too," Carly said. "They're having a sale on glittery straps."

"Yeah, I need some new ones," Sam said. "Ever since I got pregnant, my old ones are too small."

"Yes they are," Freddie said, grinning, not looking up from the computer screen.

"You're such a boy," Carly laughed as Sam whacked him on the head. She grabbed her purse. "Okay, we should be back in a few hours. Oh! Joey will be here soon to set up those new shelves I bought, so he can keep you company."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Freddie said. "I'm going to be alone with him?"

"Yeah, so?"

"I'm going to have to talk to him!"

"I'm pretty sure you've talked to him before," Sam pointed out.

"With other people around, sure," he nodded. "But never alone. You have any idea how awkward this will be?"

"Relax, Joey's really cool," Carly assured him. "You'll get along fine. Come on, Sam. Let's shop!"

After the girls left, Freddie was alone for only about five more minutes when he heard the front door open.

"Oh, um, hey, Freddie," Joey said walking into the living room with his toolbox. "What-what are you doing here?"

"Carly's computer got a virus," Freddie explained. "I'm getting rid of it for her."

"Oh, cool," Joey said. "Um, I guess I'll get started on shelves."

"Yeah, er, okay," Freddie nodded.

"So," Joey said after about five minutes of awkward silence. "You see the basketball game last night?"

"Um, no. I-I'm really not too into sports," Freddie said.

"Oh." Joey said."

"How-how are things with you and Carly?" Freddie asked after another long period of silence.

"Good, good," Joey replied. "Carly's great."

"Yup," Freddie nodded turning back to the computer.

"So um, Carly tells me Sam's pregnant," Joey said, bringing up another attempt to start a conversation between the two.

"Yeah, she's almost done with her first trimester," Freddie nodded.

"Exciting stuff, huh?"

"Um, yeah, it is," Freddie nodded. "We can't wait."

"I could imagine," Joey said. "I think I'd be a little scared, though."

"Well, yeah, we're both nervous too," Freddie said. "But, well, there's nothing we can do about that now, so we might as well not dwell on it."

"That's a good philosophy, I guess," Joey said.

And again, there was another silence.

"You know," Joey said, hammering some nails into the shelves. "Carly got us alone now on purpose."

"She did? Why?"

"Oh she was going on about how she wants to do more things with me and you and Sam," Joey told him. "Why'd you think she signed us all up for that pottery class last month?"

"That does seem like something Carly would do," Freddie said. "And I'm guessing you're not going to hear the end of it until she decides that you and I are best friends?"

"Probably," Joey nodded.

"Well then," Freddie said. "I guess we should think of some things to tell her we talked about."

Joey looked over at him. "Really? We're going to trick Carly?"

"You got a better idea?"

"No, no, I think this is great," Joey said enthusiastically. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I think you're a great guy and all, but we're just-"

"-totally incompatible, no I got it," Freddie agreed. "So we'll just have to make Carly think we aren't."

…..

"Hey, we're back!" Carly called as her and Sam walked back into the apartment. "Hey, JoJo!"

She ran over to her boyfriend and gave him a kiss. "Wow, those shelves look great."

"Thanks, babe," Joey said. "And it was a lot easier putting them together with Freddie here to keep me company."

"Really?" Carly beamed. "Oh wow, that's great! What'd you guys talk about?"

"Oh you know, basketball, movies," Freddie shrugged. "Guy stuff."

"Sounds like you really hit it off," Carly said.

"Yeah," Sam nodded. "Sounds like it."

Freddie could tell by the look on Sam's face that she wasn't buying the guys' charade but she kept her mouth shut.

"Well since you guys bonded so well," Carly said. "Why don't the four of us do something this weekend? Oh, we could see that new movie about the twin sisters who try and date the same guy!"

"It's a date," Freddie said. "Right, Sam?"

"Yeah, why not," Sam shrugged.

"Great, it'll be so much fun," Carly smiled.

"Well, I need to get going," Joey said, looking at his watch. "My dad's out of town on a business trip so I'm taking my little sister to the father-daughter dance at her school."

"How sweet is he?" Carly cooed, looking up at her boyfriend lovingly. "Come on, honey. I'll walk you down to your car."

Sam waited until the couple had left the apartment before she turned to Freddie. "Basketball? Do you even know any basketball teams?"

"Yeah, there's one with the leprechaun and then the one with the heat or something and-"

"Just stop," Sam cut him off.

…

"Okay," Sam said, hanging up her pearphone as she sat on her and Freddie's bed. "We have the doctor's appointment at twelve tomorrow."

"They'll be able to tell if it's a boy or a girl, right?" Freddie asked, sitting down next to her.

"Um, yeah, they should," Sam nodded. "Um, can I talk to you about that?"

"Sure," Freddie nodded.

"It's just," she sighed. "I was thinking about it for the past few weeks, and I-I don't think I _want_ to know."

"You mean the gender of the baby?"

"Yeah," Sam said. "It's just…you see in the movies when the doctor calls out 'It's a boy!' or 'It's a girl!' and it's a huge surprise either way. I dunno, I just thought that was kind of cool."

Freddie didn't say anything.

"You wanted to know, didn't you?" Sam frowned. "Look, we can-"

"No," Freddie said quickly. "I-I didn't want to know either, Sam."

"You didn't."

"Nope," Freddie shook his head. "I wanted to be surprised too. I just always thought that you wanted to know."

"Well then," Sam said. "I guess we'll just tell the doctor not to tell us whether the baby's a boy or a girl."

"Sounds good," Freddie smiled. "But hey, what do _you _think it is?"

"You first," Sam grinned.

"Okay," Freddie said. "I have feeling it's a girl."

"Really? I think it'll be a boy," Sam said, rubbing her abdomen, which was now beginning to show a small bump.

"Looks like we'll see who's right in six months then," Freddie said, resting his hand next to Sam's on her stomach.


	143. Chapter 143

"These pictures look much more like a baby then the first ones," Sam commented as her and Freddie walked back into their house. They had just gotten back from Sam's ultrasound and they were looking at the new pictures they had gotten.

"Yeah, you can see the little head," Freddie smiled. "And those might be tiny, stubby arms."

"Aw, just like his or hers daddy," Sam joked.

"Hey," Freddie defended, flexing one of his arms. "These arms are anything but stubby."

"What should we do for dinner?" Sam asked, still looking at the pictures as she flung her bag onto the ground. "I know I'm not supposed to be eating that much junk food, but its been ages since I've had a good burger, so why don't we go to-Carly?"

"Huh? Oh, hey," Carly yawned, slowly sitting up from the couch in the living room where she had been napping. "I let myself in to wait for you guys, I hope you don't mind."

"Nah, it's cool," Sam said.

"So," Carly said, now fully awake. "Give me the news!"

"What news?" Freddie asked.

"Is the baby a boy or a girl?"

Sam and Freddie looked at each other. "Um, actually, Carls, we don't know," Sam said.

"Oh, is the baby not in the right position?" Carly asked. "They had the same problem with Dina, remember? Well maybe at your next appointment you can-"

"No, it's not that," Freddie said quickly. "The baby was in the right position, but me and Sam decided that we didn't want to know."

"Why not?" Carly frowned.

"We want it to be a surprise," Sam explained.

"Oh. Well, that's fun, I guess," Carly nodded, though Sam could tell she was still disappointed.

"You want to come out to dinner with me and Freddie?" Sam asked. "I know Joey's on vacation with his family, so you're probably all alone tonight."

"Thanks, but me and Spencer are supposed to have a video chat with our dad in about an hour," Carly said. "I can't wait. He'll be really happy for you guys when I tell him about the baby."

"Make sure you tell him hey for us," Freddie said.

"Will do," Carly said, standing up. "See you at work tomorrow."

"Let me just feed Max and then we can head out," Freddie said as Carly left the house.

"Alright, I'll go change while you do that," Sam nodded.

She headed upstairs to their bedroom and opened up her closet and pulled out a pair of jeans and t-shirt. After shedding the dress she had been wearing (she found it was much easier to change out of a dress into the paper gown she had to wear at the doctors, so she decided to set aside her feelings on that certain type of clothing for appointments) she put her legs through the jean legs and pulled them up. When she went to button them, however, she couldn't seem to do so.

"Oh come on," Sam mumbled, trying as hard as she could to close the top of the pants. "Don't tell me I'm getting fat already.."

But it appeared that the pants simply were not going to budge.

"You ready, Sam?" Freddie called, walking into the bedroom.

"No," Sam snapped, taking off the jeans and grabbing another pair. She tried that pair on but was met with the same result.

"Ugh!" Sam groaned. "That was my favorite pair of jeans! They had the big pockets for smuggling bacon and candy in!"

"Well you _are_ starting to show," Freddie pointed out.

"Are you calling me fat?" Sam asked, glaring at her husband as she tried on yet another pair of jeans.

"No, no," Freddie said quickly. "It's just maybe it's time for, you know, maternity clothes."

"I was hoping to avoid that," Sam said, taking off the third pair of jeans, which had also not fit. "I guess I'll go shopping tomorrow with Carly."

"It won't be that bad," Freddie told her. "I mean people will _know_ you're pregnant and not just fat."

"They better," Sam said. "Just because I'm pregnant doesn't mean my butter sock still doesn't pack a serious punch."

"That's my girl," Freddie grinned. "You still up for dinner?"

"Of course I am," Sam said. "But you're going to have to deal with me wearing sweats to the restaurant."

"Hey, you look good in anything," Freddie told her.

….

"50000 dollars," Pam Puckett said, angrily hanging up her phone. "50000 bucks to bail your lazy cousin Tino out of jail!"

"Tino's in jail?" Sam frowned. "What for?"

"Pouring honey into a cop car's engine," Pam said. "I've told him a million times; if he's going to do that make sure the cops aren't close enough to catch a good look at his face!"

"Do his parents have enough money to bail him out?"

"Oh yeah, his dad's the gambler, remember?" Pam nodded. "And unlike _your_ father, he's actually good at it. Now what did you want again?"

"To know if me and Freddie can use that storage unit you bought a few years ago," Sam said. "Freddie's been cleaning out one of our spare rooms to use for the nursery and our attic's filled with a bunch of other junk."

"Oh yeah, whatever," Pam said, grabbing a key and tossing it to her daughter. "So Mel tells me you decided not to know the sex of little Pipsqueak Puckett?"

"Uh-huh," Sam nodded.

"I thought about having it be a surprise when I was pregnant," she said. "But then I figured I would be in too much pain when I would find out so all the fun of it would be kind of sucked out. The doctor ended up screwing up, though. He told me you were a boy."

"Good to know," Sam said.

"I think your foot was in the wrong position or something and he mistook it for a, you know, guy part," Pam continued. "Or it may have just been Melanie he was seeing; I never did know I was having twins until you started coming out after Mel was born, so I guess I still ended up being surprised."

"Well that's lovely mom," Sam said, sliding off the counter where she had been perched. "I've got to get going now, though."

"You don't want to stick around and have dinner with Lewb and me? He's picking up Thai food."

"No that's okay," Sam said, shivering at the thought of dining with a man who had a wart that large. "Thanks for the storage space!"

…

"Well, I just moved all of our junk into your mom's storage unit," Freddie said, walking through the front door. "By the way, why does she have a cop costume in there?"

"Trust me, you don't want to know," Sam said, closing the dishwasher.

"The room's completely clean now," Freddie said, sitting down at the table as Sam began to put away some glasses. "We can paint it anytime."

"What color should we go with?" Sam asked. "We need to make sure it's neutral."

"I'll go to the hardware store with Spencer and bring home some paint samples," he told her.

Sam snickered.

"What?"

"Just the idea of you in a hardware store," she said.

"What's so funny about that?"

"Do I even have to explain?" Sam laughed.

"I've been to the hardware store plenty of times! There was that one time a couple of months ago when I went there to buy some nails to fix the bookshelf."

"Yeah, and you came home with a box of nuts," Sam pointed out.

"They're almost exactly the same! Anybody could've gotten confused!"

"Whatever you say," Sam smirked. She grabbed a dishtowel and looked at the pile of plates she had to dry. "Why am I doing this?"

"We had a deal," Freddie said. "I do the dishes five days a week, you do them twice a week."

"Slave driver," Sam mumbled.

"Fredward? Samantha?"

"Great, now Crazy's here," Sam mumbled just as Marissa walked into the kitchen.

"Hey, mom," Freddie said. "How was work today?"

"Fine, I helped a nice old man realize just how much bacteria was on his steering wheel," she said. "And then I-Freddie Benson!"

"What?" Freddie frowned, slightly taken aback by his mother's sudden outburst.

"I did not raise you this way," she said, hurrying over to Sam and taking the dish and towel out of her hand. "Why are you making your pregnant wife do chores while you just sit there and do nothing?"

"I-I-I just got back from putting everything from our spare room in storage!" Freddie defended. "After I spent weeks cleaning it out! And I've done the dishes the past-"

"I don't want to here your excuses, Fredward," Marissa said sternly. She turned to Sam. "Come on, Samantha. Let's get you nice and comfy of the sofa and when he's done cleaning, Freddie will bring you a nice big dish of the fabulous new ice cream I brought over just for you."

"That sounds great," Sam said, flashing her husband a sly grin.

"Do you need anything else?" Marissa asked as she led Sam out of the kitchen. "A foot rub? Some soothing music? Candles?"

Freddie looked over at the mountain of dishes and sighed. It was going to be a long night.


	144. Chapter 144

"Sam?" Melanie called, letting herself into the Benson's house. "You home?"

"Um, yeah," Sam said, quickly stuffing something behind a couch cushion.

"What was that?" Melanie frowned.

"What was what?"

"That thing you just hid."

"I didn't hide any-hey!"

Melanie had just reached behind the cushion and grabbed a book.

"Were you reading?' Melanie asked, amused.

"Yeah, yeah, I was reading," Sam snapped, grabbing the book from her sister. "Alert the media, why don't you?"

"Aw, it's one of those pregnancy books," Melanie grinned.

"Do you want something?" Sam frowned. "Or did you just come here to annoy me?"

"I wanted to borrow your digital camera," she replied. "Cody and I are going strawberry picking tomorrow and I wanted to get some nice pictures."

"Fine, it's in on my dresser," Sam told her. "Oh, and come and look at this cool present I got for Freddie."

"Oh, for your anniversary next week, right?" Melanie asked as she followed Sam upstairs.

"Yup." She pulled out a large bag from under her side of the bed and placed it on her bed. "It's so cool," Sam said as she pulled the present out of the bag. "You know how Freddie's been really into bowling lately? Even since him and Spencer and Gib started that bowling team?"

"Yeah," Melanie nodded.

"Well I got him this virtual bowling game," Sam said. "It's supposed to be the most realistic one out there! It even has this special mat you have to lay down that makes you really feeling like you're at the bowling alley and it comes with this pair of bowling shoes autographed by some big shot bowler and this bowling ball that's supposed to add at least two extra strikes to your game."

"Was this really 400 bucks?" Melanie asked, looking at the receipt.

"Uh-huh. So he better love it."

"Any idea what he's getting you?"

"No!" Sam exclaimed. "And its been driving me crazy! I've looked everywhere; his underwear drawer, the garage, his office, and nothing! You don't think he forgot, did he?"

"No way," Melanie assured her. "If anyone in your relationship was to forget, it would be you."

"That's true," Sam nodded. "So you want to help me keep looking? There are a few places I can't get to because it's hard for me to crouch down that you can look."

"Don't you want it to be a surprise?" Melanie asked.

"I'll act surprised for him," Sam told her. "Now come on; I've got a good feeling it may be underneath the kitchen sink."

….

When the eve of Sam and Freddie's one-year anniversary arrived, Sam had still yet to find any trace of her present from Freddie.

"Sam, relax," Carly told her best friend over the phone.

"How about you call him and ask what it is," Sam said. "And then call me right back and tell me."

"Freddie's not an idiot; he'd know what I was up to."

"Not if you did it sneakily enough," Sam said.

"I'm Carly; I don't do sneaky!"

"Ugh, you'd be a terrible spy," Sam said.

"Look, why don't you just calm down," Carly said. "Freddie will be back soon and then maybe he'll-"

"He'll what?" Sam said quickly.

"Um, never mind," Carly said nervously. "I-I don't know what I'm talking about!"

"Yes you do! You know something! You're in on this! Carly, what is he- Ah! She hung up."

Sam tossed her phone onto the couch and sat down. Max jumped up next to her.

"Do you know what he's doing, Maxie?" Sam asked, scratching the puppy behind the ears.

Just then the front door opened and Freddie walked in.

"Hey, princess," he said happily, giving her a kiss.

"Hey, where have you been all day?" Sam asked.

"Oh you know, just out with Gibby," he shrugged. "I swung by the grocery store and I picked up some pasta to cook for dinner."

"That's…nice," Sam said. "Hey, baby? Have you been talking to Carly recently?"

"What do you mean?" Freddie frowned. "I mean she was at Gibby's place picking up a tie he borrowed from Spencer and I talked with her for a little bit then."

"Oh, okay," Sam nodded. "I'm just going to run to the bathroom and then I'll start boiling water for the pasta."

"Sounds good," Freddie said. He waited until his wife had disappeared upstairs before he grabbed his phone from his pocket and speedily dialed Carly's number. "What did you tell her?" he hissed before Carly even got a chance to say hello.

"Nothing!" Carly said. "Well…I might've let it slip that I knew something, but I didn't tell her! I had to hang up on her, though, before I really _did_ tell her."

"Alright, well, thanks for keeping the secret," Freddie said.

"So when are you going to tell her?" Carly asked.

"Now," Freddie said. "I don't think I can wait much longer. Thanks again for helping me plan everything."

"No problem; just make sure the two of you have a good time."

"We will," Freddie smiled. "See you, Carls."

He hung up the phone and then hurried upstairs. Sam was just stepping out of the bathroom when Freddie grabbed her hands.

"What are you doing?" Sam asked.

"Baby, you know what tomorrow is, right?" Freddie asked, leading her to their bed where they then sat.

"Sunday, isn't it?" Sam said in a voice that Freddie knew was fake.

"Yeah…and our one year anniversary as a married couple," he said, rolling his eyes.

"Oh yeah…I suppose it is," Sam said.

"And to celebrate," Freddie continued. "I decided it might be fun if you and I went on a little…trip."

"A trip?" Sam repeated.

Freddie smiled and pulled a brochure out of his pocket. "Here. Why don't you take a look at this?"

"Hawaii?" Sam read. "Are we really going to Hawaii?"

"Yeah we are," Freddie grinned. "For five days and four nights we're going to be staying at a luxurious five star resort right on the beach. Look at the hotel, Sam. It has 24 hour buffets, massages, room service and a ton of other stuff."

"Holy chiz, this place looks amazing," Sam said, flipping through the brochure. "And expensive…"

"Hey, I told you, they gave me a _huge_ bonus for going to Connecticut," Freddie told her.

"Wow, I can't believe this," Sam said, throwing her arms around Freddie. "You're the best, babe. So when do we leave?"

"Tomorrow," Freddie said.

"Tomorrow? But-"

"Relax, I've had our bags packed for a week and they're sitting in the trunk of my car," Freddie said. "Plus I had Carly put in a request to have next week off from work. Everything's taken care of."

"Aw, Freddie," Sam laughed, kissing his lips. "Thank you."

….

**AN- I'm going to be unable to update until Sunday; I'm very sorry, but I'm going to be out of town going to my college for freshmen Orientation and I will not have time to write. **


	145. Chapter 145

Freddie slowly rolled over and opened his eyes. He looked at the clock that sat on the bedside table and saw that it was a little after eleven in the morning. Sitting up, Freddie yawned. Him and Sam hadn't gone to bed until fairly late last night so it didn't surprise him that he was waking up so late. He looked next to him and saw that Sam's side of the hotel bed was empty. He frowned; in their entire year of marriage he couldn't recall a time where Sam had actually gotten up before him.

"Sam?" Freddie called, looking around at the seemingly empty hotel room.

He looked over at the sliding glass door that led to the balcony and saw his wife out there, looking out at Hawaii.

"Hey," he said, letting himself out with her.

"You're finally up," Sam grinned as Freddie wrapped her arms around her.

"Now you know how I feel," he laughed. "Why are you up, anyway? I know how you are with your sleep."

"We're in Hawaii, you nub!" she laughed. "I can't just sleep that away! Well, the first day, at least."

"Yeah, it's actually just as nice as the movies make it seem," Freddie nodded. "Which rarely happens; I still have nightmares about the time we went to Hollywood."

"The beach does look nice," Sam nodded. "Not like the one we have back in Washington that's always infested with seaweed."

"So, is this a great anniversary or what?" Freddie grinned, kissing her.

"Considering the fact that the hotel gives you unlimited macadamia nuts sent up to your room, yeah, it's amazing," Sam smiled. "But you know, next year we won't be able to do anything like this."

"Right," Freddie nodded. "We'll be too busy changing diapers and cleaning up spit-up."

"And making bottles and trying to keep a crying baby quiet," Sam added. "Just think, Freddie; this is going to be one of the last times we'll ever get for just the two of us."

"I know," Freddie said softly.

"I mean, I'm still excited for the baby," Sam said. "But it's just going to be so…"

"Different," Freddie nodded. "I know what you mean. But hey, I doubt we'll even mind when that baby comes along."

"Just five more months," Sam said, rubbing in her abdomen. "Feels like forever."

"The more excited you are for something, the longer the wait drags out," Freddie told her. "It's all based on Einstein's Theory of Relativity which basically-"

"We are _not_ talking Einstein on out anniversary," Sam said firmly. "Or ever, actually."

"Then you better keep me entertained," Freddie whispered seductively in her ear.

"Hey, I kept you _more_ than entertained last night, Fredbug," Sam laughed.

"Yeah, you did," Freddie agreed. "So how about we change and head on down to the beach?"

"After breakfast you mean, right?"

"This place will actually deliver your breakfast to you while you're on the beach," Freddie told her.

Sam's jaw dropped. "Are you serious? I can eat this amazing hotel food _and_ lay out on the beach?"

"If that's what you want," Freddie grinned.

"Can we move here?" Sam asked. "We could be like that one family on the Dingo Channel that lived in that fancy pants hotel and did all sorts of wacky stuff. I mean we'll have to amp it up a bit, because it _was_ on the Dingo channel, but still!"

"Yeah, sure," he chuckled. "Let me just go down and ask the manager if he'll accept fake money."

….

"Stupid crustacean," Freddie mumbled as him and Sam opened up their hotel door and walked in.

"Dude, it's your own fault," Sam said in a voice that clearly showed she was trying hard not to laugh. "You sat on a crab; what was it supposed to do?"

"Not pinch me," Freddie said, rubbing his backside. "Who knew something so small could hurt so much."

"Come on, you have to admit that whole thing was kind of funny," Sam pointed out. "You screaming and jumping about a mile in the air…I just wish I had my camera with me so we could've shown everyone when we got back."

"Real shame you didn't," Freddie muttered darkly.

"Aw, I know," Sam said, smiling at him. "Since you're in such a crab-hating mood right now why don't we go down to that crab shack across the street and order the endless crab?"

"Hm, I guess that would qualify as very nice revenge," Freddie said thoughtfully. "Alright, let's go."

"Let me just change first," Sam said. "My bathing suit is all sandy."

"Yeah, I'm gonna throw on some jeans," Freddie nodded. "Now that my bathing suit has that hole in it from where the crab pinched me."

"You're such a drama queen," Sam laughed.

"Wait until you get pinched; we'll see how you react!" Freddie called after her as she went into the bathroom.

He grabbed some clothes from his suitcase and was dressed in two minutes. He had just finished slipping on his sneakers when suddenly, he heard Sam cry out from the bathroom, "Freddie! Freddie, come here, quick!"

"What's wrong?" Freddie asked, running over and barging into the bathroom. "Are you okay? What's-"

"Just hurry up," Sam said, grabbing his hand and placing it on her stomach, next to where her other hand was.

"What are we-" Freddie asked, confused, but then he felt a series of tiny thuds against the palm of his hands. "Wait," he said. "Is that…The baby's not…"

"The baby's kicking," Sam said, grinning up at her husband. "You feel it?"

"Holy chiz, yeah, I feel it," Freddie said, his eyes widening. "Has the baby ever done this before?"

"No, this is the first time," Sam said, still smiling. "The doctor said we'd be able to feel the kicks around the fourth month…looks like he was right."

After a moment, the kicks stopped.

"Wow," Freddie said, removing his hand from Sam's stomach and pulling her into a hug. "It's...It's really in there, isn't it?"

"I hope so," Sam laughed. "Or something else is moving inside of me."


	146. Chapter 146

"I can't believe it's our last night in Hawaii," Freddie said as him and Sam sat on their towel right near the ocean.

"Yup, back to Seattle tomorrow," Sam sighed "And work."

"Well, at least we had fun while it lasted," Freddie said. "Didn't we?"

"Yeah, we did," she grinned. "But I'll still miss it."

"We'll come back," Freddie promised. "Even if it's not an anniversary. Maybe we can just make it a family vacation; me, you and little Benson Jr."

"I'm holding you to that," Sam told him.

"So what are we going to do our last night?" Freddie asked as him and Sam continued to watch the sun set (an activity that Sam had dubbed 'totally cheesy and should only be done in those lame chick flicks, though she had to admit, she was enjoying it). "The hotel's having a luau down in the lobby."

"Too many people," Sam said, shaking her head. "If we're going to go home tomorrow, I don't want my last memory of Hawaii to be of a crowd…you know I hate crowds."

"Then what do you want to do?" Freddie asked.

"I can pick anything?"

"As long as it's not illegal," Freddie said. "Or deadly."

"Well that just cut down my list to practically nothing," Sam laughed. "Hmm, let's see…how about mini golf?"

"Mini golf?" Freddie repeated.

"You don't want to?"

"No, no, I do," Freddie smiled. "It just seems a little, well, random. Is there even a mini golf course around here?"

"Yeah, I saw one near the crab place," Sam nodded. "And then we're done, we can do something else that's just the two of us…"

"What?" Freddie asked. "Are you talking about renting one of those canoes? Because I've seen a ton of stories on the news where those things tip over or get pulled out to sea or-"

"No Freddie," Sam sighed, rolling her eyes. "I wasn't talking about renting a canoe."

…..

"Sam," Freddie said, pulling into their driveway. "Sam, come on, baby, we're home."

"Finally," Sam yawned, opening her eyes.

The couple had just gotten back from the airport and as their plane had been several hours late departing from Hawaii, it was now well after midnight.

"Let's just leave the bags in the car," Freddie said as him and Sam stepped out of the car. "We can get them tomorrow."

"Hopefully Max still has food from when Carly was here feeding him this afternoon," Sam mumbled. "I'm too tired to fill his bowl."

"I'll handle Max," Freddie told her. "Go upstairs and get some sleep."

"I'm not waking up until this time tomorrow," Sam groaned, grabbing her house key from her pocket and turning it in the lock. "Honestly, all I want to do right now is-"

"-Surprise!"

Sam jumped back into Freddie, hitting the back of her head on his chin. "What the-"

Sam and Freddie were standing face to face with their more than eccentric neighbors, Jack and Jill.

"Welcome back!" Jill cried, throwing her arms around Sam and Freddie.

"I-You-What are you doing here?" Freddie frowned. "How'd you get in here?"

"Yeah, you don't have a key," Sam nodded. "And believe me, there's a reason for that."

"Your perky brunette friend gave us her key when she was leaving today," Jack explained. "We've been waiting here for you since! It was worth it to see those shocked looks on your faces!"

"I'm going to kill Carly," Sam muttered under her breath.

"We had to put that vicious dog of yours in the laundry room, though," Jill said. "You might want to think about some training classes for that little rascal."

"You what?" Sam exclaimed.

"Look," Freddie said, trying to stay calm. "Me and Sam had a long flight and we really just want to go to bed now, so if you don't mind-"

"We made you a vegan spread in your kitchen!" Jack interrupted. "It's delicious; Jill really outdid herself."

"Vegan?" Sam frowned. "In _my _house?"

"Maybe you should lay off the buffet, honey," Jill said softly, putting her arm around Sam. "I didn't want to say anything, but you've starting to get a wee bit of a belly there."

"I'm pregnant!" Sam snapped indignantly, shoving Jill's arm off of her.

"You are?" Jill exclaimed. "P-Pregnant? Holly Sweet Mother of Delaware, this is the greatest news I've heard all week, isn't it, Jack?"

"Yes it is!" Jack nodded excitedly. "A new little baby in our lives!"

"Not your lives," Freddie said. "Mine and Sam's lives."

"Oh, but you know that baby will be around Jack and I just as much as if we were its parents," Jill laughed. "Why I wouldn't be surprised if it called up mommy and daddy before you."

"Um, I was lying," Sam said quickly. "I'm not pregnant; you were right, I'm just getting fat."

"You're so funny, Sam," Jack howled.

"Oh, we'll all have to sit down and someday and discuss names," Jill said. "This is going to be so fun."

"Hey!" Sam said loudly, finally causing Jack and Jill to fall silent. "Look, I just flew on a four hour plane ride, had to spend two hours looking for my suitcase and the pretzel guy at the airport screwed up and gave me a cinnamon pretzel instead of a plain one. I'm not dealing with you two freakshows tonight!"

"Uh-oh, Freddie, looks like someone's having a mood swing," Jack said, nudging Freddie in the ribs.

"Poor thing, she must not even realize what she's saying," Jill said.

"Listen," Freddie said before Sam could open her mouth. "Why don't you head home. It's really important for Sam to get plenty of sleep. You know, for the baby."

"Of course, of course," Jill nodded. "Don't worry! We'll be back tomorrow and we'll have our welcome home party then!"

"Can't wait," Freddie said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Oh, and before you leave, I'm going to need our house key back from you."

Jack tossed him the key, and after a very, _very_ loud goodbye song, the couple finally left.

"You think if I planted some stolen televisions in their house, the cops would arrest them?" Sam asked as her and Freddie tiredly trudged upstairs. "Because my Uncle Carmine is looking for a place."

"I'm too tired and annoyed to even object to that," Freddie yawned.

….

"Hey!" Carly greeted her friends, opening up her apartment door for the couple. "How was Hawaii? I want to hear everything! Well, no, maybe not _everything_, but-"

"I," Sam said. "Am never talking to you again, Carly Shay."

"Um, why?" Carly asked. "I swear, I didn't spill that soda on your living room rug. That, um, was already there."

"Why would you give Jack and Jill our house key?" Freddie asked. "Why, Carly? Why?"

"Is that what they told you?" Carly exclaimed. "That I _gave_ it to them?"

"Yeah," Sam nodded. "Why, what really happened?"

"Well," Carly said. "I was coming out of your house after I brought in your mail and I fed Max and guess who was standing at the foot of your driveway?"

"Please tell me you didn't stop to talk to them," Freddie said.

"I was hurrying to my car as fast as I could," Carly said. "But that Jill is fast. She blocked my door. Anyway, she asked what I was doing and I told her I was watching the house for you, and-and I might have told them that you were coming back home that night, and then before I knew what was happening Jill had taken the key from my hand and told me that she'd make sure you got it back and went into your house."

"And you didn't follow her?" Sam cried.

"Hey, they're _your _crazy neighbors," Carly said. "And I had a date in half an hour. I'm really sorry, you guys."

"It's not your fault," Freddie said. "They're nutcases."

"Yeah, well, what can you do?" Carly sighed. "So how was Hawaii? You never answered me?"

"It was amazing, you would've loved it," Sam said. "Oh! And guess what? On our first morning there, we felt the baby kick!"

"No way!" Carly shrieked. "What was it like?"

"Like a tiny little person kicking your hand, what else?"

"Can you tell it to kick now?" Carly asked, putting her hand on Sam's stomach.

"I don't think it works like that, Carls," Freddie laughed.

"You hush," Carly snapped. "I want to feel the baby kick!"


	147. Chapter 147

"Remember, don't hit with your knuckles," Sam told Dina. "Because that will just wind up breaking your hand. Punch with this part right here. Okay, kid, let me see what you've got."

She held out her palms to the three-year old, and Dina rose her fists and hit them.

"Like that?" Dina asked.

"Pretty good," Sam nodded approvingly. "Looks like you're a natural."

"But I'm not supposed to hit other people, right aunt Sammy?" Dina said. "Unless they're doing stuff to me first, or I'll get in trouble."

"Yeah, and I will to, for teaching you this," Sam said. "Which is why we're not going to mention any of this to your dad. Okay, I think I have time to teach you how to work a butter sock before he gets here…"

"Hey, hey, daddy's back!" Spencer said suddenly, letting himself into Sam's house.

"Remember, none of this happened," Sam whispered to Dina.

"Hi daddy!" Dina said happily, jumping into father's arms.

"Hey there, princess," Spencer said. "What were you up to today?"

"Aunt Sammy read to me," she said. "All day."

"Really?" Spencer frowned, looking at Sam.

"Yup," Sam nodded. "You're welcome for educating your kid for you."

"Oh, I've got a surprise for you and Freddie," Spencer said, setting Dina down next to Bryan, who was sitting on the floor playing with his toy trucks. "It's in my truck, come see!"

"It's not anything electric, is it?" Sam said hesitantly. "Because that blender you fixed for us last week almost took Freddie's eyebrows off."

"No, just come look!" Spencer said excitedly, jumping up and down like a kid in a candy store.

Sam followed him out to the truck where two large sculptures sat in the back. The first one was of a brown teddy bear holding a video camera and the second was of an adorable piglet.

"Whoa, Spence, these are awesome," Sam said, looking at the sculptures.

"I've been working on them at Socko's place so you wouldn't see them when you came over," Spencer explained. "They're for the baby's room! You really like them?"

"Shoosh yeah I do," Sam smiled. "Thanks, Spencer."

"Anything for you and Freddie and ittle wittle Baby Benson," Spencer grinned. "Just make sure he knows they're from his Uncle Spencer when he gets older."

"Well it will be pretty obvious, seeing as no one else we hang out with can sculpt to save his life," she laughed.

"That's true," Spencer nodded. "I've got the artistic genius of this group."

…..

"What about that one?" Freddie asked as Sam flipped through a book of paint samples as he sat with her on their bed, giving her a back massage.

"It's sky blue," Sam frowned. "That's sort of a girly blue. We have to go with neutral colors for the baby's room."

"I still say the baby's a girl," Freddie told her. "But fine, we'll go with another color."

"How about green?" Sam asked, turning to a page with several shades of green. "Oh, that one's nice."

"Hunter green?" Freddie said. "Isn't that a little…masculine? I thought you said we had to stick with neutral colors. You can't just pick a color like that because you think the baby's a boy."

"Alright, alright, don't get your boxers in a knot," Sam said. "What about orange?"

"Wouldn't that make your eyes hurt when you go into the room?" he pointed out. "What about plain, white walls?"

"No way, that's so boring," Sam said. "There's got to be one color we both agree on in this book…"

She flipped past a few more pages. "Hey, red could work for a boy or a girl."

"Yeah, it could, actually," Freddie nodded.

"We don't want a shade to light, or it will be too close to pink," Sam said.

"And we don't want it too vibrant or it will give everyone a headache."

"Something like this would be nice," Sam said, pointing to the sample in the middle of the two extremes. "You like it?"

"Works for me," he smiled. "I'll go to the hardware store tomorrow to pick up the paint right after my bowling game. And you know, the baby's going to be here in what, four and a half months? Maybe it's time we start looking at furniture."

"I told you, I already found the high chair we're getting," Sam said.

"Yes, baby, but believe it or not, we're going to need more than just that," Freddie told her. "You know, like the crib, dresser, changing table, car seat…"

"I know that," Sam said quickly. "But the high chair's the most important thing. I mean, you know how small babies are; they need to eat a _lot_ if you want them to be healthy."

"Yeah, God forbid we have a baby who isn't as obsessed with food as you are," he laughed.

…


	148. Chapter 148

"I can't believe you talked me into this," Sam said as Freddie pulled her onto their couch.

"The Lamaze teacher said it was really good," Freddie told her. "It helps the baby's development."

"If you say so," Sam said. "Okay, I'm picking the first one."

"No Boogie Bear," Freddie told her. "There are too many destructive behaviors featured in that book."

"I wasn't going to pick Boogie Bear," Sam told him. "How about Three Pig Four Pig Green Pig Red Pig?"

"Sounds good," Freddie smiled. "Okay, we'll take turns reading."

"You go first," Sam said, snuggling closer to her husband.

"Alright," Freddie said, taking the children's book from Sam. "You ready to hear your first story?" he said to the bump on Sam's abdomen that was his unborn child.

"Just start," Sam laughed, rubbing her stomach. "Don't keep the baby waiting."

"Okay, here we go," Freddie said, opening the book. "Three Pigs here, four pigs there. Pigs, pigs everywhere."

"Big pigs, small pigs," Sam read, taking the book from Freddie. "Round pigs, thin pigs, crazy running around pigs."

"Aw, that's adorable!"

Sam and Freddie jumped up in surprise. Carly was standing behind the couch, grinning. "No, keep going! Don't stop just because I came!"

"How long have you been standing there?" Sam asked.

"About twenty seconds," she replied. "We're supposed to go shopping, remember?"

"Oh yeah," Sam said. She turned to Freddie. "We were going to start looking at furniture; you wanna come?"

"Sure," Freddie nodded. "We can finish reading when we get back."

The three took Carly's car to the store, after stopping to get Sam a bagel at a bakery.

"Too bad we don't know the gender of the baby," Carly said as they walked past a large display of pink dresses.

"Carly, even if we did know that the baby was a girl, there's no way I would put her in something so…frilly," Sam said.

"Let's worry about furniture now," Freddie said. "We can stock up on clothes later on."

"You have to see the high chair, Freddie," Sam said. "Come on, we can at least order that today."

"Alright, let's see it," he smiled, amused at his wife's excitement over something as simple as a high chair.

As Sam led Freddie over to the high chair section (Carly had told them she'd catch up later, after she looked around at all the cute baby dresses), they passed a crib display.

"Whoa," Freddie said, stopping in his tracks. "Sam…look at this crib."

Freddie was staring at a white crib with several proton cruisers and star ships painted on it. The mattress had sheets with designs of NugNug and other characters that made Sam's stomach churn.

"No way," she said.

"If only I had one of these when I was a baby," Freddie said, apparently not hearing his wife. "It would've made my mom's constant lullabies bearable."

"I doubt that," Sam said. "Now come on, let's go see the high chair."

"Sam, this crib is perfect," Freddie said longingly. "It's neutral, it's affordable, it's-"

"Nubbish?" Sam finished.

"You're not going to go for it, are you?" Freddie said sadly.

Sam sighed at the look on her husband's face. "Baby…I mean, look at it! It's totally geeky; you're not even giving the kid a chance with that."

"Well, I guess that's a no then," Freddie said heavily. "Alright, let's go and look at that high chair."

Sam groaned as Freddie started to walk away like a wounded puppy. "Listen, there's absolutely no way in the world I'm going to go along with getting that crib."

"I know," Freddie nodded. "So let's go and-"

"But," Sam said slowly. "I _guess_ I could live with maybe getting those sheets…and that Lou Groundrunner mobile."

"Wait, for real?" Freddie asked, perking up.

"Yeah, I mean, I guess it wouldn't be the end of the world," Sam shrugged. "Besides, the baby's going to be half Benson; it going to have _some_ geekienss in it, no use trying to stop it."

"You," Freddie said, pulling Sam into an embrace. "Are the best person I've ever met."

"Just hurry up and grab the sheets and mobile before I come to my senses and change my mind," Sam laughed.

…

"We should be able to get it done today," Freddie said, carrying three one-gallon paint cans into the baby's empty nursery.

"Hey, if there's any paint left over, can I have it?" Gibby asked. "My cat's fur's been looking a little plain."

"Yeah, sure," Freddie frowned.

"Man, I love painting," Spencer said happily, grabbing a paint roller. "It makes me feel so…exhilarated."

"So we go around and paint with the primer first, right?" Cody asked. "Sorry, I'm not too familiar with painting of any kind, really."

"Don't worry, neither am I," Freddie told his brother-in-law.

"There's some pretty nice wall stickers at the store I work at I can get for you," Joey said. "You know, teddy bears, puppies…perfect for a nursery."

"That'd be great," Freddie nodded.

"Okay, we're going to head out for lunch now," Carly said, walking into the room with Sam, Melanie and Ella.

"We should be back in a couple of hours," Sam told them.

"Alright, we'll just be here…painting," Freddie said.

"Bryan's in his playpen and Dina's watching cartoons in the living room," Ella told Spencer. "Check in on them every so often, though, got it?"

"Relax, El, I'll watch them," Spencer assured them. "Just go and have fun."

"We'll bring you back some food," Carly told them as she went over and kissed Joey goodbye.

"Ah! You swore I'd never have to see that!" Spencer yelled, covering his eyes.

"Don't be a baby," Carly laughed. "Besides, it's not like I've never seen _you_ kiss Ella."

"That's completely different!"

"No, it's not," Ella grinned.

"Call us if you need us to pick up more paint," Melanie said.

"And if not, don't bother us," Sam said, kissing her husband quickly. "Have fun painting."

"So," Freddie said as the girls left them in the room. "How exactly do you open these paint cans?"

"They're screwed on pretty tight," Cody said, kneeling down to examine one of the cans.

"Duh, you use a screwdriver," Spencer said, shaking his head at their ignorance. "Wow, are you guys lucky you have me here."

Taking a screwdriver from his back pocket, Spencer bent down and began to pry one of the lids off.

"You see," he said. "Nothing to it. It's as easy as-" Just as the lid popped off, Spencer was spurted in the face with red paint from the can.

"Dude, you are so lucky we laid down those drop clothes," Freddie laughed as Spencer wiped the paint from his face.

"Let's just do this," Spencer snapped.

"This can't be that hard," Joey said, dipping his brush in the can of primer he managed open (more successfully than Spencer).

"Yeah, I see people do it on T.V. all the time," Gibby agreed.

"You watch shows about people painting walls?" Cody frowned.

"I have a wide variety of interests, is that a problem?"

"Er, no?"

"Don't worry, you'll get used to Gibby," Freddie whispered to him. "Eventually."

"Alright everyone," Spencer said. "The first rule of painting is to make sure your paint strokes are even."

"Is it really noticeable if they aren't?" Joey asked.

"Oh yeah, it can completely ruin an entire room," Spencer nodded. "So if I say any, I'll be cracking down."

"We'll be done by three, right?" Gibby asked as everyone began to paint. "Because there's going to be an interview of Kirk Hortson's new wife on channel four."

"Isn't that the guy who played the guy who played the quirky neighbor on _Happy Times_?" Cody asked.

"Yeah, it is, isn't it?" Freddie nodded. "I've seen pictures of his new wife…let's just say he must still have _a lot_ of money from the show."

"All celebrity guys marry up," Spencer said. "It's one of the perks they get."

"Please," Joey grinned. "Like all of us aren't with girls who are hotter than us."

"I think I'm attractive," Spencer said.

"Um, yeah, sure," Freddie nodded. "But you've got to admit that if Ella wanted to, she could've gotten a better looking guy."

"…okay, maybe you've got a point," Spencer said.

"And Sam and Melanie are hotter than we are," Cody said to Freddie.

"Plus they're twins," Joey added.

"What's that have to do with anything?" Freddie asked.

"Are you kidding? Twins are awesome!" he said. "Hey, I've always wondered something. Have you two ever mixed up your wives/?"

"Yeah, I've been wondering that too," Gibby nodded.

"Um, no," Freddie said. "I know who I married."

"So do I," Cody agreed.

"Well yeah, now you can tell them apart," Joey said. "Especially since Sam's pregnant. But not even earlier?"

"Yeah, yeah you did, Freddie," Spencer said. "I remember back when you guys were like what, fourteen? You went on that date with Melanie."

"You went on a date with Melanie?" Cody frowned.

"I did not go on a date with Melanie!" Freddie exclaimed. "Well, technically."

"Technically?" Joey repeated.

"I thought I was on a date with Sam, but it was really Melanie," Freddie explained.

"I thought you and Sam didn't start dating until the end of high school," Cody said.

"We didn't, it wasn't a real date," Freddie said. "I-I was trying to prove that Melanie didn't exist!"

"Why would you be trying to prove that?"

"Because Carly and Sam tricked him into thinking it was Clown Day at their school," Spencer chuckled, recalling the memory. "So he wanted to prove that he wasn't gullible."

"Thought we were never going to talk about that," Freddie said darkly.

"Heh, I remember that," Gibby grinned. "They paid me twenty bucks to tape that."

"Can we just please change the subject?" Freddie said, exasperated.

"Okay, okay," Spencer conceded.

"Thank you," Freddie said, turning back to the part of the wall he was painting.

The room was silent for a moment, and then Spencer said, "So who wants to hear some more embarrassing Freddie stories?"

…..

"Wow, a couple of hours turned into eight," Carly commented as the girls arrived back at Sam and Freddie's house.

"Hopefully the guys got the room done," Sam said, extracting her house key from her pocket.

The girls walked into the house to find Freddie, Spencer, Gibby, Cody and Joey sitting on the couch, exhausted and covered in red paint.

"Finally," Freddie said, turning of the T.V. "What took you guys so long?"

"We went to go see a movie after we got lunch," Melanie told them.

"And that took eight hours?" Spencer frowned.

"Well we saw it three times…" Ella said.

"Why the heck would you do that?" Freddie asked.

"Because," Sam said simply. "It was the new Henry Myles movie, and he took off his shirt _a lot_."

"I don't even remember what the movie was about," Carly giggled.

"So did you finish painting the room?" Sam asked.

"Yup, it's all done," Gibby nodded. "I'm gonna head home now; time to give my cat a makeover…"

"I won't ask," Carly said as Gibby headed out of the house.

"The walls are still wet," Cody said. "They should be dry sometime tomorrow, though."

"Cool, thanks," Sam said, sitting down in Gibby's empty spot.

"We should head home, Cody," Melanie said, checking her watch. "It's getting pretty late."

"Same with me," Joey said. "I'll drive you back to your place, Carly."

"Where are Bryan and Dina?" Ella asked her husband.

"Asleep on Sam and Freddie's bed," he replied. "I'll go get them."

"So was it hard painting the room?" Sam asked Freddie. "I mean we all know you've never done any sort of home improvement in your life."

"That's not true," Freddie pointed out. "I fixed the kitchen sink last month."

"No, you just nearly flooded the kitchen," Sam said. "The plumber we had to call in fixed the sink."

"Alright, laugh it up," Freddie said. "You just wait until your laptop breaks, then you'll come running to me."


	149. Chapter 149

"Well, it took a combined nineteen hours," Freddie said, climbing into his bed next to Sam. "But I finished my list."

"I've got mine too," Sam said, holding up a sheet of paper.

The couple had decided that since Freddie was convinced the baby was a girl and Sam felt sure it was a boy, Freddie would come up with a list of girl names, and Sam a list of boy ones.

"Remember, we're not deciding on a name tonight," Freddie said. "This will just help us get some ideas."

"I know, I know," Sam yawned. "So let's go, it's almost midnight."

"Okay," Freddie said. "I have twenty girl names that I think would be nice." He cleared his throat. "Brooke, Chloe, Paige, Madison, Nia, Mackenzie, Kendall, Caitlyn, Vanessa, Rachel, Sophia, Katherine, Olivia, Kaylee, Allison, Leah, Daisy, Cameron, Regan and Cassidy."

"You got those all from that one book we bought?" Sam asked.

"Uh-huh," he nodded. "Alright, it's your turn now."

"I don't have twenty," she told him. "I only found ten l liked." She began to read them off. "James, Louis, Hunter, Eric, Kent, Trevor, Mathew, Ayden, Kyle and Alexander."

"I like those," Freddie smiled. "So how about this? We each look at the others lists and pick out half the names that we like. That way when we're done, we can come up with a narrower list."

"Okay," Sam said. "You don't mean tonight, though, do you?"

"No, no, take as long as you want," Freddie told her. "When we're both ready, we'll show each other the new lists."

"That sounds fair," Sam nodded. The couple swapped lists.

"I can't believe we're picking out names already," Freddie said, grinning as he turned off the lights and settled underneath the covers with his wife. "It makes everything so…official."

"Well we had to do it at some point," Sam pointed out, lying back on her pillow. "Otherwise the poor kid would be nameless when it came out."

"You know, when I was born my mom didn't pick my name until three days after I was born," Freddie said.

"So the name Fredward was actually the product of seventy-two hours of careful consideration?" Sam asked. "Dude, that's just sad."

…

"Can you believe this?" Carly asked as her and Sam looked at her laptop.

"That's messed up," Sam nodded in agreement.

"What's messed up?" Freddie asked, walking into the living room after just getting back from taking Max for a walk.

"We were bored, so we decided to go see what our good friend Neville was up to on ," Sam explained.

"And apparently," Carly said. "He just got married."

"Really?" Freddie frowned. "What girl would want to marry Neville?"

"Ms. Rona Burger," Sam said. "Remember? That prissy, stuck up chick from high school that everyone hated?"

"Yeah, I remember her," Freddie said. "Wow, I don't know who I feel more sorry for in that relationship."

"She does seem like she'd be a pretty irritable wife," Carly commented. "I remember back when Mitch the Christmas Angel came and showed me that alternate universe where she was dating you, Freddie; you were pretty miserable."

"Carly, for the hundredth time, you dreamed that," Freddie said, rolling his eyes. "There's no such person as Mitch the Christmas Angel."

"Yes there is!"

"Hey, look, he posted some of their wedding pictures," Sam said, taking the laptop from Carly. "Wow, she got pretty fat."

"It looks like she got a new nose too," Carly said. "You know, I think this picture really made my day."

"Can I check my email now?" Sam asked.

"Fine, sure," Carly said, getting up off the couch where the girls were sitting. "Do you guys have any of those biscuits left?"

"I think so," Freddie said, sitting down next to his wife, grabbing the remote from the coffee table and turning on the news. "They should be on the stove."

"I swear, if I get one more chain email from Gibby, I'm going to ring that freak's neck," Sam said, signing into her inbox. "He's probably the only one on the planet who still-No!"

"What?" Freddie asked, jumping slightly from the sudden outburst. "What's wrong?"

"I just got an email from that big Food Channel party that we bought tickets to months ago!" Sam said. "It's canceled!"

"Canceled? Why?"

"According to this, there was too many complications with it this year," Sam said. "Ricky Flame's back in jail, Rebecca Roy got caught having an affair with one of her cameramen and that cupcake lady was just caught putting illegal flour in her cakes!"

"Illegal flour?" Freddie repeated.

"This is the worst thing that's ever happened to me!" Sam exclaimed. "I was so excited for this!"

"What's going on?" Carly asked, coming out of the kitchen.

"All my dreams are dead!" Sam cried.

"That big Food Channel party next month that we bought tickets to got canceled," Freddie explained, rubbing Sam's back soothingly.

"Is that all? I thought somebody's arm had been chewed off."

"What do you mean is that all?" Sam yelled. "This is the worst news I've received in years! This is worse than when I found out I was on the verge of failing fifth grade, or when my mom sold my favorite roller skates for tattoo money!"

"Well if it's an annual thing, can't you guys just go next year?" Carly pointed out.

"Um, have you forgotten something?" Sam said, pointing to her abdomen. "We'll have a baby this time next year, we couldn't go!"

"Look, I know it sounded amazing and everything," Freddie told her. "But I'm sure it was all just a lot of hype. It's probably just a big sweaty crowd of people fighting to get as much food as they can."

"Stop it, you're making it sound even better than I thought," she moaned.

…

Sam pulled into her driveway after a tiring day of work.

_Lucky Fredbag's whole editing team got the day off_, she thought miserably to herself, getting out of her car. _He probably spent the whole day playing World of Warcraft or something. _

She let herself into the house and was surprised to see that the living room was empty.

"Freddie?" she called, scratching Max's ears as the dog eagerly greeted her.

"Hey, I thought I heard you pull in," Freddie said, hurrying over to her from the kitchen and kissing her. "I have a surprise for you."

"A surprise?" Sam frowned. "What kind of surprise?"

"Just close your eyes and come with me, Freddie told her.

"Can't you just tell me what it is?"

"No, now come on," Freddie said, taking her hand. "And eyes shut!"

"Freddie, what are you doing?" Sam asked, blindly following him.

"You'll see," he said. "Okay, open your eyes."

Sam opened them and gasped. Freddie had led her into the dining room, and the table was covered in several plates, all filled with delicious looking dishes.

"What is this?" she asked.

"Well, I knew how upset you were about not getting to go to that Food Channel party," Freddie told her. "So I thought maybe you and I could have our own little party. So I spent the entire day making some of the dishes that they would've had there."

"You cooked this?" Sam asked hesitantly.

"Okay, Gibby swung by and helped," Freddie admitted. "I never knew he was so handy in the kitchen. "Anyway, I know you're probably starving." He pulled out her chair for her. "So lets eat."

"I can't believe you did all this," Sam smiled, looking around at all the food. "Holy chiz, are those the creamy garlic and rosemary mashed potatoes that Starchy Sally makes on her show?"

"Uh-huh; I got the recipe online," Freddie nodded. "We also have the parmesan asparagus that Chef Hansley makes, some of those baked beans the Sapphire Sisters are famous for, and since I know you haven't been able to eat pork since you got pregnant, I took the special sauce from Ricky Flame's Flaming Pork and put in on some steak for you. Oh, and I've got a dozen tiramisu cupcakes in the kitchen, just like the ones Courtney Florean makes on her show."

"You seriously spent all day cooking this?" Sam asked. "For me?"

"Uh-huh," he nodded, grinning, handing Sam a plate with everything on it. "So how is it?"

"You know," Sam said, taking a bite of her food. "I doubt that there would've been better food at the actual party."

"Really?"

"Really," Sam said, taking another bite.

"Good," Freddie said, taking a plate of his own. "Then it was all worth it."

…

**AN- Shoutouts to whoever can tell me which reality show the first seven girl names on Freddie's list come from!**


	150. Chapter 150

**AN- First off, Happy Birthday to Jennette McCurdy and Arriana Grande! **

**Okay, now that I got that out of my system…the reality show that the first seven girls names from Freddie's list came from Dance Moms! (The only reality show that I watch). A lot of people must be fans. Here are the readers who got it right! Congrats! **

**yellowchic4**

**John Earl**

**dontleavetonight**

**anon**

**Offbeat Wallflower**

**Somebody that I used to know**

**nerdy4mccurdy**

**Xxpandagirl101xX**

**pinkoholicangel1115**

…

"Why's it sixty degrees in here?" Freddie asked, shivering slightly as he walked into the living room, reading the thermostat.

"Because I've been sweating all morning," Sam replied, taking a sip of her orange juice.

"What? Last night you complained it was freezing," Freddie pointed out. "You hogged all the blankets."

"It's not my fault the stupid house's temperature keeps changing," Sam snapped.

Freddie briefly remembered reading something about pregnant women experiencing hot and cold flashes throughout their pregnancy and silently hoped that Sam wouldn't be going through this phase for too long; if there was one thing he was picky about in the house, it was the thermostat settings.

"Right," Freddie said, sliding a bagel into the toaster. "Anyway, I told Gibby last night that he could use our wifi after work today."

"Why can't he use his own?"

"Gibby doesn't have wifi. His computer still has dial up," he explained.

"They still have that?"

"Apparently," Freddie nodded, taking out his finished bagel from the toaster and quickly spreading it with cream cheese.

"Whatever, just make sure he doesn't eat my popsicles like last time," Sam said.

"Believe me, after that incident, I don't think Gibby will ever eat any Popsicle again," Freddie said. He wrapped his bagel in a napkin. "Come on, we need to get going."

…

"You were on fire in there, Sam," Carly said as the girls headed over to the table in the cafeteria where Freddie was sitting.

"Mama was," Sam nodded, smiling.

"What's up?" Freddie asked as they sat down.

"You should've seen Sam during our brainstorming session for new episode ideas," Carly told him. "This girl was just rolling out hilarious new episodes like crazy!"

"Nice," Freddie grinned.

"It's really going to suck when you leave for your maternity leave in what, three months?" Carly sighed. "You have no idea how boring it is here without you, Sam.

"Oh come on," Sam said, rolling her eyes. "It can't be that bad."

"Please, it's so lonely! When you left for your honeymoon and your Hawaii trip it was so…Sam-less around here."

"Um, I was gone too," Freddie frowned.

"Yeah, yeah, I missed you too," Carly said quickly.

"You'll survive," Sam laughed. "Or you know, you can just call in sick for a few of those days and come hang out with me."

"You know I can't do that," Carly told her. "I guess it won't be too bad; when will you come back from your leave anyway?"

"Five weeks after the baby's born," Sam replied. "Let's see, the due date's November 28th, so that should mean-"

"Right after New Years," Freddie said.

"You know, I heard a lot of first time moms have trouble leaving their babies to go back to work," Carly said, taking a bite of her sandwich. "Some even end up quitting their jobs to become full-time moms."

"I'm not going to quit my job," Sam told her.

"Good, because then I'll _really _be lonely," Carly laughed.

"What am I? Decoration?" Freddie said indignantly.

"You know what I mean," Carly told him. She turned back to Sam. "So have you two figured out what you're going to do for childcare when Sam comes back to work?"

"Well, I was thinking we could leave the baby with my mom," Freddie said. "She's really only working on the weekends right now. But Sam's not going for it."

"You see how this one turned out," Sam said, nodding at Freddie. "I'm not going to leave her alone with my kid for eight hours a day!"

"What about Sam's mom?" Carly asked.

"Please, you've seen how Sam is," Freddie chuckled.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sam snapped.

"What? You said the same thing about my mom!"

"You know," Carly said thoughtfully. "Spencer stays at home all day with his kids. I'm sure he'd be able to watch your baby too."

"You don't think that'd be a little much for him?" Freddie asked. "Three kids against one Spencer?"

"Well Dina's going to be starting nursery school in just a few months," Carly said. "So it would only be two kids for most of the day. Besides, how many hours has Sam spent watching Dina and Bryan for free over the years?"

"That is true," Sam nodded.

"You know, that could actually work," Freddie said. "I'd still feel pretty bad about leaving him with the baby everyday. Maybe I could work out a deal with him, you know, like free around the clock tech support?"

"Just talk to him," Carly said. "I'm sure it will work out."

"We'll talk with him this weekend," Freddie nodded.

"Cool," Carly smiled. She finished off the last bit of her sandwich. "Come on, Sam, we should get back to work."

"See ya, baby," Sam said to her husband. "I need to get back to creating pure genius."

…

"I think this is a trick," Gibby said hesitantly.

"No, it's not, I promise," Sam said. "If you can touch the tip of your nose with your tongue, then that means you have a high IQ."

"Fine," Gibby said. "I'll try it. Gibby's _do _have naturally high IQ's."

"You also have to do it with your eyes closed," Sam added.

"My eyes closed?"

"Just do it!"

"Alright, alright," Gibby said. He closed his eyes and stuck out his tongue and tried to touch his nose. Sam pulled out a small bottle of hot sauce from her back pocket and took off the cap.

"Almost got it," Gibby said (incoherently, seeing as his tongue was stretched way out of his mouth.) "Almost…"

"Wow, I'm impressed," Sam grinned as she began to pour some of the hot sauce onto Gibby's tongue.

"There!" the boy said triumphantly. "I did-AH! What is that?"

Sam was laughing too hard to respond.

"It _was_ a trick!" Gibby cried, chugging his soda down.

"What are you doing?" Freddie frowned as Gibby grabbed the vase from the small table next to the couch, threw the flowers aside and gulped the water up.

"Just hanging out," Sam said innocently.

"She tricked me!" Gibby exclaimed, still panting from the hot sauce. "Your wife played a _mean_ prank on me."

"Gib, we've been over this a million times," Freddie sighed. "You need to be more on guard around her. You ready to start playing?" he set down a large bowl of popcorn between the two men as he opened up his laptop.

"What are you guys doing?" Sam asked.

"This org on World of Warlords is supposed to meet us in the Valley of Hansburry and give us a map to the Robe of Jubilance," Freddie said. "This could be the most important quest of our lives."

"I just signed in," Gibby said. "And I'm ready to rumble!"

"You two do realize you're grown men playing fantasy computer games," Sam said, grabbing the remote and flipping on the T.V.

"No!" Freddie and Gibby cried.

"What?"

"We can't have the T.V. blasting while we're on our quest!" Freddie said. "This is serious, we can't afford any distractions."

"Are you kidding me?" Sam frowned.

"Oh man, I think this is him," Gibby said, completely engrossed by the screen.

"Swords out," Freddie said. "We still don't know if we can trust this guy."

"Unbelievable," Sam said, shaking her head.

She heard the front door open. "Hey," her sister greeted her, walking into the living room.

"Shh!" Gibby and Freddie both hissed.

"They're having a little nerd treasure hunt," Sam explained.

"Quest!" Freddie corrected her.

"Either way, you're both still lame," Sam said. She turned to Melanie. "Come on, I'm hungry."

The twins headed into the kitchen, leaving Gibby and Freddie to their fantasy world.

"I should've stopped and picked up some more ranch dressing," Sam said, looking in her fridge. "I need something for my pretzels."

"You put ranch on pretzels?" Melanie cringed. "I guess pregnancy cravings do get a little crazy sometimes."

"Cravings? What are you talking about? I always put ranch on my pretzels," Sam said, taking out a bottle of barbecue sauce and putting some on her pretzel rod. She took a bit. "Hmm, this is pretty good too."

"I'll take your word," Melanie said. "Anyway, I just got the best news ever!"

"They're bringing back the Rocko and Moko show?"

"What? No!"

"Then what?" Sam asked, continuing to eat her pretzels.

"I got a job! My first one out of college! It's a really good one too!"

"Really? That's awesome," Sam said. "What is it?"

"I'm going to be one of the assistant designers for El Tamon!"

"Who?"

"El Tamon!" Melanie exclaimed. "You never heard of her? Her clothes all over _Rogue _and _Catwalk_!"

"I've never opened either of those magazines," Sam said.

"Well she's huge in the fashion world," Melanie said. "And they usually don't let new people be designers, even assistant designers, but I showed them some of my sketches in my interview and they really liked them!"

"Cool," Sam grinned. "Hey, do you think you could get me free clothes now?"

"Probably not, only actual designers get those kind of perks, and I probably won't be one of those for another few years, if I'm lucky," she said. "Why would you want clothes from there anyway? It's not your style at all."

"Yeah, but that could've saved me a _lot_ of money on Carly's birthday presents."


	151. Chapter 151

"Five thousand dollars?" Carly exclaimed. "You actually sold one of your sculptures for five thousond bucks?"

"Yes I did, little Carly," Spencer said proudly.

"But it's a sculpture of a brick wall," she frowned. "I mean, sure, I could understand maybe that one of the figure skaters going for that much, or even the one with the hedgehog, but a brick wall?"

"It's art," Spencer said. "The guy thought it had some deep intellectual meaning behind it."

"But I thought you sculpted it just to get rid of those spare bricks you had lying around."

"Well yeah, but he doesn't have to know that."

"Hi daddy!" Dina said happily as Sam and Freddie walked through the door with her.

"Hey Din-Din," Spencer said, picking up his daughter.

"What's that?" Freddie asked, looking at the brick wall sculpture as he put Bryan in his playpen.

"My five thousond dollar sculpture," Spencer replied. "That's right; 5k."

"Wow, that's even more than your hedgehog sold for," Sam commented.

"I know! This means I get to make a very smug phone call to granddad later," he grinned. "Oh, thanks for picking those two up at Ella's mom's."

"No prob," Freddie said.

"I'm gonna run upstairs and go to the bathroom, but after that we're still on for the movies, right Sam?" Carly asked.

"Yeah, you know I can't resist laughing at the actresses in your chick flicks," Sam nodded.

Carly rolled her eyes as she headed up the steps. Dina went up behind her to go to her room to play with her toys, leaving Sam and Freddie alone with Spencer.

"You know, I don't like making boring sculptures like this," Spencer said. "Maybe I should start making a girlfriend for Bottle Bott!"

"Er, yeah, good idea," Freddie said. "Um, listen, Spence, there was something Sam and I wanted to talk to you about."

"Sure, what's up?"

"Well, you know when the baby comes, we're going to have to find some sort of childcare, since we both work," Freddie explained.

"Yeah, and Freddie doesn't want to leave the baby with my mom, and there's no way in the world I'm leaving crazy with my kid," Sam said.

"Yeah, she'd probably give the baby tick baths and feed it only vegan formula," Spencer chuckled.

"Exactly!" Sam smiled. "See, Frednob, he gets it."

"Alright, alright," Freddie sighed. "So anyway, Spencer, since neither of our mothers are the 'ideal' babysitters, we were-"

"Hey, I know what you should do," Spencer interrupted. "Why don't you leave the baby here?"

Sam and Freddie looked at each other.

"We were actually about to ask the same thing," Sam told him. "It was the best situation we could think of."

"Yeah, it would really help us out a lot," Freddie nodded. "I mean, do you think you'd be able to handle it?"

"Of course, you know I love wittle babies," Spencer said. "And I never had any trouble keeping Dina and Bryan under control. I'd love to take care of the little guy. Or girl."

"We'd pay you," Freddie told him. "And-"

"Nah, don't worry about that," Spencer said.

"Well then at least let me fix your Sword of Rockwell," Freddie said.

"Sword of what?" Sam frowned.

"Rockwell, you know, the asteroid constructed sword that Yozo used in the Battle of Cathcono," Spencer said. "I've had a model of it for years but Socko dropped in a lake and it doesn't light up anymore. You can really fix it?"

"Sure, it'll just be a little re-wiring," Freddie nodded.

"That would make me the happiest person in the world!"

"Cool. Oh, and when I fix it you and I can have battle with my Baton Phaser!" Freddie said excitedly.

"And we can wear those old Sky Naut costumes!"

"And blast those _Galaxy Wars_ soundtracks!"

"What are they so happy about?" Carly asked Sam, coming back downstairs.

"Come on, let's get out of here," Sam frowned, watching Spencer and her husband ramble on. "I'm about to puke, and I don't think it has anything to do with me being pregnant…"

…


	152. Chapter 152

"Hey, Freddie," Carly said, walking into the Benson house. Freddie was making himself a sandwich in the kitchen.

"Hey, Carls," he greeted her. "What's up?"

"Is it okay if I hang out over here for a few hours? The people in the apartment next to me just got their kid a drum set and he's been playing horribly ever since I got home from work."

"Sure," Freddie laughed.

"Where's Sam?" Carly asked, taking two slice of bread out of the bag and beginning to make her own sandwich.

"Asleep, upstairs," he replied.

"At eight o'clock?"

"She has a headache and she couldn't get too much sleep last night so she turned in early," Freddie explained.

"Aw, that's too bad," Carly said. "But hey, you want to watch the _Saved By The Bell _marathon on the Vintage channel?"

"Sure, I could use a little old school T.V. time," he agreed.

The two had just flipped on the channel when there was a knock at the door. Freddie went to answer it, and the moment he opened the door, he regretted it.

"Hello, neighbors!" Jill said, marching right into the house with Jack.

"Wow, you know what, Freddie," Carly said, jumping up off the couch. "I think maybe I'll head home now. I can tune out all that drumming."

"You're not leaving me alone with them," Freddie muttered to her. "Stay, Shay."

"Where's the lady of the house?" Jack asked, looking around. He turned to Carly and then looked back at Freddie. "Freddie!" he exclaimed. "I'm shocked! I thought better of you; cheating on your wife with-"

"I'm not cheating on Sam," Freddie said firmly. "Carly's just hanging out here. Sam's upstairs sleeping so could you guys please not make too much noise?"

"Sleeping? So early?" Jill said. "Well this puts a damper in our plans, doesn't it, Jacky?"

"It sure does," Jack said sadly. "We came over here ready to have ourselves a little impromptu party with our best friends. We were going to have the party at the Jefferson's down the street, but for some reason they never opened up their door, and all their windows were locked tightly."

"Oh, well, that's too bad," Freddie said quickly. "I'd love to have an…impromptu party with you two, but you know how important it is for pregnant women to get plenty of sleep."

"Well that's okay," Jill said brightly. "We can just have the party tomorrow, when she's nice and rested."

"Oh…" Freddie said. "Um, that sounds…fun. I-I can't think of any reason why not. Can you Carly? Can you think of anything? Please?"

"Um," Carly blinked, not used to being put on the spot. "Well we have that…thing at the…place…with the guy…and the, oh, you know what, this is too much pressure! No, I can't think of anything."

"Fantastic!" Jack grinned. "We can make it a barbecue! I've been staring at that fancy grill you've got out on your patio for quite some time now. I can't wait to have a try with it!"

"G-Great," Freddie said, trying to put a fake smile onto his face as he glared at Carly.

"Oh, this is so exciting!" Jill squealed. "I'm going to start making my world famous coleslaw right now!"

"And I'll go through all of out board games and find some fun ones!" Jack nodded eagerly.

"You," Freddie said to Carly as Jack and Jill hurried out of the house, still chatting about the barbecue. "Are the worst liar I've ever seen."

"Like you're any better," Carly snapped. "And I would've been fine if I had a little notice! How was I supposed to invent some excuse for you on the spot like that? I'm not Sam!"

"Yeah well, Sam's going to kill me when she finds out those two are coming over here tomorrow," Freddie said.

"Come on, maybe it won't be that bad."

"We'll see if you're still saying that ten minutes into the barbeque tomorrow," Freddie said.

"Yeah…about that," Carly said. "I don't really think it's _necessary _for me to come. And I have a manicure appointment, so I won't be coming."

"So you couldn't come up with an excuse for me but you had one saved up for you all along?"

"You wanted me to tell Jack and Jill you couldn't have a barbecue tomorrow because you were getting a manicure?"

"Anything would've worked, Carly!" Freddie said, falling back onto the couch.

"Look, Sam knows you're not as…assertive as her," Carly told him. "I'm sure she'll understand."

….

The next morning, Freddie woke before Sam. He went down to the kitchen and began cooking some eggs.

"It's impossible to sleep when you're pregnant," Sam mumbled, yawning as she shuffled into the kitchen, still wearing her pajamas. "I have to sleep on my back, but that hurts my neck, and I have to wake up every two hours to pee."

"Just three more months, baby," Freddie told her as she sat down, leaning down to kiss her and sliding a plate of eggs in front of her.

"I'm glad today's a Saturday," Sam said, taking a bite of her breakfast. "We don't have to do anything. We can just chill."

"Yeah…um, listen," Freddie said slowly. "There's going to be a problem with that plan."

"Why?" she frowned.

"See, it's-it's actually kind of funny," Freddie began. "Last night, while you were sleeping, guess who came over?"

"Who?"

"Jack and Jill."

"Oh God," Sam moaned. "What did you do?"

"They-they sort of invited themselves over for a barbeque," Freddie told her. "And well, I-I didn't exactly tell them no."

"Why not? What's the matter with you?" Sam exclaimed.

"Hey, don't blame me," Freddie said. "You know I can't just be mean to people! And Carly, Carly was sitting right there and didn't think of an excuse to get us out of it, so I think the real villain here is her! If you're going to be mad at anyone, be mad at her."

"We've been over this a million times, Freddie," Sam groaned. "When they come over, let Max out! They don't like him!"

"He was sleeping upstairs with you!"

"You know, that lady at the Lamaze classes said that you're not supposed to be making me stressed," Sam snapped. "You're failing pretty badly at that right now."

"Oh come on, you like barbeques," Freddie said. "We'll have chicken and hamburgers and hot dogs."

"And two annoying weirdos," Sam added.

"Look, baby, I'm sorry," Freddie said. "But they probably won't be here for another three hours. We can do anything you want until then."

"Anything?"

"Anything," he nodded.

Sam thought for a moment. "Okay, there are meatballs in the fridge. Go set up."

"Meat golf?" he grinned knowingly.

"Meat golf," she confirmed, smiling at her husband.

….

"And that's when you know the lotion's working," Jill told Sam as the women sat on two lounge chairs on the Benson's patio. "Maybe you should try some for that those scaly feet of yours."

"Hey, Jill, you want cheese on your burger?" Freddie said quickly.

"Oh no, I don't eat dairy," Jill said. "Now then, what was I saying?"

"Is the food almost done?" Sam asked Jack, who was working away at the grill.

"Now, now, you can't rush perfection," Jack said.

"So what are your plans after the baby comes, Sam?" Jill asked.

"Um, well, I'll be going back to work five weeks after the baby's born," Sam said. "Our friend will be-"

"No, no, I mean about losing all that baby weight," Jill chuckled. "Now, I don't mean to brag, but I know a thing or two about keeping your body in tip-top shape. I teach an aerobics class down at the rec. center you should check out. It will get you back to that nice little body you had before."

"Uh-huh," Sam nodded.

"So, do you and Jack have any kids?" Freddie asked.

"No, we don't," Jill replied. "But we _do_ have the cutest little nephew! If only my sister would bring him up more to visit, but she doesn't seem to like Seattle very much."

"You have a sister?" Freddie said. "Sam has a sister too! Look at that Sam, you two have something in common!"

"Of course we have stuff in common, Freddie," Jill laughed. "Otherwise we wouldn't click so well, right Sam?"

"Right," Sam hesitantly, giving Freddie a look.

"Why just the other day," Jill continued. "I was at the hair salon and I almost went ahead and dyed my hair blonde. Now wouldn't that have been the craziest thing? We could have been hair sisters!"

"That would have been…crazy," Sam nodded.

"I might just go and do it some day," Jill said. "Where do you go to get your hair colored, Sam?"

"I don't dye my hair."

"Right," Jill laughed. "Like that's your natural hair color."

"It _is_," Sam said firmly.

"Okay," Jill continued to laugh. "If you say so."

"How's that food coming, Jack?" Freddie asked, hurrying over to the grill, leaving Sam and Jill.

"Just finished," he said, piling the chicken and burgers onto the plate.

The four settled down at the picnic table, and after a very detailed explanation from Jack and Jill about their joint neck surgeries and several games of oranges to oranges they found their way back into the house.

"Anybody up for some ice cream?" Jill asked. "We could eat it while we watch _Sky Bud_ on the Family Channel."

"Um, actually," Freddie said, catching Sam's eye. "We're really sorry, but Sam and I have to be somewhere in ten minutes."

"Where do you have to be?" Jack asked.

"My mom wants us to come over to look at some baby furniture he friend dropped off to see if we want to use any of it in the nursery," Freddie said. "We already bailed on her last night, so we really have to go."

"Well, all good things must come to an end," Jill sighed. "It was fun while it lasted. We have to do this again soon, though."

"Oh yeah, sure," Sam nodded. "We'll let you know when. Don't worry."

"Now are you sure you don't want to give me the number of your hair salon where you get your hair dyed?" Jill asked Sam.

To Freddie's surprise, Sam smiled. "You know what, I will. Here you go." She pulled out a slip of paper from her pocket and handed it to Jill. "Just ask for Margo when you go."

"Um, Sam?" Freddie asked as he closed the door behind Jack and Jill. "That wasn't a hair salon's number, was it?"

"Yes it was," she grinned. "It's the place where my cousin Stella goes to get her hair dyed."

"Isn't she the one with the green hair and orange highlights?"

"Yup," Sam said happily. "And good job with that lie, baby. Way to get them out of here."

"You see, I can be a good liar when I have a day to plan it all out," Freddie told her.


	153. Chapter 153

"How exciting is this going to be?" Spencer asked excitedly, straightening his tie. "We're going to the first restaurant where I have a sculpture on display!"

"It was really nice of the manager to let us all come in for a free dinner," Freddie said.

"Yeah, it just sucks that Joey has to work," Carly mopped.

"Didn't you guys go out last night?" Sam asked.

"Well, yeah," Carly nodded. "He took me that fancy seafood place and it was really fun, but tonight with you and Freddie, Spencer and Ella and Melanie and Cody, I'm going to be the only one at the table not in a couple!"

"That's not true," Freddie pointed out. "Dina and Bryan will be there."

"Thank you," she snapped.

"Why don't you just call Gibby up and see if he managed to get out of that pottery class with his granddad?" Spencer asked.

"I already tried, he didn't," Carly sighed. "Looks like I'll be lonely Carly tonight."

"When are we leaving anyway?" Sam asked.

"Our reservations aren't for another half hour," Spencer said.

"Then why did you tell us all to be here at six?" Carly frowned.

"Is it a crime to want some company?" he exclaimed.

"Where's Ella anyway?" Sam asked.

"She's been on the phone your grandma for the past three hours," he replied.

"Oh yeah, that lady doesn't know how to shut up," Sam laughed.

Right on cue, Ella walked into the room, her phone to her ear.

"Yes, grandma, I'd say that ointment must be working on that rash of yours," she said into the phone.

"Sounds like a fun conversation," Carly said.

"Please, one time she spent two hours talking to me about her dentures," Sam said.

"I don't know whether or not the mailman would be willing to spread the ointment on it," Ella said, rolling her eyes.

"So glad that's not me," Sam said.

"Oh hey, grandma, you'll never guess who's here," Ella said, looking over at her cousin. "Sam! Hold on, she really wants to talk to you."

""You suck!" Sam hissed as Ella forced the phone into her hand with a smug grin. "Hey, jamamaw, how's parole?"

"Did you give Dina a bath?" Ella asked her husband. "Because she spent most of today putting Clay-Dough in her hair."

"Yup, she's all set for dinner."

"Good, I'm starving. Once Sam's done talking we can leave," Ella said. "That restaurant has the best breadsticks."

"Yeah, uh-huh, you know what, I'll send Freddie up to look at the growth next week," Sam said into the phone. "I'll bet he can't wait."

"Sam!" Freddie whispered.

"Uh-huh, I have to go now, I'll talk to you later," Sam said. "Bye." She hung up the phone and tossed it back to Ella. "Never do that again."

"Yeah, now I have to drive up there and look at some gross growth," Freddie frowned. "Where _is_ the growth anyway?"

"Aw, baby, if I told you, you wouldn't eat anything at dinner," Sam smiled. "Now come on, mama wants to eat."

…..

"Look, there's a chandelier!" Spencer exclaimed, looking up at the ceiling.

"This is a pretty fancy place," Carly said approvingly, looking around their table.

"Where's your sculpture?" Melanie asked.

"Over there in that fountain," Spencer replied, pointing over to a round fountain by a set of tables where a blue glass rabbit sat in the middle of it. "The best rabbit I've ever sculpted."

"And there certainly have been many of them," Freddie laughed.

"Mommy, I want a hot dog," Dina said to her mother.

"They don't have hot dogs here, sweetie," Ella told her.

"Do they have chicken nuggets?"

"Afraid not."

"What?" the three-year old frowned.

"I know kid," Sam said, looking at her own menu. "You'd think these big fancy places could spring for a deep fryer or something."

"They have spaghetti," Spencer said to his daughter.

Dina perked up. "They do? I want that!"

"I think I'm going to get this chicken thing," Carly said, perusing the menu. "Or maybe that salmon with-"

"Um, excuse me?"

Everyone looked up to see three girls standing by the table, looking at Sam, Carly and Freddie.

"Er, hi?" Carly said, looking confused.

"We were sitting at the table over there," one of the girls said. "And then we saw you! You're the iCarly guys, right?"

"Oh, yeah," Freddie nodded.

"Oh my God, we loved that web show," the second girl squealed. "It was so funny!"

"Thanks," Sam said.

"We watched the show all throughout high school," the first girl continued. "We never missed it."

"Well, it's great to meet you," Carly said politely. "And we're glad you liked the show."

"Hey, do you think you'll ever start it up again?" the second girl asked.

"Probably not," Freddie said. "We're really busy with work, and-"

"Will you marry me?" the third girl blurted out.

Carly and Spencer dropped their menus and Sam nearly choked on her water.

"Um, well, that's…nice of you," Freddie stuttered, frowning. "But I'm already married, and-"

"To who?" she exclaimed.

"To me," Sam said, crossing her arms.

"Be nice," Carly whispered warningly.

"Aw, that's so sweet," the first girl cooed.

"And look, she's pregnant!" the second girl grinned. "Congratulations!"

"You guys shouldn't be cheering them on!" the third girl snapped. "I was supposed to marry Freddie! I've been saying it since I was thirteen!"

"Um, well, it was nice meeting you," the first girl said grabbing the third girls shoulder to lead her away from the table. "We'll let you get back to your dinner. Bye!"

"Sorry about her," the second girl said. "She just got out of Troubled Waters, that's why we decided to take her out for dinner. Don't worry, once she starts taking her medication she'll be harmless…well, see you."

"So…that was awkward," Ella said after a few minutes of silence.

"Very," Sam agreed.

"Yeah, who knew there were actually other girls out there who wanted to marry Freddie?" Carly said.

"I know, right?" Sam nodded. "That's pretty weird; it's not like he's too attractive."

"Hey!" Freddie said indignantly.

"To other people, baby, you're very hot to me," Sam said.

"Oh…thank you."

"You guys sure have some insane fans still," Spencer said.

"Yup, hey, can you hand me your straw?" Sam asked.

"What are you doing?" Carly asked hesitantly as Sam unwrapped the straw from its paper and rolled the paper into tiny balls and put them in her mouth.

"Making a spit ball shooter," Sam said as if it was obvious. "That chick hit on Freddie, I can't let her get away with that!"

"Sam," Carly moaned.

"Trust me, you're not going to be able to stop her," Freddie sighed. "Just be glad she's pregnant or she probably would've punched the girl in the face."

….

"Alright, I've got it," Sam said, sitting down next to Freddie on the sofa. She had just finished taking a shower after the couple had gotten back from dinner with everyone (where the waiters had all given her very dirty looks for her spit ball shooter incident).

"I picked my names from your list too," Freddie said, putting his arm around her as she leaned against him. "You go first."

"Fine. If the baby's a girl, which it won't be, I liked the names Paige, Mackenzie, Sophia, Olivia, Kaylee, Leah, Daisy, Madison, Chloe and Cassidy from your list."

"Okay, and if the baby's a boy, which I doubt," Freddie told her. "I picked the names Trevor, Mathew, Louis, Hunter and James. You know, we should probably work on narrowing it down to one name for each list."

"Eh, we can do that when it gets closer to the time," Sam shrugged. "I've still got a little over two months before my due date."

"Mmm, I guess you're right," he nodded. "We still have a lot of other stuff to worry about anyway."

"Yeah…we should probably get around to buying more furniture than the high chair, huh?"

"Well, I'm sure the baby would like a place to sleep," Freddie laughed. "Oh, and tomorrow me and Gibby are going to spend the whole day baby-proofing the house. We're going to put special locks on all the cabinets, put up gates at the top and bottom of the stairs and use all this other chiz we picked up last week."

"You and Gibby?" Sam frowned. "Why don't we just pay somebody to put up all that stuff?"

"Why? We can do it ourselves," Freddie said.

"No you can't. Baby, just a hire a guy," Sam pleaded.

"I'm not going to pay some guy to do what I can do for free," Freddie said. "Come on, what can go wrong?"

"Have you ever _seen_ a television sitcom?" Sam asked. "Whenever the dude tries to do some big home improvement project by himself to save a few bucks he ends up screwing it up!"

"Relax," Freddie laughed. "It'll be fine; in case you haven't realized, this isn't a sitcom."

"Well, at least I'll be entertained tomorrow," Sam mumbled to herself.


	154. Chapter 154

"Are you sure Freddie won't mind that you bought a car seat without him?" Carly asked as she helped Sam carry in the large box from her car.

"Nah, it's just a car seat," Sam said, pulling her key from her pocket. "Besides, he was busy all day."

"Oh that's right," Carly laughed. "Him and Gibby were going to baby proof your house."

"The place is probably destroyed."

"Well, maybe you'll be surprised," Carly said. "Who knows? They could've wound up doing a good job."

"Pfft, yeah, and I'm going to become a vegetarian," Sam said, rolling her eyes.

She opened the door and looked around the house.

"Freddie?" she called. "Gib?"

"Where are they?" Carly asked, heaving the car seat into the front entrance, closing the door behind her.

"I don't know," Sam shrugged.

"Hey, look, the gates are up at the top and bottom of the stairs," Carly pointed out.

"You mean they actually managed that?" Sam frowned.

"And look," Carly said, stepping into the kitchen. "They put those special locks on all your cabinets and the fridge."

"Yeah, those are coming off until the baby's born," Sam said, attempting to pull open one of the cabinet doors. "How's mama supposed to get her snacks?"

"You think they finished up early and went out?" Carly asked.

"Nah, both their cars are still here, remember," Sam said. "They've got to be here-"

"Sam?" came Freddie's voice suddenly. "Is that you?"

"Oh man, I hope that's her," came Gibby's voice. "My butt's starting to fall asleep."

Carly frowned. "Are they in the bathroom?"

"Um, baby?" Sam said, knocking on the closed bathroom door by the stairs. "What's up?"

"Er, well…we're kind of stuck," Freddie said.

Sam grinned. "And Gib's stuck in there with you?"

"Well…yes."

"Maybe Carly and I should leave you two alone then."

"Haha," Freddie snapped. "Just come in here and help us."

"And what were saying about them doing a good job?" Sam said to Carly as she opened the door.

"I don't know what I was thinking," Carly sighed.

The girls stepped into the bathroom and saw Freddie and Gibby sitting on the floor against the cabinets under the sink.

"So what happened here?" Sam asked.

"We were putting those special locks onto the cabinets," Freddie said. "And well…somehow we both wound up stuck."

"How are you stuck?" Carly asked.

"It's out shirts!" Gibby exclaimed. "They're stuck!"

"What?"

"We were screwing in the locks," Freddie sighed. "And the collar of my shirt must've got caught without me realizing and when I finished tightening the lock…I couldn't get up. I asked Gibby to help me, but well, it turns out the same thing happened to him."

"How do you-who gets-you two are unbelievable!" Sam said, now laughing so hard that she had to hold onto the counter for support. "You screwed your shirts into the cabinet locks!"

"We were doing fine until this, I'll have you know," Freddie said.

"Yeah, other than that whole incident with the Fat Cakes in the kitchen," Gibby nodded.

Sam stopped laughing at once. "What did you do to my Fat Cakes?"

"Gibby, I told you not to mention that yet!" Freddie hissed.

"What did you guys do?" Sam asked again.

"Okay, Sam, baby, before you get mad," Freddie said, still glaring at Gibby. "Just know that as soon as I get unstuck, I'll go to the store and buy you a whole new package of-"

"What did you do to my cakes, Fredward?" Sam asked in a scarily soft voice.

"Um, well, we had to empty the cabinets to put the locks on," Freddie began. "And we-we put the fat cakes on the floor right underneath-"

"You put them on the _floor_?" Sam exclaimed.

"I don't think that's the worst part," Carly whispered.

"Er, no, thank you, Carly," Freddie frowned. "So I finished putting the lock on my last cabinet, and…I was about to step off the ladder I had been using to reach the top part of the cabinet, and I, um, fell onto your Fat Cakes."

Sam blinked. "What? Well-well they still might be edible! If I can just shape them back and-"

"I'm sorry, baby, but they're gone," Freddie said, patting his wife's hand, which, from his sitting position, was all her could reach.

"They can't be," Sam whispered.

"Sam, you realize these are processed snack foods?" Carly pointed out.

"I told you, I'm going to go out and get you a whole new package of them," Freddie told Sam. "You won't even miss those old ones."

"But they were so…uneaten," Sam said sadly.

"How about this?" Freddie said. "When I go to the store, I'll buy you a second package just to throw at me."

"Hmm…deal," Sam said.

"What-what kind of marriage are you guys in?" Carly frowned.

"Can you two just help us out?" Gibby asked. "I drank a Big Burp of Mountain Fizz an hour ago!"

"Did you geniuses think to take off your shirts?" Sam asked. "Or did you waste too many brain cells murdering my snacks?"

Freddie and Gibby looked at each other.

"Well, we, um, shut up," Freddie mumbled. He quickly unbuttoned his shirt and shrugged it off and stood up.

"Gibby, why aren't you getting up?" Carly asked.

"Because I made a promise to never take my shirt off for any non-swimming or bathing situations ever again!" he said firmly. "I've been clean for three years, three months and 19 days! I can't relapse now!"

"So you're just going to stay stuck?" Freddie frowned.

"A Gibby's got to do what a Gibby's got to do."

Sam rolled her eyes and turned on the sink and then splashed the water onto Gibby.

"Hey!" he cried indignantly.

"I'm not living with a Gibby in my house," Sam said, now picking up the bar of soap that sat by the faucet and tossing it at Gibby. "So there. You're in a 'bathing situation'. Get the shirt off and your butt off my floor."

"That works," Gibby shrugged, pulling off his shirt. He made to unzip his pants.

"Wait, what are you doing?" Carly exclaimed, shielding her eyes.

"I told you, I drank 64 ounces of Mountain Fizz!"

"We're leaving, we're leaving," Sam said, clamping her eyes shut.

…


	155. Chapter 155

"Now this is me when I was seven months pregnant with my Fredward," Marissa said, showing Sam a picture in her photo album. "I was much bigger than you, which concerns me. The baby might not be getting the proper nutrients."

"The doctor said that the baby was the perfect size," Sam said.

"Hmm, yes, well, you might want to check out those doctor's credentials," Marissa said through her pursed lips. "Also, I understand the 'traditional' length of a pregnancy is nine months, but just remember, the longer the baby stays in there, the more developed he or she will be. So I'd recommend you trying to hold on for at least eleven months, if not longer."

"Hey, I can barely stand waiting another two months," Sam said firmly. "I'm not keeping this kid in here any longer than I have to."

"But the baby might not be done!"

"Mom?" Freddie frowned, walking downstairs into the living room where the two girls were sitting.

"Freddie, will you _please_ try to talk some sense into her?" Marissa asked, shaking her head. "She's _insisting_ on having my grandchild after only nine months! Tell her how well-developed you were after I carried you for eleven months! Tell her how you were the top of you nursery school class!"

"Mom, Sam's not going to stay pregnant for eleven months," Freddie sighed, sitting down next to his wife. "Her due date's the end of November; that's when she'll have the baby. Come on, don't stress Sam out."

"Of course, of course," Marisa nodded. "I'll go make her some herbal tea. Decaf, obviously."

"You know," Sam whispered as her mother-in-law hurried out of the living room into the kitchen. "I'm really going to miss her catering to me. After I give her her grandkid, I'll go back to being the woman who stole her Freddikins."

"How long has she been here?" Freddie asked.

"She was here when I came down to eat breakfast," Sam replied. "Speaking of which, I never got a chance to eat. She hijacked me to look at a million pictures before I made it to the kitchen."

"I'll go get you something," Freddie told her, giving her a quick kiss as he stood up. "Bagel and cream cheese good?"

"Make it two."

Freddie smiled and headed into the kitchen.

"I hope Samantha isn't eating these," his mother said, holding up a bag of pork rinds. "They're terrible for the baby."

"Spencer left those here," Freddie said, sliding a bagel into the toaster. "Sam gets sick if she even smells any pig product. It's killing her."

"Well what about these?" she asked, pointing to a box of cream filled donuts.

"She eats those for desert sometimes," Freddie shrugged.

"What?" Marissa exclaimed, her eyes widening. "But-But the sugar! And the chemicals! These might as well named 'Baby Death Bombs'!"

"Mom, the doctor said a little junk food here or there is fine," Freddie assured her. "Believe it or not, Sam's actually been eating really healthy since she got pregnant. I mean, she still eats a lot, but it's not barbecue chips or ribs she's guzzling down any more. I'm pretty surprised at how well she's been holding up."

"Maybe I should whip her up one of my famous organic casseroles," Marissa said thoughtfully. "I just bought some fresh squash from the whole foods store."

"Er, yeah, um, that's-that's really not necessary, mom-" Freddie started, but before he could protest any further, his mother had thrust the cup of tea she had prepared for Sam, grabbed her coat and was out the door.

"Why'd your mom just run out?" Sam asked as Freddie walked back into the living room with her breakfast and tea.

"Well...she might be bringing you over some sort of squash casserole later on," Freddie replied.

"Dude! I hate squash!"

"I know, I'm sorry," Freddie said. "But maybe she'll just drop it off and run and we can throw it out."

"She'd better," Sam mumbled, taking a bite of her bagel.

"So what are we doing today?" Freddie asked, putting his arm around her.

"I thought we were going to buy the rest of the baby furniture?"

"Well yeah, but the store doesn't open for another hour," Freddie smiled. "You want to, you know, do something else?"

"Something else?" Sam grinned, putting down her bagel as she laced her hands around Freddie's neck while he began to kiss her. "I could go for 'something else'."

Freddie chucked as he began to deepen the kiss.

Suddenly, they heard the front door fly open. "Hey, guys," Carly called from the doorway.

"You know," Sam mumbled as her and Freddie reluctantly broke apart. "She should start keeping track of how many times she does this to us so we can get even with her and Joey."

"I know," Freddie nodded.

"You guys ready?" Carly asked, walking into the living room, clearly oblivious to what she had just interrupted.

"Ready for what?" Sam asked, still annoyed that her best friend had just put a stop to her and Freddie's "activity".

"It's Shopping Day!" she said happily, holding up her purse. "Remember? I'm wearing my comfortable shoes and I have a bunch of power bars for us so we can shop right through lunch!"

Sam and Freddie exchanged glances. They had nearly forgotten that they had invited Carly to go with them to the baby store last week.

"The store's not open yet, Carls," Freddie said. "So maybe you should go back home and just meet us at the store."

"Nah, it's cool, I'll just wait here with you guys," Carly said brightly, taking a seat in the armchair. "Oh, yum, bagels."

Sam and Freddie looked at each other and sighed.

...

"Eight hours," Sam yawned as her, Freddie and Carly walked back into the house after a long day at the baby store. "Eight hours of shopping. That goes against everything I believe in!"

"At least we finally have everything," Freddie said.

"I need a nap," Sam yawned. "And I have to pee...again."

"Have fun," Carly laughed as Sam headed upstairs.

"You want to download a movie?" Freddie asked, sitting down on the couch and picking up the remote.

"Sure, but I need to talk to you first," Carly said, sitting down next to him.

"What's up?"

"You cannot, under any circumstance, tell Sam this," she said. "But me and Melanie have been planning her a baby shower!"

"A baby shower?" Freddie repeated.

"Yeah, you know, everyone comes and gives her presents for the baby," Carly nodded.

"I know what it is."

"Well anyway," Carly continued. "We're having it at my apartment next Saturday. It's, um, kind of an all girl thing, so you're not invited. Sorry."

"Hey, that's fine," Freddie told her.

"But we're going to need you to make sure Sam shows up at my place at two," she said. "And that she doesn't find out about it. It's a surprise."

"Um, sure, I can do that," Freddie said. "But you know, Sam-"

"I know Sam's not into these kind of things," Carly nodded. "But she's my best friend, so gosh darn it, I'm throwing her a baby shower!"

"Gosh darn it?" Freddie grinned.

"And besides, it's not like she'll say no to a ton of free gifts and party food," Carly went on. "You guys might wind up getting some pretty cool stuff for the baby."

"That's true," Freddie agreed.

"Alright, so now that you're in on this, it looks like the shower's all set," Carly said happily. "You know, sometimes I think I should quit my job at the studio and become an events coordinator."

"Carls, I don't think the world's ready for that," Freddie said.

...

**AN- I can't believe this story has over 800 reviews! You guys are the greatest! Oh, I'm sorry if the formatting of this chapter seems a little off. I just got a new laptop and it doesn't have Word on it, so I'm now using Pages. Anyway, thanks for reading!**


	156. Chapter 156

"Max, no! No jumping up on the furniture anymore," Sam said, showing the dog off the couch. The dog ignored her and began licking her hand.

"Okay, you can stay," Sam said, petting him behind his ears.

She heard a key turning in her front door, and a second later, Freddie appeared, dripping in sweat.

"I can't believe I got roped into doing that," he said, collapsing next to Sam.

"Dude, you stink," Sam said, wrinkling her nose. "Was the gym with Jack that bad?"

"It was worse than those mother-son knitting classes my mom used to take me to," he mumbled.

"Well then why'd you go?" Sam asked, laughing slightly at her husband's misfortune.

"Because it was either the gym or the country club he belongs to," Freddie said. "And they don't make you wear anything when you're in the pool at that club!"

"Again, baby, there's this crazy thing called lying to get out of those things," Sam said as Max bounced over her to get to Freddie.

"Max, stop it!" Freddie said as the lab began to lick his face. "I thought we weren't letting him on the furniture anymore."

"Can you say no to that cute little face?" Sam asked.

"Well we're going to have to train him to stop once the baby comes," Freddie pointed out, rubbing Max's belly. "We can't risk him jumping up onto him or her."

"I think he'll be fine," Sam said. "He doesn't bother Bryan when he's here, and Dina loves him!"

"That's true, I guess," Freddie said, heaving himself up off the couch. "I'm gonna go take a shower."

"You want to go to boardwalk after?" Sam asked. "There's supposed to be this chicken that plays jacks there at three."

Freddie frowned. Today was the day of the baby shower Carly and Melanie had been planning, and he knew that he was going to have to get Sam to Carly's by two.

"Um, why don't we go out for lunch instead?" he suggested. "Didn't you say last night that you had a craving for brisket? We could go to that barbecue place."

"Nah, I'm kind of craving pasta today," Sam said.

"Well then we'll go to that Italian place by the bookstore," Freddie said.

"But I want to see the chicken playing jacks," Sam pouted.

"But Sam, you know the boardwalk is right next to that big factory," Freddie said quickly. "I don't think it's a good idea for you to be breathing in all that waste when you're pregnant."

"Fine," Sam groaned. "Hurry up and shower so we can go get pasta then."

"I'll be down in twenty," Freddie told her.

Once Freddie was showered, he drove him and sam to the restaurant.

"Man, once I have this baby, I'm ordering a huge order of those sausage meatballs," Sam said.

"I promise, I'll bring you some pork products as soon as you deliver," Freddie said.

"I guess I'll get the Alfredo," Sam said, putting down her menu. "So, you ready for today?"

"Today?" Freddie frowned. "What's today? Nothing's today."

"The baby furniture's being delivered," Sam said, rolling her eyes. "At six."

"Oh, right," Freddie nodded.

"It's a lot of stuff," Sam said, picking at a breadstick.

"Well yeah, babies use a lot of stuff," Freddie said.

"I know that, but I didn't know how much they use," Sam said. "I mean, babies are so small!"

"Yeah, and once it gets older, we'll need more and more stuff," Freddie said.

"Wait, what if we forgot something?" Sam asked, looking up from her bread. "And then the baby comes and we don't have it!"

"Sam, we have everything," Freddie told her. "Crib, high chair, car seat, changing table, stroller... we've got it all."

"Yeah, that's all furniture," she said. "But what about bottles? And diapers? And clothes? Oh my God, Freddie, do you realize we only have like five outfits for this kid?"

"There's still time for all of that," Freddie chuckled, amused. "And besides, it will be a lot easier for us to buy clothes once the baby's born and we know the gender."

"I guess you're right," Sam said as the waiter gave them their salads. "It's just...with the furniture coming, it's making this whole thing seem closer."

"Less than two months," Freddie said. "And then our new little son or daughter's here."

"And it'll never be just the two of us again," Sam said.

"Yeah, it's going to be different," Freddie nodded. "But good different, you know?"

"You think we'll miss it being just me and you, though?" Sam asked.

"Sure, once in a while," Freddie nodded. "But I mean, it's not like we'll never go out on another date again. I'm sure Carly or Spencer will babysit for us."

"That's true," Sam agreed.

"You know," Freddie grinned. "I really can't wait for this baby."

"Neither can I," Sam smiled back.

Once the couple had finished their meals, they headed back to the car. Freddie checked his watch and saw that it was ten to two.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Freddie said, pulling out of his parking spot. "Carly called this morning while you were still sleeping. She wanted you to come by and help her make cookies for Joey's sister's school bake sale."

"Carly's cookies always turn out terrible," Sam cringed.

"Hence her asking you for help," Freddie said. "You want me to drop you off now?"

"Yeah, before sets the oven on fire...again."

"The Shay family really isn't good with ovens, are they?" Freddie chuckled as he drove.

"No they are not," Sam agreed.

When Freddie reached Carly's building, he sent Carly a quick text message telling her they were on their way up.

"I forgot how many stairs there were here," Sam said as Freddie helped her climb. "How did I use to do this every day?"

"Well you weren't in your third trimester of a pregnancy," Freddie pointed out.

"Are you going to stay?" Sam asked as they finally reached Carly's floor.

"Nah, I promised Gibby I'd go with him to the cat show," he replied.

"Oh, can you buy one of those musical collars for Frothy? It would drive Lewbert crazy."

"Sure thing, baby," Freddie said, giving his wife a quick kiss.

Sam watched Freddie descend back down the steps before she turned to Carly's door and turned the handle, which turned out to be lock, so she knocked.

"Sam!" Carly said happily, poking her head out the door. "Hey!"

"Freddie said you were baking cookies," Sam said.

"Yeah, come in," Carly said, grinning widely.

"Dude, why are you so happy?" Sam frowned as she stepped into the apartment. "Are you-"

"Surprise!"

The second Sam stepped into the apartment, she was greeted by a large group of people grinning at her.

"What's going on?" Sam asked.

"It's your baby shower, silly," Melanie said, disbanding herself from the group to come over and hug her twin.

"We got you good, didn't we?" Carly said, joining in on the hug.

"Yeah," Sam laughed. "Hey, is that cake?"

"The very best from Granny's Little Bakery," Melanie said.

"Cake's for later," Carly said. "Now it's time for games!"

"What sort of games do you even play at a baby shower?" Sam asked.

"I've got a lot planned out, I spent every night last week looking them up online," Carly said proudly. "First we've got baby food testing, then pin the diaper clip on the diaper. Oh, and there's this really fun game with baby booties that I can't wait for."

"I really can't have cake?" Sam asked, looking at the desert longingly.

"Soon," Carly promised. "Right after you open your presents."

"There's presents?" Sam said, perking up.

"Yes, so let's go into the living room so we can play the games first," Carly told her. "Let's move, Puckett."

As she began to follow Sam into the living room with the rest of the guests, she turned back to Melanie. "Keep an eye on that cake. I'll bet anything that Sam's going to be making a few grabs for it during the party."

...


	157. Chapter 157

"Dude, hurry up and finish that," Freddie said to Spencer, who was standing in the baby's nursery, eating a piece of pepperoni pizza. "If Sam comes home and finds out we had that, she'll throw up, and then she'll scream at me."

"Calm down, I'm almost done," Spencer said.

"And make sure you take the box and throw it in the _outside_ garbage," Freddie continued, pushing the newly assembled changing table against the wall. "Or the scent will still be in the house."

"Does Sam really get that sick when she gets near pig stuff?" Gibby asked.

"Last week got sick just from seeing a commercial for bacon-flavored dog food," Freddie told him.

"Well by the time she gets home, we should have all this furniture set up," Spencer said. "So she should be happy about that."

"How long is this baby shower supposed to last anyway?" Freddie asked as Spencer began to work on the crib.

"Carly said it should be over with at nine," he replied.

"I still wish I was invited," Gibby mumbled.

"Why? It's just a bunch of women talking," Spencer pointed out.

"Hey, how have those book club meetings been?" Freddie grinned.

"Don't insult my book club!"

"Well, we have another hour until Sam will be back then," Freddie said, frowning at the set-up directions for the baby's bouncer. "So let's try to get this all put together."

"No, we only have five minutes," Gibby said, looking at his watch.

"You're watch must be off, Gib," Freddie said, looking at his own watch. "Because mine's saying it's only eight o'clock."

"Maybe you're watch is wrong."

"Gibby," Freddie said, chuckling at his friend puzzlement. "I set my watch to the the National Time's webstie once a week. There's no way that-"

"My phone says it's nine too," Spencer said.

"What? That's impossible!" Freddie said, quickly pulling out his own pearphone. "You guys must-oh. It really is nine."

"Ha! Never doubt a Gibby with time," Gibby said triumphantly.

"Well, we can at least have the crib up," Freddie said. walking over to Spencer to help him.

"You stay over there," Spencer exclaimed. "I don't trust you around me with tools! You almost took my hand off when we were putting up the changing table."

"The hammer slipped!" Freddie defended.

"Yeah, and now I have an ugly, bruised hand," Spencer said, taking another bite of his pizza.

"It's barely noticeable," Freddie mumbled.

"It was throbbing for an hour!"

"Fine, I'll sit over here, useless," Freddie said, walking over by Gibby, who was playing with with a large stuffed teddy bear.

"This thing is so cute," Gibby said happily. "You know when I was a baby, I-"

"Freddie?" Sam's voice suddenly called up.

"We're in the nursery!" Freddie yelled back.

"Dude, you'll never believe all the cool stuff we got!" Sam said, walking into the nursery. "We-ugh! Why do I smell pepperoni?"

"I told you to get rid of it!" Freddie hissed at Spencer as Sam ran to the bathroom.

"You also told me it was eight o'clock," Spencer pointed out, gathering the pizza box and heading downstairs to throw it out.

"You okay?" Freddie asked his wife as she came back into room. "Spencer's throwing the pizza away right now."

"Yeah, I'm fine," Sam nodded, sitting down on the new rocking chair.

"So how was the shower?"

"Better than I thought any baby shower could end up being," Sam said. "There was this cake...baby, you have to go buy some of that, it was like I was eating a rainbow."

"Isn't there a candy that's supposed to taste like a rainbow?" Gibby asked.

"Yeah, but anyway," Sam continued. "We got a buttload of baby stuff! It could all barely fit in Carly's car! Her and Melanie are bringing everything in now."

"Awesome," Freddie said. "And look, Spencer, Gib and I have been putting together the furniture."

"You've done nothing!" Spencer said, coming back into the room.

"What happened to your hand?" Sam frowned.

"Freddie happened to it!"

"The hammer slipped!" Freddie said again.

"I could've told you letting this nub near a hammer wouldn't be good," Sam smiled. "A couple of months after our wedding he tried to put a shelf up in our bedroom and wound up wasting a whole box of nails."

"Yes, it's very funny," Freddie said sarcastically as Spencer and Gibby laughed.

"Here's one load of baby stuff," Carly said, dropping several bags of baby toys onto the floor.

"Oh, look at what my cousin Mandy bought us," Sam said, picking up a large stuffed zombie doll.

"That's gonna give the baby nightmares," Freddie frowned.

"I know, I tried to convince Sam the whole way home to go to the store with me tomorrow and exchange it, but she won't listen to me."

"I want my kid to be prepared in case there's ever a zombie takeover," Sam explained. "It's never too early to start learning."

"Luckily, that's the only zombie item she got," Carly said as Melanie walked into the room with another large pile of baby stuff. "You guys got a lot of sweet picture books, and some cute outfits and things like that that won't put your kid in therapy before it goes to preschool."

"Please, I had a zombie picture book when I was three and it never bothered me," Sam said.

"Yeah, it gave me nightmares for a month when I accidentally looked at it," Melanie shuddered.

"Look what I got you guys," Carly said, riffling through the piles. She pulled out a plastic laptop that had several large buttons where the keyboard should be.

"Holy chiz, that's amazing!" Freddie exclaimed. "It looks like the new pearbook that just came out!"

"Yeah, I figure any Benson baby's going to need a computer," she grinned. "And plus, to please Sam, the buttons all make sounds like farm animals, or as she puts them, dinner."

"Man, I'm starving," Sam said, getting to her feet. "Did you bring the leftover chicken salad from the party, Mel?"

"Yeah, I put it in your fridge," Melanie replied.

"Sweet," Sam grinned, heading out of the nursery down to the kitchen.

"I really like all these wall decorations we got," Freddie said, looking through the pile. "Maybe tomorrow Sam and I will put them all up."

"Send me pics when you do," Carly told him. She turned to her brother. "Hey, Spence? What happened to your hand?"

"The hammer slipped, okay?" Freddie exclaimed.

...

"What's up, kid?" Pam Puckett said, walking into her daughter's kitchen. "Oh, do I smell French toast?"

"Freddie made some, it's on the counter," Sam yawned, taking a sip of her orange juice.

"You look terrible," Pam said pleasantly, taking a plate and sitting down at the table with Sam.

"Thanks," Sam snapped.

"Having trouble sleeping with Baby Puckett growing in you, huh?" Pam nodded. "Don't worry. It gets easier."

"Really?"

"Er, actually, no," she said. "That was one of those helpful lies I've been hearing so much about lately. Thought I'd try one out."

Sam rolled her eyes.

"Anyway," Pam said, finishing her French toast. "My new refrigerator just came today, so if you're up for it, come over around six and we can hit the old one with bats and golf clubs."

"Alright," Sam yawned again. "I could go for destroying an appliance. I haven't hit anything with a bat in...over a month. Wow."

"That must be a Puckett record," Pam grinned. "Well, if you exclude Melanie. Anyway, I just wanted to drop by and tell you that. I've got to see my plastic surgeon. I want to get rid of my tattoo of a cobra on my back so I can a new one of sock."

"Shouldn't a sock tattoo go on your foot?"

"Nah, that's where I have all my face tattoos," Pam said. "See ya, Sammy. Oh, hey Freddie."

"Hey, I didn't know you were here," Freddie said to his mother-in-law.

"I was just leaving. Hey, you should stop by with Sam tonight and help us destroy my old fridge."

"Um, I think I'll pass," Freddie said.

"You're loss," Pam shrugged.

"We should get going," Freddie said, pouring himself a glass of milk. "This is your last week of work before your maternity leave starts. You wouldn't want to be late."

"But I'm tired," Sam moaned.

"You can sleep a little more on the ride there," Freddie told her.

"My feet hurt."

"I'll give you a foot rub when we get home for work."

"Can't I just start my maternity leave now?" Sam asked, hastily getting up from her seat.

"Sam, it's just five more days," Freddie told her. "You can do it. And then you get to sleep in while I slump off to work on my own."

"I guess I can deal with five more days," Sam said.

"Sure you can," Freddie said. "And if you start to get tired during the day, just think of tonight when you get to bash that fridge with your mom. That'll perk you right up."

...

**AN- So I've been hearing on twitter that there's this big fight going on between iCarly fans and directioners and that directioners have been hating on Miranda Cosgrove and iCarly? That's terrible! I love One Direction, but to think that their fans are out there being so...mean? I can't stand when people bash things or people that others like. It's just not classy. I may love One Direction, but iCarly will always be in my heart and I would never say anything bad about the show, the producers, or any of the cast. I hope everyone realizes that there are directioners like me who love iCarly (truth be told, iCarly comes before One Direction in my eyes) and would never post some of the awful things they're saying. We're not all bad! :) Anyway, I just wanted to get that off my chest. I apologize for the directioners. I don't know why they're hating on iCarly when the boys guest started on the show. That should've made them appreciate the show, but I guess not...**


	158. Chapter 158

"Hey, did you guys hear the news?" Freddie asked, sitting down next to Sam at the lunch table.

"What news?" Carly asked, taking a bite of her tuna fish sandwich.

"Mike Louman is coming here in two weeks," he said.

"Who's he?" Sam frowned.

"He's the owner of Veotom," Freddie explained. "The company that owns Klasky Splat and a bunch of other T.V. channels."

"You've worked here for almost three years," Carly said. "How do you not know that?"

"How do _you _not know the names of all the fighters in the MMA association?" Sam retorted.

"Anyway, I've heard that he's going to have a big meeting with most of the people here," Freddie continued. "The writers, the editors, the producers..."

"Good thing I won't be here," Sam said happily. "This is my last day. In two weeks I'll be sitting on my butt at home, relaxing while you guys bust your humps working."

"I hear that whenever he goes to one of the studios he owns, he's always really mean," Carly said. "I heard that he made this one girl from the animal channel cry because she put two sugars in his coffee instead on three."

"I'm sure those are exaggerations," Freddie said. "But I have heard that his meetings are pretty intense."

"You guys will be fine," Sam said, stealing one of Freddie's chips.

"Hopefully," Carly nodded. "Hey, since it's your last day of work today, why don't we do something fun tonight?"

"Like what?" Sam asked. "It's my last day of work because I'm eight months pregnant, Carly. I can't exactly go out and party with you."

"I wasn't talking about that, Sam," Carly laughed. "I was talking more along the lines of dinner and then heading back to my place to watch a movie or something. We're not going to have many more chances to hang out just the three of us."

"That's a good idea," Freddie nodded. "You in, baby?"

"Yeah," Sam said, pushing back her chair. "But I have to pee. Again. I swear, this is like the fifteenth time today."

...

"Here you go," T-Bo said, handing Sam, Freddie and Carly their burgers and smoothies.

"Thanks, Teebs," Freddie said.

"Oh my God, this is better than usual," Sam said, biting into her burger.

"That's because I got a fancy new sauce," T-Bo said proudly. "Guess what's in it!"

"I'd rather not," Carly said. "Hey, why is one of your workers taking down your menu?"

"Because I'm adding onto it," he replied. "I was thinking, with Sam having a little baby and all, what's the one thing my smoothery needs?"

"I don't think 'smoothery' is a word," Freddie pointed out.

"A kids menu!" T-Bo exclaimed, ignoring Freddie's comment.

"Aw, that's cute," Carly smiled.

"And you three will be the first to see it," T-Bo said, taking out a sheet of paper from his pocket and placing it in the middle of the table.

"What's that stain on the top?" Sam frowned.

"Oh, I made the list while I was eating pickles. But look at it!"

"Chicken fingers and French fries," Freddie read. "Mini hamburgers, grilled cheese...hey, this is pretty good. You actually-wait, what is gravy mash up smoothie?"

"A gravy smoothie, genius," T-Bo said. "All kids love gravy, don't they."

"I'd drink it," Sam shrugged.

"Yeah, you'd be the only one," Carly told her.

"What? You guys wouldn't want to drink a delicious gravy beverage?" T-Bo asked. "Are you too good for it?"

"No, it's just-" Freddie started.

"I don't need this abuse," T-Bo said, marching off back to the counter where his stick of pears was waiting for him.

"Just think, guys," Carly said, sipping her smoothie. "Maybe the next time we're all eating here, we'll have to have one of those tiny little high chairs with us. I can't believe that Sam's starting her maternity leave already."

"I know," Freddie nodded. "And the due date's in three weeks."

"Man, I'd be freaking out right about now," Carly said. "But you're actually pretty calm, Sam."

"Yeah, well," Sam shrugged.

"I mean, you're going to have a _baby_," Carly continued. "It's scary enough having to think about that whole process, but then after you have a whole new person to take care of! That baby's going to depend on you for everything! You can't screw up! All that pressure would have me crying by now."

Sam said nothing, but took a long sip of her smoothie.

"It's really good that you're not nervous, Sam," Carly said, smiling at her best friend. "You know, when I'm pregnant, I think I'm going to have to get a few pointers from you."

"Okay, how about this?" T-Bo said, coming back to the table. "I throw in a free side of potatoes with the gravy smoothie? Huh? What kid doesn't love potatoes?"

...

Later that night, Sam and Freddie were laying in their bed. Freddie was fast asleep, but Sam was wide awake, staring at the ceiling. Carly's words from the smoothie were still playing in her head.

'_You have a whole new person to take care of. That baby's going to depend on you for everything. You can't screw up!' _

Sam rubbed her stomach, feeling her unborn child gently kicking.

_Am I really ready for you?_ Sam thought. Sure, she had taken care of Dina and Bryan many times, but that was for only short periods of time! This kid was going to be her responsibility around the clock! She knew she had grown up a lot since high school. She didn't get in trouble with the law every other week now, and she hand't gotten into a fight since she had been married (except for the few times Gibby had gotten on her nerves), but she still wasn't the most responsible person out there. How could she be a mother when she could barely remember to pick up things from the store or pay her bills on time?

"Freddie," Sam whispered, shaking her sleeping husband's shoulder. "Freddie, wake up!"

"What?" Freddie mumbled, slowly opening his eyes. "Are you alright?"

"No," she said. "Freddie, I'm not ready to be a mother!"

"Well it's a little late for that," he laughed, nodding at her abdomen.

"I'm serious!" Sam snapped. "This kid's going to be here in three weeks and I'm going to be a terrible mom!"

"What?" Freddie frowned, sitting up and turning on the lamp that sat by his bed. "No you're not."

"Yes I am," Sam said. "Look at me! I'm loud, irresponsible, lazy-"

"Where's all this coming from?" Freddie asked. "From what Carly was saying today?"

"Maybe," Sam admitted. "But she has a point. I'm going to have this little helpless baby who I'm supposed to take care of and I can barely take care of myself! I mean right before I got pregnant I spent one whole day playing fireworks and wound up breaking one of the windows!"

"Wait, so that wasn't Gibby then?"

"No! It was me! You see, Freddie, I'm a mess!"

"You're not a mess, Sam," Freddie said. "And you're going to be a great mom."

"No, this poor kid's going to have to rely on you for everything," Sam mumbled.

"No he won't," Freddie chuckled. "Sam, out of the two of us, I think you're the best with kids."

"You're lying," Sam said.

"I'm not," Freddie said sincerely. "Look, Sam, you take such good care of Dina and Bryan when you watch them-"

"But that's only for a few hours," Sam pointed out. "And that one time we watched them for a weekend. But this kid's here to stay."

"Yeah, I know," Freddie nodded. "And listen, I know it's going to get some getting used to, but a few weeks after our baby's born, you're going to be great with him or her all the time."

"No, I-"

"Every new parent feels like this," Freddie continued. "But everything always works out."

"Really?" Sam said softly.

"Really," Freddie nodded. "That baby's going to be so lucky to have you for a mom."

"It's going to be pretty lucky having you for its nubby daddy too," Sam smiled.


	159. Chapter 159

By the time Sam woke up on her first official day of maternity leave, it was well past nine, meaning that Freddie had already left for work. Sam had been looking forward to this paid time off for months now, and had plans of lounging around the house, watching T.V. until Freddie came home. Yet as she sat on the couch eating her cereal, she realized just how boring most of the morning shows were.

"Great," Sam mumbled, turning the T.V. off. "Over five hundred channels and nothing on."

Sam tried to find other ways of entertaining herself. She updated her Splashface page, she wrote an email to her Uncle Carmine in prison, and even tried to knit something with the materials that Mrs. Benson had left behind for her one day, claiming that she needed a hobby, though she quickly gave that up in a matter of minutes. Of course she did sleep. That had been the one thing Sam had been looking forward to even more than endless T.V. time. She had just woken up from her third nap that day and was eating a bowl of soup that she had prepared when Freddie walked in, home from work.

"Hey, baby," he greeted his wife, bending down to kiss her on the couch, throwing his jacket off. "What did you do all day?"

"Nothing," Sam yawned. "This place is boring!"

"Were you knitting?" he grinned, noticing the yarn sitting on the coffee table.

"No," she said quickly. "Hey, I made soup if you want any."

"Nice. what kind is it?"

"It's a new recipe I made up," Sam said. "There's chicken and onions and some marshmallows and chocolate chips."

"Um, I'll pass," Freddie frowned.

"I thought it would be fun laying around the house all day," Sam sighed. "But it sucked! I'm usually so good at it!"

"Do you think maybe it's because you, oh, I don't know, missed somebody?" Freddie asked, sitting down next to her, putting his arm around her shoulder.

"Yeah, you know, I think you're right!" Sam nodded. "I haven't talked to Carly all day! I'll go call her."

"That's not-oh, whatever," Freddie sighed.

...

Freddie got into his car after work and pulled out his cell phone. It was Sam's second day of maternity leave and he still hadn't quite gotten used to not having his wife sitting nest to him in the car.

"Hey, Sam," he said into his phone when she picked up. "I was thinking, if you didn't already cook something, why don't I run over to B.F. Wangs and get dinner?"

"Yeah, I could go for that," Sam replied.

"Alright, I'm on it," Freddie said. "I'll see you in a little bit."

He hung up the phone and pulled out of his parking spot, but he didn't head to B.F. Wangs. Instead he headed to Bushwell Plaza.

"Oh, hey, Freddie," Spencer said, opening the apartment door after Freddie had knocked. "What's up?"

"Oh, nothing much," Freddie said, stepping into the apartment.

"Look what I made at school!" Dina exclaimed, running over to him with a drawing. "It's a picture of a horse eating a chocolate bar!"

"Wow, very...creative," Freddie grinned.

"Dina, come on, it's bath time!" Ella called from upstairs.

"No!" the three-year old wailed.

"I used the purple bubbles!"

"Yay!" she grinned, dropping her picture and running up the steps.

"So nursery school's going well then?" Freddie asked Spencer.

"Oh yeah, she loves it," Spencer nodded. "Although there's this one kid I need to keep an eye on."

"Why?"

"When I went to pick her up today," he explained. "She was coloring with this one boy, and she asked to trade crayon boxes with him, since his was one of those fancy boxes with the ten different shades of green, and you know what he did? He _let _her!"

"Um, how dare he?" Freddie frowned.

"I know!" Spencer said loudly. "I remember nursery school. There was this one girl, Maggie, who smelled like Clay-Dough, and I _always _let her use my crayons, and you want to know why?"

"Sure," Freddie said.

"So I could hold her hand at recess!" Spencer cried. "My daughter will not be holding hands with any boy until her wedding! And her wedding will not be until she's forty-two!"

"Right," Freddie nodded. "Um, listen, Spence, could I talk to you about something?"

"Yeah, what goes on?"

"Well, a few nights ago, Sam woke up in the middle of the night all panicked, saying how she wasn't ready for the baby," Freddie told him. "And how she was going to be a terrible mother."

"Oh, all pregnant women do that," Spencer told him. "It's some hormonal thing. You're just supposed to tell them that they'll be fine and you're good."

"I told her all that," Freddie said. "And it's true, she's going to be a great mom. But the thing is...it got me thinking about me. You know, whether or not _I'm _ready for all this and if _I'm _going to be a good dad."

"Ohhh," Spencer said understandingly. "I see. Look, I was pretty worried about all that right before Dina was born."

"You were?"

"Yeah. I mean, I'm sort of a giant kid myself, if you haven't noticed."

"Er, no, I haven't," Freddie said quickly. "So did that feeling go away soon?"

"Shoosh no," Spencer said at once. "I was still freaked out when I was in the delivery room with Ella!"

"You-you were?"

"Uh-huh," Spencer nodded. "But then Dina came out and I saw her tiny little face and I got to hold her and I forgot about all that stuff. And trust me, when you hold that little baby for the first time, you will too."

"I hope so," Freddie sighed.

"You will," Spencer said firmly.

"Thanks," Freddie smiled. "You know? I feel a lot better now."

"Alright, well, let's not turn this into a cheesy after school special," Spencer said, getting up. "Hey, have you seen my paintbrush anywhere? I was working on giving my bunny mustache."

"No, I haven't," Freddie said. "Where did you last-" But then he frowned and slowly stood up, revealing the missing paint brush and a large paints stain on the back on his pants.

"All right, you found it!" Spencer said, picking up the brush happily. "Now I can finish Commander Bunny!"


	160. Chapter 160

Freddie poured himself a cup of coffee as he waited for his bagel to finish toasting. Suddenly, he felt a pair of arms snake around his waist and her looked over his shoulder to see Sam standing behind him.

"Hey, what are you doing up?" Freddie asked, giving her a long kiss. "Did I wake you?"

"Nah, I had to get up to pee," Sam shrugged. "Today's your big meeting, right?"

"Yup," Freddie nodded. "And I don't know how long it's going to last. Everyone's been telling us to be prepared for it to go through lunch, though, so I don't know how soon I'll be able to call and check up on you."

"Don't worry about it," Sam told him.

"You doing anything today?" Freddie asked her.

"Just another exciting day of being stuck at home," Sam smiled. "Hey, how mad would you be if I 'played' with your model trains?"

"Just please don't move my 1982 Trudgemaster," Freddie said. "I finally got it perfectly aligned on the track."

"No promises."

"I've got to get going," Freddie said, grabbing his bagel and wrapping it in a napkin. "I'll see you tonight."

"Bye, good luck in that meeting. Try not to fall asleep," Sam said as Freddie gave her one last fleeting kiss.

Sam took a quick shower and then sat down at the table to eat a few frozen waffles. She had just taken a bite of her breakfast when her pearphone rang. She groaned when she saw it was her mother-in-law calling.

"Hello?" she said, trying to keep her voice as pleasant as possible.

"I just wanted to check up on the baby," Marissa said. "Have you been doing those things I talked to you about? Are your feet elevated right now?"

"Uh-huh," Sam lied swiftly.

"And you ate that herb salad I brought over for you last night?"

"Oh yeah, it was delicious," she replied, thinking back to the meal she had tossed down the garbage disposal.

"And you've been applying that ointment to your-"

"Um, I've got to go," Sam said quickly. "I need to practice those yoga poses you showed me."

"Oh, I'm so glad you're doing those," Marissa said happily on the other line. "I'll be calling you back this afternoon for another update!"

Sam rolled her eyes as she hung up the phone. After she finished her breakfast she sat down on the couch with the latest issue of _Bizarre Citizens Weekly _that she had had Freddie pick up the day before and began reading about a man in Vermont who built a house of tissues for his cat. She was just finishing up a story about an old lady who could use her glass eye as a metal detector when she heard her front door open.

"Hey," Melanie greeted her, walking into the room. "How's the maternity leave?"

"It was pretty boring at first, but I've gotten used to it," Sam shrugged. "Shouldn't you be at work now?"

"No, there's a client coming in today, so only the top fashion designers are needed," Melanie replied. "So I thought I'd stop by and keep you company."

"Gee thanks," Sam said, wincing. She put down her magazine.

"Are you okay?" Melanie asked.

"Yeah, the baby's just getting restless," Sam nodded. "And I have these weird stomach pains."

"Oh, those might be the fake contractions you get towards the end," Melanie said.

"Yeah, they are, and they're really annoying," Sam said.

"Tea would probably help," Melanie said. "You want me to make you some decaf?"

"Nah, I'm fine," Sam assured her sister.

"You sure?"

"I can handle a little pain, Melanie, I'm not you," Sam said.

"Well...okay," Melanie said, ignoring her sister's insult. "So what do you want to do? Oh! I found this awesome site the other day that has a bunch of cute baby outfits! I found some nice gender neutral ones, you want to see?"

"Why not?" Sam shrugged, getting to her feet. "Let me just go to the bathroom first."

"Okay," Melanie said brightly, pulling her laptop out of her bag.

She pulled up the site and began pulling up the outfits she had been talking about.

"There's this one that you have to get!" Melanie called to her sister. "It's this little onsie with a picture of a fish on it and-"

"Melanie," Sam said said, walking back into the room. "My water just broke."


	161. Chapter 161

"What?" Melanie exclaimed, jumping up and rushing to her sister, who was now clutching the back of the couch for support.

"My water broke!" Sam repeated. "The baby's coming!"

"Are-are you sure?" Melanie asked.

"Yes!"

"But your due date's not until next week!" Melanie said frantically.

"Well okay, let me just tell that to the kid and have it go back in," Sam snapped.

"Okay, okay, come on, I'll drive you to the hospital," Melanie said, grabbing Sam's jacket to help her put on. "I'll call Freddie on the way."

Melanie helped Sam to her car and then quickly pulled out of the driveway.

"How are you holding up?" Melanie asked Sam as she dialed Freddie number on her phone. "You _can_ hold on until we get to the hospital, right?"

"Yeah," Sam nodded. "And these contractions are pretty far apart...that's good, right?"

"Yeah, they don't get close together until the baby's ready to come out," Melanie nodded, putting her phone to her ear. "Shoot. Freddie didn't answer. Should I try Carly?"

"No, dang it, I forgot, they're both in some big meeting," Sam moaned. "They probably had to turn their phones off!"

"How long's this meeting?"

"Long," Sam replied. "Oh man, what if Freddie misses this?"

"Don't worry, I'll keep trying him," Melanie assured her twin. "Oh, good, I see the hospital up ahead."

Melanie got Sam checked in quickly, and within a matter of minutes, Sam was sitting in a hospital gown in a long, white bed.

"Still no answer," Melanie said, trying Freddie's phone for the third time. "But I called mom, she's on her way, and the doctor should be in here any minute."

Sure enough, a doctor walked into the room carrying a clipboard.

"Okay, Mrs. Benson, how are you feeling?" he asked, sitting down at the end of the bed so he could examine her.

"Good, I guess," Sam said. "I keep having contractions, though."

"Alright, and how far apart are they?"

"Very," Melanie told him.

"Well that will be because you're only about two centimeters dilated," the doctor told her. "They'll get closer together as time goes on. It looks like you'll have quite awhile before you're ready to start pushing."

"Well that's good," Melanie told Sam. "Freddie should be here by then."

"So when can I have the drugs?" Sam asked the doctor.

"Sorry?" the doctor frowned.

"You know, so this doesn't hurt," Sam said.

"No one told you?" the doctor asked, looking down at his clipboard.

"Told me what?"

"You're not able to receive an epidural," the doctor said. "Your spinal cord is slightly skewed. We can't risk administering it to you, since it could very easily leave you paralyzed. I'm sorry, but you're going to have to go at this the natural way."

"What?" Sam exclaimed.

"It must be from when you fell out of that tree when you were seven," Melanie told her.

"Melanie, do you realize how much this is going to hurt?" Sam said, looking at her sister as the doctor left.

"Well...who knows? Maybe everyone just exaggerated the pain," Melanie suggested helpfully.

"You think?" Sam asked hopefully.

"Maybe," she shrugged. "It's a possibility. And you may not even-"

"Ah!" Sam cried suddenly, cringing. "Holy mother of chiz! You lied! This hurts a lot!"

"I'm sorry," Melanie said.

"Call Freddie again!" Sam yelled. "He did this, he's not going to make me suffer here without him!"

...

"And if you'll notice the numbers dropping, you'll see that I was not exaggerating when I said we're losing viewership to the Dingo channel!" Mike Louman said to the room of several Klasky Splat employees. "What is going on here? Are you a bunch of ignorant monkeys? Alright, now you're going to turn your attention to these charts, so I can show you just how pathetic this channel has really become."

"How long can this guy keep talking?" Carly whispered to Freddie Mike turned to get his large charts from his bag.

"It's been three hours, and he doesn't seem even close to done," Freddie whispered back.

"Sam's so lucky she's missing this," Carly sighed.

"Here we go," Mike Louman said, setting up a large poster of a pie chart. "Oh, and friendly reminder; if I see a cell phone during this meeting, the owner will be asked to leave and never come back. Now then, back to what I was saying..."

Carly and Freddie exchanged looks as they listened to Mike drone on, both struggling to keep their eyes open.

...


	162. Chapter 162

"So am I grandma yet?" Pam Puckett asked, walking into the hospital room.

"No," Sam mumbled.

"The doctor said it will be awhile," Melanie explained.

"Yeah, so I have to deal with these contractions even longer," Sam said. "Man, and I thought getting punched in the gut by Marge Demenco in that juvie fight eight years ago hurt. This is like ten times worse!"

"Don't worry," Pam told her daughter. "They'll give you an epidural soon, and that will stop the pain. You're just lucky you don't have to give birth on a bus with no drugs. Let me tell you, that was more painful than I had ever imagined. I swear, to this day, I can sometimes still feel the pain."

"What?" Sam exclaimed.

"Mom, she can't have an epidural," Melanie said as Sam's eyes widened. "Something about her spine from when she fell out of that tree, I guess."

"Oh..." Pam frowned. "Well, you're not having twins, so at least it won't hurt for as long."

"Did we miss it? Did we miss the baby?" Spencer asked, running into the hospital room with Ella.

"Nope," Melanie answered.

"How many centimeters are you along?" Ella asked her cousin.

"Like two," Sam said. "And it's been over an hour! How long were you in labor with Dina and Bryan?"

"About three hours for each," she replied.

"Three hours?" Sam repeated. "This better not take that long."

"Oh, you'll be here for awhile," Ella said. "After an hour I was at _least _six centimeters. This kid's just taking its time."

"Hey, where's Freddie?" Spencer asked, looking around the hospital room.

"Not here, he's at work and he's not picking up his phone," Sam said angrily. "I swear, if his butt's not over here soon, I'm going to-Ah!"

"Are you having another contraction?" Melanie asked.

"Yes!"

"Here, squeeze Spencer's hand," Ella said, thrusting her husband's hand at Sam.

"Gently!" Spencer said. "Remember, I'm an artist, so these are my tools and-Ow!"

"Deal with it," Ella snapped.

"I'll go try Freddie again," Melanie said, stepping out of the room. "For his sake, I hope he answers..."

"You need anything?" Pam asked Sam. "You want me to get you some food? You want me to turn the T.V. on?"

"No, I just want water," Sam said, letting go of Spencer's hand as her contraction ended. "And for my stupid husband to answer his phone!"

"Man, I would've killed you if you weren't here when I was in labor," Ella said to Spencer.

"Freddie really better get here fast," Spencer said. "I don't think my hand can take any more contractions."

"At least that's one good thing about this whole thing going so slowly," Ella said. "Freddie won't miss the baby coming."

"I'm still murdering him," Sam said darkly.

Melanie walked back into the room.

"Did he pick up?" Sam asked hopefully.

"Um, no, I left him another message," Melanie said. "But, um, when I was out by the front desk, I did find someone else..."

"Who?"

"Everybody out of my way!" Marissa Benson said, rushing into the room, wearing her hospital scrubs. "Grandmother-to-be coming through!"

"Oh no," Ella said softly.

"I need details, how long has she been in labor? How are her vitals?" Marissa said quickly. "And why isn't my CD of soothing birthing songs I made playing?"

"I don't want any soothing birthing music!" Sam said. "I just want this baby to come out!"

"We can't rush anything," Marissa said. "Maybe this is the baby's way of telling you that it would like to stay in for another two months and-"

"No!" Sam exclaimed.

"Well let me see how you're coming so far," Marissa said, walking down to the end of the bed.

"Hey, up by my head!" Sam said.

"Samantha, I'm a nurse, I've seen my fair share of births," Marissa said.

"I don't care! It's creepy!" Sam retorted.

"But I have to see how the baby is!"

"Marissa, just stay up here with everyone else, for crying out loud!" Pam said.

"Excuse me, this happens to be my grandchild," Marissa said indignantly.

"Yeah? Well it's my grandchild too!" Pam said, standing up. "_And _my daughter, so guess what? I win!"

"I-I-fine," Marissa said, defeated. She sat down in the chair near the door and crossed her arms. "I don't suppose anybody's going to tell me where my son is?"

"He's not here," Sam told her. "He's still at work."

"What?" Marissa exclaimed. "He's missing the birth of his child! Someone call him!"

"We can't, his phone's turned off; he's in a meeting," Melanie said.

"Well I have half a mind to drive down to that office and _drag _him out of that meeting!" Marissa said.

"Be my guest," Sam said.

"Alright, Mrs. Benson, let's have another look," Sam's doctor said, walking back into the room. "Oh my, you certainly have quite a gathering in here. And has the father arrived yet?"

"No," Sam replied.

"Hello, Marissa, what are you doing in here?" the doctor asked.

"She's my husband's mom," Sam said before Marissa could answer.

"Oh...I see," he said, throwing Sam a sympathetic look as he sat down on the stool at the end of the bed.

"Is she any further along?" Pam asked.

"Hmmm, perhaps a bit," the doctor said. "But she's still at roughly two centimeters."

"What? It's been two hours!" Sam cried. She nodded over at her cousin."She was almost done by now!"

"I don't know what to say," the doctor said, getting up. "Some births are just faster than others. I'll be back in another hour, Mrs. Benson."

"Why don't you just relax?" Melanie said to her sister. "Freddie will hopefully be here soon, and then-"

"Ah!" Sam cringed.

"She's having another contraction," Ella said. "Spencer!"

"I'm on it!" Spencer said, letting Sam grab tightly onto his hand. "Ow! I think I heard something crack!"

...

"Finally!" Carly said as her, Freddie and the other workers who had been stuffed up inside the meeting room emerged at last. "A six hour meeting! Six hours! That's like a school day!"

"I know," Freddie nodded. "I'm exhausted. And hungry. You want to get some lunch?"

"Yes, you heard my stomach growl in there," Carly said. "Let's go, before there's a huge line."

"Oh, wait, I want to call Sam first, see how she's doing," Freddie said, pulling his pearphone out of his pocket and powering it on.

"That guy really hated cell phones," Carly commented, powering back on her phone as well. "I mean, did you see how he almost threw Lee Bridges out when his vibrated? I swear, he-"

"Huh, that's weird," Freddie frowned.

"What?"

"I have twenty missed calls from Melanie," he replied.

"Hey, I have three from her too," Carly said. "I wonder what's going on?"

"I'll call her now and see," Freddie said, holding his phone to his ear as it rang.

"Finally!" Melanie said when she answered his call. "How long was that meeting?"

"Um, pretty long," Freddie said. "Is everything okay? Why'd you-?"

"Freddie, you need to get down to the hospital now," Melanie said. "Sam went into labor!"

"What?" he exclaimed, nearly dropping his phone.

"Just get down here. Now. The sooner the better. Sam's, er, not exactly happy with you."

"I'll-I'll be there as soon as I can," Freddie told her.

"What is it?" Carly asked as he hung up.

"Sam went into labor," he said, feeling very sick and dizzy all of the sudden.

"Seriously? Oh my God, let's go!" Carly said. "Come on!"

"This can't be happening, it's a week early!" Freddie said, leaning against the wall. "The due date wasn't until next week!"

"Well clearly your baby couldn't wait!" Carly said. "Now hurry up!"

"The baby can't be coming now, Carly, I'm not ready for this!" Freddie said loudly.

"Freddie, what are you doing?" Carly frowned.

"I thought I still had another week to get ready, this kid can't just pop out now!" Freddie said, frantically running his hand through his hair. "I'm not ready!"

"Spencer told me you talked to him about all this already," Carly said impatiently.

"But that's when I thought the baby was coming next week!"

"Oh, is a week really going to make that much of a difference?" Carly snapped.

"Yes! I had five documentaries on child care on the DVR to watch, I downloaded a punch of powerpoints on diaper changing techniques to go through and I even checked out a book about the proper way to hold an infant to read! I'm not ready yet, Carly! I can't do this now!"

"Freddie, snap out of it!" Carly said, slapping him.

"Ow!" Freddie said, rubbing his cheek.

"Sorry," Carly said. "In the movies the person freaks out, another person slaps him...Anyway, you needed that. You're being crazy!"

"But Carly, you even said that you'd be freaking out if you were about to have a baby," Freddie pointed out.

"Yeah, I know," Carly said. "And I get that your surprised and everything that the baby's coming a little early, but you have to pull it together, and you want to know why?"

"Why?"

"Because Sam's sitting in the hospital, just as freaked out as you, and as her husband and father of that baby, it's your job to be there for her!" Carly said. "Sure, you're scared, but Sam has another person coming out of her, so you follow me and drive to the hospital right now so you can support your wife as she experiences the miracle of birth!"

"Um, okay," Freddie nodded, looking taken back by Carly's rant.

"Good, now come on," Carly said, grabbing his arm.

...

"He's on his way now," Melanie told Sam, hanging up her phone. "He'll be here soon."

"Good," Sam said. "Maybe once he gets here this kid will hurry up."

"Here's some fresh ice chips, Samantha," Marissa said, handing her daughter-in-law a large Styrofoam cup. "It's good for you to suck on them. It helps calm you down."

"Thanks," Sam mumbled.

"Are you okay, Sammy?" Pam asked.

"No," Sam said. "I'm in labor! I can't have any drugs so it's going to hurt like crazy, and my husband's four hours late, and I'm freaking out about this baby but I can't even do _that _properly because it hurts too much!"

"Sam, but just think, in a few hours, you're going to have a _baby_," Ella told her.

"Yeah, I know," Sam said. "But I'm still..."

"Scared?" Melanie suggested.

"Maybe..."

"You'll feel better once Freddie's here," Spencer assured her.

"Maybe you should try to get some sleep," Ella said. "Your last contraction was a few minutes ago, so maybe you could rest for at least a little bit before your next one."

"I'm not tired," Sam said.

"Wow, I don't think you've ever said _that_ before," Melanie smiled.

"Oh! I almost forgot," Ella said, opening up her purse. "Dina drew you this in nursery school for you yesterday. She said it's you, her and the baby playing on in some Lollypop Forest her teacher read to her in a book."

"Aw, that's cute," Sam said, smiling a little at the picture Ella just handed her.

"She threw a fit when we made her stay at home with the sitter," Spencer told Sam. "She kept saying that she wanted to see her new baby cousin."

"Speaking of which, I think I'm going to call home and check up on her and Bryan," Ella said, getting up. "I'll be back in a minute."

"Ah, I think that's another contraction," Sam moaned as she felt the now all to familiar pain again. "Spencer!"

"Here, here!" Spencer said, giving her his hand to squeeze. "Yup, that was _definitely _a crack."

"Sam! Sam!" Freddie said, rushing into the room.

"There you are young man!" Marissa said, standing up. "Where do you think you've-"

But Freddie hurried past her to Sam's bedside.

"Finally!" Spencer yelled as Sam released his hand as her contraction ended. "You owe me surgery for these fingers!"

"Baby, I'm so, _so_ sorry I'm late," Freddie said to his wife, who was glaring up at him. "The meeting ran really long, and we couldn't have our phones on. Are you okay? How are you doing? How far apart are the contractions?"

"Do you have any idea how much this _hurts_ Fredward?" Sam said angrily.

"Um, no, not exactly," Freddie said lamely. "But I know it's rough, Sam, but you're doing a really great job. Has the doctor given you an epidur-?" But Melanie quickly shook her head and mouthed "Don't!".

"I promise, Sam, I'm not leaving your bedside until that baby's born," Freddie said, taking her hand. "And you have every right to be mad at me right now."

"You better believe I do!" Sam snapped.

"Oh, look who's finally here," Ella said, walking back into the room. "Glad you could join us, Freddie."

"Where's Carly?" Sam asked. "Is she coming?"

"Yeah, she drove over here," Freddie nodded. "She dropped me off at the front and then she went to find a parking spot, so she should be here any-"

"I'm here, I'm here, where's the baby?" Carly cried, running in.

"There's no baby yet," Spencer told his sister.

"Oh, how long have you been in labor?" Carly asked Sam.

"Four hours," Sam moaned.

"Well then it shouldn't be much longer," Carly said brightly.

"Yeah, right," Sam scoffed. "The doctor was in here right before you two came and said that the baby won't be here until tonight at the earliest."

"Really? That long?" Carly frowned. "Ella had Dina and Bryan in a few hours."

"Don't rub it in, okay?" Sam snapped.

...

Hours had passed, and Sam's labor was still progressing slowly. At ten o'clock that evening, she was still barely five centimeters dilated.

"Can't we give her something to induce labor?" Marissa finally asked the doctor when he came in to check up on Sam.

"If she hasn't reached ten centimeters by noon tomorrow, then yes, we will," the doctor nodded.

"Tomorrow?" Sam exclaimed. "It's been thirteen hours and I still have to wait until tomorrow?"

"Unfortunately, yes," the doctor nodded. "By my estimate, though, the baby should begin crowning by eight in the morning."

"But that's ten hours away!" Freddie pointed out.

"This kid hates me," Sam moaned.

"No it doesn't, baby," Freddie said, soothingly rubbing Sam's back. "I'm sure it's coming as fast as it can."

"I'm still mad at you," Sam snapped.

"Look, we're sorry, guys," Ella said as her and Spencer stood up. "But our sitter can't stay too much longer, so we're going to have to head home. But if the baby comes in the middle of the night, call us, no matter what time it is!"

"Yeah, and we'll be back first thing in the morning," Spencer nodded. "Good luck, Sam. You too, Freddie."

"Bye," Freddie said as the couple left the hospital room.

"Well I've already called and took tomorrow off from work," Carly said. "So I'm not leaving."

"Um, excuse me, all of you," a nurse said, poking her head into the room. "But visiting hours are over. You're going to have to leave."

"What? No! I can't miss this!" Carly exclaimed.

"Yes, and I happen to work here!" Marissa said indignantly.

"Oh yeah, aren't you that crazy lady who works at the front desk?"

"Look guys, the rate this is going, the kid's not going to be coming anytime soon," Sam said. "So why don't you just go home and we'll call you if anything happens."

"You'd better," Melanie said, grabbing her bag.

"Yeah, I'm seeing my grandkid right after it's born whether it's visiting hours or not," Pam said.

Once everyone left, leaving Freddie and Sam alone for the first time all day, Freddie pushed his chair closer to Sam.

"So this is really it, huh?" Freddie asked softly.

"Yup," Sam nodded.

"Maybe you should get some rest?" Freddie suggested. "You look sort of tired."

"I can't," Sam mumbled. "Every time I try, I wind up having another contraction and-Ah!"

"Here, take my hand," Freddie said quickly as Sam winced in pain.

"Ow, this one hurts more than the last one!" she exclaimed.

"It's okay, it's okay," Freddie told her gently, ignoring the pain she was causing in his hand. "You're doing great."

Sam released his hand once it was over, sweating and breathing heavily.

"I really wish I could do something for the pain, baby," he said, wiping her forehead with a cool towel. "Does it hurt right now?"

"Not too much," Sam said.

"You hungry? I can go to the cafeteria and get you some Jell-O cups or something?"

"Maybe in a little," Sam said. "Hey baby, can you promise me something?"

"Anything."

"Don't leave, okay?"

"I won't. I told you, I'm going to stay right here until that baby comes out and-"

"No, I mean ever," Sam said. "Promise me, okay? You and I both know it's no fun to grow up without a dad."

"I would never dream of leaving you _or _this baby," Freddie said sincerely, kissing her temple. "I promise."

...

"Ow, ow, ow, ow OW!" Sam screamed, squeezing Freddie's hand with all her might.

"How is she?" Carly asked, rushing into the hospital room the next morning.

"The contractions are pretty close together now," Freddie answered, not taking his eyes off his wife.

"Go get the doctor, I've _got _to be ten centimeters by now!" Sam panted desperately.

"I'm on it!" Carly said at once.

"Still no baby?" Spencer frowned as him and Ella walked into the room, followed by Pam.

"No!" Sam moaned. "Twenty-three hours of labor and still nothing!"

"Twenty-three?" Ella repeated, her eyes widening. "Holy chiz, I think I would've passed out by now!"

"I found the doctor!" Carly said proudly, returning the the room with Sam's doctor. "Oh, hi, Melanie, Mrs. Benson."

"Hey," Melanie smiled as the doctor took his seat at the end of the bed.

"Can I just have this baby already?" Sam asked the doctor.

"You're still not quite there yet," the doctor told her regretfully. "You're nearly at nine centimeters, though, so not too much longer."

"That's good!" Melanie said happily to her sister. "You're almost there, Sam!"

"It's about time," Sam said. "I've been up all night with these stupid contractions; they're coming really-Whoa! Ow, it's a big one!"

"They get pretty bad towards the end," Ella told her sympathetically.

"Yeah, no chiz!"

"Look what I bought at the gift store!" Carly said, pulling two teddy bears out of a gift bag. One was blue and had a T-shirt that say, 'It's a boy!' and the other was pink and wore a dress that read, 'It's a girl!'. "See? Now I'll be ready for either gender!"

"Real cute, Carls," Sam said, her face dripping in sweat.

"Does it really hurt that badly?" Carly frowned.

"It feels like someone kicking you, hard, repeatedly, and multiplied by ten," Sam told her. "And that's just the mild contractions. I swear, this kid better be pretty dang cute!"

"It will be, don't worry," Spencer told her. "Babies can't be anything _but _cute!"

"Well yeah, but don't forget it's got Freddie as a dad," Sam pointed out. "So-Ah! Again?"

"They really _are_ close together now," Carly commented as Sam grabbed her husband's hand again.

"It hurts!" Sam cried. "Freddie! Do something!"

"Mom, go get the doctor!" Freddie said quickly, stroking his wife's hair.

"You think this is it?" Melanie asked excitedly.

"I don't know," Freddie replied.

"The contractions are intensifying, Mrs. Benson?" the doctor asked as he ran back into the room with Marissa.

"Yeah, they're practically one right after the other now," Freddie answered for his wife.

"Well, Mrs. Benson, congratulations," the doctor said. "You're finally at ten centimeters. Now we can get this show on the road."

"So it's baby time?" Carly squealed.

"I'm going to need everyone other than the father to leave the room now," the doctor said as nurses began to file in. "Please head into the waiting room, and someone will notify you when the baby arrives."

After everyone wished Sam and Freddie good luck, the quickly left the room.

"This is it," Freddie whispered to Sam as the nurses and doctors scrambled to get ready. "I love you."

"I love you too," Sam whispered back to him.

...

"I. !" Sam screamed, gripping Freddie's hand so tightly that Freddie was sure he would never be able to grip a pen properly again.

"Alright, Mrs. Benson, I can see the head now," the doctor said.

"You hear that baby, you're almost there!" Freddie said.

"SHUT UP, FREDDIE, THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" Sam yelled at him. "YOU DID THIS! I SWEAR, WHEN I GET DONE HERE I'M GOING TO MURDER YOU!"

"Okay, I'm going to need you to push with all your might this next contraction," the doctor told Sam.

Sam nodded, and grabbed Freddie's hand, preparing for the worst.

"Um, Sam, do-do you mind if I switch hands?" Freddie asked. "It's just this one hurts pretty badly and-"

"THAT HURTS?" Sam screamed. "_THAT _HURTS? DO YOU KNOW WHAT HURTS FEELS LIKE?"

"Okay, push!" the doctor commanded, and Sam complied, pushing as hard as she could and squeezing Freddie's hand so hard that it was all he could do to keep himself from screaming out with Sam.

"Keep pushing!" the doctor said. "We're almost there, come on now, this is it. Just a little bit more..."

Suddenly, the hospital room was filled with a wailing cry.

"Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Benson," the doctor said, smiling through his mask at the couple. "It's a boy."

Sam let go of Freddie's hand and looked up at her husband, who was staring down at his new son, still crying loudly in the doctor's hands. He cut the umbilical cord, and then the baby was taken to be cleaned up in the corner of the room.

"You did it, baby," Freddie whispered, kissing Sam. "You did so good."

"That's him," Sam said softly, craning her neck to try and see her newborn son being cleaned up by the nurses. "He's here. He's really here."

"Would you like to hold your son, Mrs. Benson?" one of the nurses asked, walking over with the baby, bundled up in blue blankets.

Sam nodded at once, and the nurse carefully transferred the child into her arms.

"He's beautiful," Sam said, looking down at her sleeping son.

"Yeah, he is," Freddie smiled, looking down at the infant as well. "Just like you." Sam chuckled. "Sorry about your hand."

"It's no big deal," Freddie said. "Hey, look! He's opening his eyes!"

Sam looked back down at her son, who was now awake and looking around at his new surroundings.

"Brown," she observed. "Just like yours."

"He looks just like you, though," Freddie said. "Lucky kid."

"Hey little guy," Sam said softly to the infant in her arms. "Hi. I'm your mommy. You know, the person who you've been living in for the past nine months?"

"He's so little," Freddie breathed.

"You want to hold him?"

"Yeah, of course," Freddie said instantly. He gently took the baby from Sam, holding his child for the first time.

"Hey there," he said to his son. "I'm your daddy. You've probably heard your mommy there screaming at me for the past nine months, haven't you?"

"Oh be quiet," Sam laughed.

"I can't believe he's finally here," Freddie said.

"Me neither," Sam nodded. "But you know, I'd say he was well worth those twenty-three hours of labor. He's perfect."

"He is," Freddie agreed.

He placed the now sleeping child back into his mother's arms.

"I love you so much," Sam whispered to the baby.

"We both do," Freddie said. "So, _so _much."


	163. Chapter 163

"I just want to look at him all day," Sam said, looking down at her still sleeping son.

"I know," Freddie said. "Me too. But I should go and get the others. They're probably out there pacing like crazy."

"Good idea," Sam smiled.

"I'll be right back," he said, leaning down to give Sam a kiss on the lips, and his son one on the top of his head.

He hurried as quickly as he could down to the waiting room, where he saw his mom, Sam's mom, Spencer, Ella, Carly and Melanie waiting impatiently by a group of chairs.

"Is the baby here?" Carly asked, spotting Freddie first. "Is everything okay? Is Sam okay?"

"Sam's fine, everything's fine," Freddie assured her, grinning. "She's with our son right now."

"So it's a boy?" Spencer exclaimed.

"Yup," Freddie nodded, chuckling.

"Alright, I have a grandson!" Pam said happily.

"Can we go see him?" Melanie asked.

"Yeah, come on," Freddie told them.

The six followed Freddie back to Sam's room.

"Oh my God!" Carly squealed, walking into Sam's room, looking at the small blue bundle in her arms. "He's so tiny!"

"Seven pounds, three ounces," Sam smiled as everyone crowded around her bed.

"Look at his little hands!" Ella cooed. "I forgot how small they were right after they're born!"

"He's going to be the best nephew ever," Melanie said softly.

Suddenly, the baby's eyes opened, and he looked around at the several new faces he saw staring down at him.

"You guys want to hold him?" Sam asked.

"Shoosh yeah we do!" Pam nodded. "Let me hold my grandkid!"

"Just be careful with him," Sam said as she passed her mother her son.

"Hey, he looks like you did when you were born," Pam commented. "Only with brown eyes, not blue."

"He has her hair, too," Ella observed as Pam passed her the baby. "Aw, he's looking right at me!"

"My turn! My turn!" Carly said. Ella gently placed the baby in Carly's arms.

"He's so cute!" Carly whispered. "Hi there! I'm your Aunt Carly!"

"And I'm your Aunt Melanie," Melanie said as Carly passed her the infant.

"And I'm your wacky Uncle Spencer," Spencer said when it was his turn to hold the baby. "I'm the guy with the cool antics here."

Finally, Spencer passed the baby to Marissa, who had been strangely quiet during the whole time.

"What do you think?" Freddie asked his mom as she cradled her grandson in her arms.

"He's...perfect," she said softly. She looked down at Sam. "You did very well, Samantha. I suppose he _was_ done after only nine months."

"Thanks," Sam smiled.

"So, what's his name?" Carly asked.

"Oh yeah, what is it?" Ella asked.

Sam and Freddie looked at each other.

"Well," Freddie said. "Since Sam was right about the gender, she gets to pick a name from the ones we had decided on a while ago. I think I have the paper in here in my pocket somewhere...here it is."

He handed the list to Sam. "So baby? What name do you like the most?"

"They're all stupid," Sam said, crumpling up the sheet of paper and throwing it onto the floor.

"But you picked them out!"

"Yeah, before I met him," Sam said, holding out her arms for Marissa to hand her back her son. "They're not right for him!"

"Hey, Gibby just texted me," Spencer said, looking down at his phone.

"Where _is _he?" Melanie asked.

"Yeah, why isn't that lump at my bedside?" Sam asked.

"He was in Vegas for his grandfather's birthday," Spencer explained. "Anyway, I just told him that the baby was a boy, and he wants me to ask you to name it Gibby."

"My kid is _not _going to be a Gibby," Sam said firmly.

"Don't worry, we'll pick him a name," Freddie told her. "We'll do it quick, before Gibby gets back to Seattle and tries to force his name on the poor kid."

"Yeah, we can pick a name together!" Carly said. "This is going to be so exciting!"

"I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask all visitors to leave please," said the same nurse who had ordered everyone out of the room the previous night.

"What? Why? Visiting hours aren't over yet!" Spencer pointed out.

"Yes, but we need to give the mother her first nursing lesson."

"And I'm leaving," Spencer said quickly.

"You know, I think you're around just to ruin my moments," Carly mumbled as she passed the nurse on her way out.

...

Freddie walked back into Sam's hospital room. He was happy to see that his wife was still fast asleep; he knew that she had been exhausted. He went over to his son, who was laying in a small plastic crib by her bed.

"Hey there," Freddie whispered, picking up his son. "Man, I wish you had a name so I'd know what to call you."

The baby stared blankly back up at his father.

"You have any suggestions?" Freddie smiled at his son. "Not to many people get to be involved in their own naming process. Well, except Kobi San Onobi from _Galaxy Wars, _but that's only because he was a very high ranked Ledi, but you'll learn more about that later."

"Please tell me you're not teaching out son about _Galaxy Wars _before he's even two days old," Sam said.

"Hey," Freddie said, turning around to see that Sam was now awake. "Sorry, did I wake you?"

"Yes," she yawned. "But I was supposed to wake up to nurse him now anyway. Give him to me."

Freddie placed the baby in her arms.

"We really need to think of a name," Freddie said. "I'm getting sick of just calling him 'him'."

"I know," Sam sighed. "So, where did you go while I was sleeping?"

"Home to change really quick," Freddie said. "And I picked you up some clean clothes, and I fed Max. Thank goodness Carly thought to stop by the house last night and feed him, but I still had some messes to clean up...Oh, and I brought you some lunch."

He pulled out large paper bag out and placed it on the table next to Sam's bed.

"No way, is that a Bacon Slam?" Sam asked.

"I told you, I'd hook you up with some pig meat as soon as you gave birth," Freddie grinned.

"Here, I think he's done eating," Sam said, handing the baby to Freddie. "Can you burp him for me?"

"Sure thing," Freddie said, gently patting the baby on the back just like the nurse had shown him earlier.

"Oh bacon, I've missed you so much!" Sam said, taking a bite of burger.

"I also picked this up from home," Freddie said, handing her the book of names. "I figured we could go through it until we found one we liked."

"Alright," Sam nodded, her mouth still stuffed with meat. She opened up the book. "Allen? No way. Alfred? No, that's my cousin's name, you know, the one who's in prison for trying to get that zebra to-"

"Yes, I remember," Freddie said quickly, sitting down in the chair next to the bed, still holding his son.

"Okay, what about Andrew?"

"No, I'd always think of Andrew Williams," Freddie said.

"Who?"

"He was this kid in the first grade who always used to put glue on my apple slices," he said darkly.

"Fine," Sam sighed, flipping further into the book. "Um, let's see...Gabriel? Nah, I don't like the sound of that either...Gregory?"

"No, I don't like it," Freddie said. "Wow, this is hard."

"Seriously," Sam nodded. "Grover? Oh God, what parent would do that to their child? Gunther? Absolutely not."

"How about Harry?" Freddie asked, craning his neck to read the next page of names. "Or Hector?"

"What about Harvey instead?" Sam asked.

"No, there was a Harvey in my boys camp who always stole my raisins," Freddie said.

"Oh come on, was there any name in here that _didn't _bully you?" Sam asked, rolling her eyes. "We need to give this kid a name!"

"Okay, keep reading," Freddie said.

"Herbert, Hank, Henry, Horris, Howard," Sam continued to read. "Jamie, Jakob, Jerry, Jason...ugh! This is so hard!"

"Wait, what was that last one you read?" Freddie asked.

"Uh...Jason," Sam said. "Hey, that one isn't half bad."

"No, it isn't," Freddie agreed. "Simple, elegant, goes well with Benson..."

"Hmm, it does have a nice ring to it," Sam said thoughtfully. "You know, I like it. What do you think?"

"I think," Freddie said, looking down at the child in his arms. "That you finally have a name, Jason."

...

**AN-So, if any of you guys have read my other iCarly story, Seddie oneshots, then yes, I decided to stick with the same name from that. I considered giving the baby a different name, but in the end, I decided I liked the idea of just keeping it the same the best. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter!**


	164. Chapter 164

"Alright, here we go," Freddie said, opening the front door of the house for Sam, who was carrying Jason in her arms. "Welcome to your home, Jason!"

Freddie pointed his video camera at his wife and son as they entered the house.

"Come on, you're not going to be one of those annoying dads who tries to record everything, are you?" Sam asked, rolling her eyes.

"Of course I am!" Freddie said, not taking the camera off her and the infant.

"Yeah, I should've figured," Sam sighed.

"And here's Max," Freddie said as the lab came padding to greet them. "Say hi to Max, Jason."

"He's sleeping, you nub," Sam said.

"Okay, fine, Max, say hi to Jason then," Freddie said.

"You're loosing it, Benson," Sam laughed. "Here, I'm going to go take a shower. Put down your camera so you can take your son."

"Alright," Freddie said, turning off the camera and setting it down.

Sam headed upstairs, and Freddie sat down on the couch with Jason. He looked at his sleeping son, wondering what could possibly compare to the feeling he felt right now. He was just about to get up and put Jason in his crib, when the infant's brown eyes suddenly opened up.

"Hey, you're awake!" Freddie whispered. "See, you're not in the hospital anymore! You're in your home now! You'll be living here for-"

Jason let out a loud wail and he began to cry.

"You hungry?" Freddie asked. "Mommy's taking a shower, right now, but I'll get you some nice formula, does that sound good?"

Jason continued to cry as Freddie headed into the kitchen. He made a small bottle of formula as quickly as he could with one hand.

"Here you go," Freddie said, trying to place the bottle's nipple in his son's mouth. But the the baby kept turning his head, still crying.

"Hmm, so you're not hungry?" Freddie frowned. "I guess you must need to be changed..." But a quick look into his diaper proved that that was not the case.

"Shh, shh, it's okay, Jason," Freddie said, trying to soothe the infant now by stroking his back. "Daddy's here."

"Hey, I brought over some outfits I bought yesterday!" Carly said, letting herself into the house with a large bag. "Aw, Jason, are you sad?"

"Yeah, I don't know what's wrong with him," Freddie said, a hint of panic now in his voice.

"Where's Sam?" Carly asked.

"Upstairs, taking a shower," Freddie replied, now gently bouncing Jason in his arms.

"Well, did you try feeding him?" Carly suggested. "Or changing him?"

"Yes," Freddie nodded.

"Here, let me try," Carly said, holding out her arms.

Freddie handed her the still crying baby.

"Maybe he needs burped or something," Carly said, softly patting Jason on the back. But it was no use, he still continued to cry.

"You want a nice toy to play with?" Freddie asked, pulling a blue rattle Spencer had boughten for Jason in the hospital. "Look at the rattle, Jason! You liked this in the hospital!"

"It's not working!" Carly exclaimed.

"I can see that!" Freddie snapped, still shaking the rattle in front of Jason.

"What's going on?" Sam asked, walking back into the room, her hair still damp from the shower.

"What's wrong with him?"

"I don't know!" Freddie said. "He woke up right after you went upstairs and he's been crying ever since! I tried feeding him, changing him, Carly tried burping him, and this rattle won't even work!"

"Come here, Jason," Sam said, taking her son from Carly.

At once, Jason stopped crying and laid happily in his mother's arm.

"How did you do that?" Freddie asked, stunned.

"I didn't do anything," Sam said.

"Wow, I think my eardrums might be a little broken now," Carly said. "That little guy can scream. He's definitely your son, Sam."

"I don't get it, what did Sam do?" Freddie asked, frowning.

"It's probably just the way she's holding him," Carly shrugged. "Anyway, stay still, Sam, I need a picture of Jason."

"Why?" Sam asked.

"Because people are dying to see him!" Carly exclaimed. "I posted about you and Freddie having a baby way back when you first told us all you were pregnant, and our old iCarly viewers have been driving me crazy asking for a picture!"

"Fine, just do it quick," Sam sighed.

"Thanks," Carly said, snapping a picture of Jason with her phone. "Aw, he looks so cute here! I think this is going to be my new wallpaper!"

"Nice," Sam laughed. She turned to Freddie. "Do we have anything to eat here?"

"Um, no I don't think so," Freddie replied. "I didn't get a chance to go shopping since you've been at the hospital."

"You want me to go pick up some food?" Carly asked. "I can grab some pizzas or something."

"Yeah, I could go for that," Sam nodded. "Make sure you get me the meat lovers special. I've got nine months of not eating pork to make up for."

"Got it," Carly grinned. "What do you want, Freddie?"

"Anything's fine," he said quickly.

"Okay, I'll be back soon," Carly said, pulling out her car keys.

"I'm gonna go let Max out," Sam said as Carly left. She passed Jason to Freddie. The second he left Sam's arms, though, Jason began crying again.

"What-what did I do?" Freddie asked. "Why's he crying now?"

"Here, let me try," Sam said, taking Jason back. Again, he stopped crying at once.

"How do you _do _that?" Freddie asked. "I held him just like you and everything!"

"I don't know," Sam shrugged.

"That baby must hate me then," Freddie said softly.

"What?" Sam scoffed. "You're his dad, Freddie."

"Well then why does he cry the second I hold him?" Freddie pointed out.

"Oh, come on," Sam said, rolling her eyes.

"I'm telling you, Sam, our son hates me," Freddie said firmly.

"You're being crazy," Sam told him.

"Am I? Here, I'll show you." He took Jason from Sam's arm, and Jason began crying at once. He placed Jason back in Sam's arms, and he calmed down.

"See?"

"Okay, well, maybe he just has to get used to you," Sam said quickly.

"But why does he like you right away?" Freddie asked.

"Because he _lived _in me for nine months," Sam reminded him. "I'm sure if you were the one who was pregnant with him, this would be turned completely around."

"Maybe," Freddie sighed. "Or maybe I'm just not a good dad."

"Baby-" Sam started, but Freddie had already turned to go upstairs.


	165. Chapter 165

"I want to see the baby! I want to see the baby!"

"Dina, calm down," Ella said as she walked into the Benson house, Bryan hand in her hand as he toddled in, Dina, running full force into the living room.

"Hey," Sam said as Dina plopped her self down on the sofa next to Sam, who had a sleeping Jason in her arms.

"Wow!" Dina whispered, looking at the baby. "He's little!"

"You were that little once," Ella reminded her daughter.

"Hi Jason!" Dina cooed. "You're a baby!"

"Yeah, he is," Sam laughed.

"When's he gonna wake up?" Dina asked.

"He just fell asleep, so probably not for another two hours," Sam told her.

"Aw, I wanted to play with him," Dina said sadly.

"Well Jason's a little to little for you to play with right now," Ella said. "He's not even a week old yet."

"You want to come help me make him some bottles for later though?" Sam asked.

"Yeah!" Dina exclaimed.

Sam gently placed Jason in his playpen that was near the couch, but still visible from the kitchen.

"So," Ella said, following Sam and Dina into the kitchen. "Where's Freddie?"

"Picking up Gibby from the airport," Sam replied, getting three bottles out of the cabinet. "Gibby's grandpa left with some lady he met on the plane, so he doesn't have a ride."

"Is Freddie still claiming Jason hates him?"

"Yeah," Sam sighed. "I keep telling him he's insane, but he doesn't listen."

"Well, it's not just him Jason cries around," Ella pointed out. "He only stops for you."

"I know, and that means _I _have to wind up getting up five times a night," Sam said. "It's weird, Jason let everyone hold him in the hospital."

"It's probably the new surroundings that's freaking him out," Ella said. "Give him a few weeks and I'm sure he'll be happy with everyone."

"I hope, but still, Freddie's taking this whole thing kind of hard," Sam said, handing Dina a spoon so she could scoop the powdered formula into the bottles. "I think he's really upset."

"That's too bad," Ella said. "But you know what? There's this woman whose daughter goes to Dina's daycare who I see every morning when I drop her off. She just had another baby, and she was telling me a couple of weeks ago that her new daughter would cry whenever she put her down. She wouldn't let anyone else hold her, not even her dad."

"Really?" Sam asked. "What did she do?"

"Well, she told me that one afternoon she just left the baby with her husband for a few hours, all by themselves," Ella said. "And by the time she got home, her daughter had gotten over it! Maybe you should try that with Freddie and Jason."

"Yeah, maybe," Sam nodded, helping Dina add the water to the bottles. "I need to do something soon. I can't handle getting up so many times. Freddie needs to start being able to do at least half of these midnight feedings on his own."

...

"Aw, he's so tiny!" Gibby said, looking down at Jason, who was sleeping in his crib.

"Shh! Don't wake him up!" Freddie whispered. "He'll start crying, and he won't stop for anybody but Sam!"

"Really? But you're his dad."

"Yes, thank you," Freddie snapped.

"Okay, I'm going out now," Sam said, stepping into the nursery with Carly.

"What?" Freddie frowned.

"Yeah," Sam nodded. "Since I haven't gotten more than two hours sleep at a time for the past three days, I decided to finally take Carly up on her offer to go to a spa. I'm gonna pay for strangers to rub weird smelling oils all over my body and sit in some fancy mud."

"It will be so fun, you'll see," Carly grinned.

"Um, baby," Freddie said. "Look, I know you deserve a break and all, but in case you've forgotten, our son hates me, so how can I watch him for an entire afternoon?"

"Freddie, for the thousandth time, Jason doesn't hate you," Sam said, rolling her eyes. "You're his dad, and he loves you, even though you're acting like a complete nub right now."

"But what if he wakes up?" Freddie asked. "And starts crying?"

"Well, there's plenty of bottles in the fridge for him," Sam said. "There's diapers by his changing table, and there's lots of toys to amuse him with."

"Yes, but Sam, he won't stop crying unless he's with you!" Freddie whispered frantically.

"Oh come on," Sam said. "Are you really never going to be alone with your son for his entire life?"

"I-"

"Look," Sam said. "Jason does _not _hate you. If you just spend the afternoon with him, he'll see what a great dad you are!"

"Sam, our appointment's in fifteen minutes," Carly said.

"Alright, I'm coming," Sam said. She turned back to Freddie. "You'll be fine."

Freddie didn't respond. Sam gave him a quick kiss before heading downstairs with Carly and out to her car.

"Well, maybe it will be okay," Gibby reasoned. "He could just sleep the whole time."

"Yeah," Freddie nodded. "Yeah, maybe you're right..."

No sooner had the words left Freddie's mouth, though, did Jason begin to stir in his crib, and his tiny brown eyes flew open.

"Oh no," Freddie sighed. He leaned down to look at Jason.

"Um, hi there," Freddie said. "You-You up already?"

Jason began crying at once.

"Wow, that kid's loud!" Gibby frowned, covering his ears as Freddie lifted Jason out of his crib.

"Gee, you think?" Freddie snapped.

...

"Jason, shh, don't you want to stop crying?" Freddie pleaded, gently bouncing Jason in his arms. "Please?"

"Try changing him again!" Gibby said, pressing his hands over his ears.

"I already did!" Freddie said. "And I just tried feeding him, but he's not hungry!"

"That kid really does hate you," Gibby said.

"You see!"

"Well, I think I'm going to head out," Gibby said, getting up off the couch where he had been sitting.

"You stay right there!" Freddie said firmly. "Here, hold him for a sec, I'm going to go upstairs to get his blanket out of his crib. Maybe that will be helpful, but I doubt it."

Freddie placed Jason in Freddie's arms and hurried upstairs.

"You're paying for my hearing reconstruction surgery when you get older, you know," Gibby said to Jason as he continued to wail in his ears. "I'll have you know I never cried when I was a baby! Except for the time I got my head stuck in that watermelon..."

"Okay, I got it," Freddie said, rushing back into the room with the blanket. "Here, Jason, come to daddy...I have your blankie. You want your blankie?"

But Jason kept on crying as Freddie picked him back up.

"I don't think he wants the blankie," Gibby said.

"Gibby!"

"I'm sorry, but that kid's been screaming for almost an hour and a half!" Gibby exclaimed.

"I know," Freddie moaned. "You'd have thought his mouth would've tired out by now."

"Too bad Sam won't be back for another couple of hours," Gibby sighed. "Hey, can't you just show Jason a picture of her on your phone or something to get him to stop?"

"I tried that a couple of nights ago; he wants Sam to be physically with him," Freddie said.

"Well then too bad there isn't two Sam's around here," Gibby said.

"Gibby! You're a genius!"

"That's what I've been telling everybody for years!" Gibby nodded.

"Here, hold Jason for me again," Freddie said, passing the infant over to Gibby again as he pulled out his pearphone.

He scrolled through his contacts until he found the one he was looking for.

"Hey, Melanie?" Freddie said, pressing the phone to his ear. "Can you come over here?"

...

"So what's the big emergency?" Melanie asked ten minutes later as she let herself into the house.

"We can't get Jason to stop crying," Freddie explained, the crying child still in his arms. "And I don't know if Sam's told you, but he doesn't stop crying for anybody but her."

"Oh yeah, she did mention that you have some insane theory about how he hates you," Melanie nodded.

"He's been crying since the second she left," Freddie snapped. "It's not an insane theory!"

"Well, what do you want me to do?" Melanie asked.

"I was thinking," Freddie said, shifting Jason in his arms. "That you could hold him. He might think that you're Sam, and he'd finally stop crying!"

"You want me to pretend to be your sons mother?" she frowned.

"Pretty much," Freddie nodded.

"You don't think that could cause some problems later on?"

"Look, I'm desperate!" Freddie pleaded.

"Yeah, and my ears feel like they've been stomped on by a moose!" Gibby added.

"Fine," Melanie sighed. "Give him here."

"Thank you," Freddie said gratefully, gently handing Jason to Melanie.

Jason stopped crying for a moment. He stared up at Melanie, and then a second later, opened his mouth to continue wailing.

"You're kidding!" Freddie exclaimed. "He realized you're not Sam?"

"I thought babies were supposed to be stupid!" Gibby said.

"Babies are able to recognize their mothers scents," Melanie explained, softly rubbing Jason's back.

"You mean like a dog?" Gibby asked.

"It was worth a try," Freddie sighed, taking his son back from Melanie.

"I'm really sorry, Freddie, but I have to go," Melanie told him. "I've got to turn in a bunch of sketches to work tomorrow. I'm sure you'll be fine."

"I doubt it," Freddie said darkly.

"Can't you just call Sam and ask her to come home?" Gibby asked.

"I think I'd better," Freddie said, picking up his pearphone. "I don't think it's good for him to be crying this long. I know she wanted me to have the whole afternoon with Jason, but it's just not-"

He stopped talking and looked down at Jason. He had stopped crying, and was now simply staring up at his father.

"He stopped!" Freddie whispered excitedly. "He's not crying anymore!"

"Either that or we both finally lost our hearing," Gibby said.

"I don't believe this!" Freddie said, grinning. "I got my son to stop crying! He doesn't hate me!"

"Cool, let me try now," Gibby said. The second his arms touched Jason, though, the baby began to cry again.

"Shh, shh," Freddie said, bouncing Jason lightly in his arms, calming the infant down.

"I don't get it, babies usually love me!" Gibby frowned.

"Really?"

"Well, no," Gibby admitted.

...

Sam and Carly arrived back to the house at around seven.

"We're back!" Sam said, unlocking the front door and letting herself and Carly in.

"Hey, how was the spa?" Freddie asked, feeding Jason a bottle of formula in the kitchen.

"Awesome, I got to sleep the whole time," Sam said. "And hey, looks like someone's not crying anymore."

"Nope," Freddie said proudly. "Jason finally stopped crying for me!"

"He still cries for me," Gibby pointed out.

"Well I'd cry too if you were about to hold me," Sam shrugged.

"Hey!"

"It looks like Sam's little plan worked then," Carly said.

"Thank God, now Freddie won't have to wake me up during the night," Sam said.

"Yeah, I can take care of him all by myself," Freddie nodded.

"Aw, that's so sweet," Carly smiled.

"Does my face really look scary to babies?" Gibby asked.

"Absolutely," Sam nodded.

"Terrifying," Carly agreed.


	166. Chapter 166

"Jason, you got spit-up in my hair again," Sam sighed as she finished burping the baby. She looked down at her son, who was now happily looking up at her.

"You're lucky you're cute enough to get away with that," Sam smiled. She walked over to the bathroom. "Fredward, you have his bath ready yet?"

"Yup," Freddie said, testing the temperature of the water that filled the small plastic baby bath on the counter by sticking his elbow in it. "Just right...you want me to give him his bath or take out all those diapers?"

"You do the diapers," Sam said. "I've already got puke in my hair, I'm not about to be dealing with garbage too."

"Got it," Freddie smiled.

Sam washed the squirming infant (Jason wasn't a big fan of baths), and wrapped him up in a towel and carried him to the nursery, where Freddie was waiting by the changing table with a clean diaper and pair of tiny pajamas.

"Time for bed, little guy," Freddie yawned as he dressed his son. "What time is it, Sam?"

"Eight thirty," Sam answered, looking at her pearphone. "Want to call it a night too?"

"Definitely, seeing as we're going to be up again in two hours," Freddie nodded.

"You'll be up," Sam corrected. "It's your turn to start the night, remember?"

After they both kissed Jason goodnight and Freddie placed him in his crib, Sam and Freddie both dragged their feet to their bedroom.

"Man, and to think we used to make fun of Spencer and Ella for going to sleep so early," Sam yawned, pulling back the covers of the bed.

"I know," Freddie said, collapsing onto the bed. "I get it now."

"I can't wait until he starts sleeping through the nights," Sam said, turning off the lamp by her bedside. "It's only been a week, and I'm already completely exhausted."

"It'll get easier," Freddie assured her. He leaned over and gave her a quick kiss. "Night, baby."

"Night," Sam mumbled, burring her head in her pillow as Freddie wrapped his arms around her waist.

The couple was just beginning to drift off into sleep when Sam's phone suddenly went off.

"Come on!" Sam exclaimed, jolting up. She grabbed her phone from her bedside table.

"What?" she answered.

"Hey, is everything okay?" Carly asked on the other line.

"Carly, I was sleeping!"

"At eight thirty?"

"Yes, Carly, at eight thirty," Sam said, rolling her eyes. "I barely get any sleep now!"

"Oh, well, I was just calling to ask if you and Freddie were up for watching the complete eighth season of Hip-Hop with Hipsters that I just found at the mall," Carly said. "But if you're sleeping..."

"You know we'd love to," Sam said, struggling to keep her eyes open. "But it's just...we're both so tired."

"I know, you have a baby," Carly said. "It's just still so new...well, I guess I'll see if Joey wants to watch with me."

"Maybe we can watch it another time," Sam suggested. "You know, when I'm not about pass out?"

"Deal," Carly chuckled. "I'll see you later. Sorry for waking you up."

Sam looked over at Freddie, who had already fallen back asleep. She really did feel bad about not spending time with her best friend, but a girl really did need her sleep...

...

"I'm so glad you're coming back to work, Freddie," Carly said as Freddie made himself a cup of coffee while Sam, still wearing her pajamas, bounced Jason lightly in her arms.

Freddie had taken the week after Jason had been born off to help Sam, but now he was finally going back.

"I mean, I've been sitting by myself in the cafeteria everyday!" Carly continued. "I feel like that weird chick from high school. You know, the one who smelled like wet dog?"

"You sure you'll be okay with Jason all by yourself?" Freddie asked.

"Yes, Fredbag, we'll be fine," Sam yawned. "But if that Mike guy's still around, kick him for me. You know, for making you four hours late for your son's birth."

"I was there for his birth," Freddie pointed out. "I just wasn't there the whole time you were in labor. And are you ever going to let me forget that?"

"Nope," Sam said. "In fact, when Jason gets married, I think I'll work that into my toast."

"I'll call during lunch," Freddie told her, taking a gulp of his coffee. "You call me if there's any problems...Oh, and my mom might've mentioned that she'll be stopping by this morning. Okay, bye, baby. I love you!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Sam said, standing up. "Your mom's going to be here?"

"She wants to see Jason," Freddie said.

"She's seen him!" Sam exclaimed. "She came over like three times last week!"

"Come on, Sam, this is her first grandkid," Freddie said. "And you know how she loves fussing over people; besides, she's an old lady, what else does she have?"

"I thought you and his mom were getting along better now," Carly pointed out.

"Yeah, when I was pregnant with her future grandkid," Sam said. "Now that she's gotten what she wants, I'm back to the delinquent who took her Freddie away."

"She likes you Sam," Freddie said.

Sam rose an eyebrow.

"Okay, really deep down," Freddie sighed. "I mean, she wasn't that bad this past week."

"Because in case you haven't noticed, I've been leaving the room whenever she comes over," Sam snapped.

"You'll be fine," Freddie assured her. "Now, we have to get going."

"Yeah, lucky you," Sam mumbled. "I have to suffer through God knows how many hours of Marissa Benson..."

"Good luck," Carly smiled as her and Freddie headed out of the house.

"Look, Jason," Sam said once her and her son were alone. "I know you've just gotten over that thing of yours when you cry whenever someone other than me or your daddy holds you, but if you wanted to start crying when grandma Benson picks you up, I really wouldn't hold it against you."

Jason of course did not respond, but began to play with the collar of Sam's pajama shirt.

"Aw, you don't understand a word I'm saying to you, do you?" Sam chuckled. "Well hey, maybe grandma will forget to come over today, and then you and I can spend the whole day-"

Before she could even finish her sentence, though, Sam heard her front door open.

"Why did we give her a key?" Sam mumbled to herself as her mother-in-law rushed into the kitchen.

"There's my perfect little boy!" Marissa cooed, taking Jason from Sam's arms. "Are you excited to see grandma? Yes you are! Yes you are!" She turned to Sam. "Hello, Samantha."

"Hey, Marissa," Sam said, trying to keep her voice pleasant.

"Now, I've done some serious shopping over this weekend," Marissa said, still holding Jason in his arms. "Since I've been noticing some serious problems with some of your things around the house."

"Like what?" Sam demanded.

"Well, for starters, I've noticed Jason's diapers aren't approved by the Board of Baby Protection and Better Growth," Marissa said.

"That's a real thing?" Sam frowned.

"Of course it is! I've been sending the weekly emails, asking if I could join them, but for some reason they never reply back to me...But that's no matter, I've taken the liberty of picking up a pack of diapers that are made from completely organic materials and guarantee protection from rashes, dirt, ticks and various forms of fungi."

"What?" Sam exclaimed.

"Ideally, I would've picked up the same brand I used for Freddie," Marissa said, handing Jason back over to his mother so she could open up the large bag in her hand. "Those were excellent...but it seems they no longer make them, so these will have to do." She pulled out a pack of diapers and set them on the table.

"They're pink," Sam pointed out. "And they have pictures of hearts on them!"

"Well yes, it turns out they only make these diapers for girls right now," Marissa nodded. "But aren't they just darling?"

"I'm not putting my son in pink, organically made diapers," Sam said firmly.

"But then he might get tick bites all over his-"

"No, he won't," Sam said, cutting her off. "There's no ticks in the house!"

"Really?" Marissa said in a tone of obvious disbelief. "Tell me, do you still have that-that animal?"

"Max? Our _dog_?" Sam asked. "Yeah, he's still here. He's probably outside right now."

"Well that animal is covered in fleas and ticks and goodness only knows what else," Marissa said. "I still don't see why you haven't gotten rid it, seeing as there's now a child in the house, but-"

"Max is fine living here with Jason, Marissa," Sam said, rolling her eyes. "He doesn't jump up on the couch when we have Jason there, and he's great with kids! Spencer's kids love him!"

"Yes, well..." Marissa said, still pursing her lips. "Anyway...how are you handling Jason's feeding schedule? You should be giving him only breast milk."

"I do nurse him," Sam said. "The only time he drinks formula is when Freddie gets up to feed him in the middle of the night or when I'm not home."

"Which is why I bought you this," Marissa said, pulling out a odd looking device with a large suction cup at the end of it. "So Jason can have breast milk all the time."

"What is that?" Sam asked.

"It's my old breast pump, silly!" she said. "You just hook it up to your-"

"No, not happening," Sam said at once.

"But-"

"No!"

"Well," Marissa scoffed. "If you _insist _on being difficult...let's see what else I have here...here's some hypoallergenic baby sheets with some nice germ-resistant barriers sewn into them...a set of special bottles...some CD's of classical music to stimulate Jason's brainwaves-"

"Er, yeah, that stuff's all...great," Sam said. "Listen, since you're here, can you watch Jason for a minute while I run upstairs and change out of my pajamas?"

"Yes, of course," Marissa said as Sam placed Jason in her arms. "And by the way, Samantha, I think it's _wonderful _that you take all this time for yourself...rushing of to the spa last week, relying on your mother-in-law to watch your son while you..._gussy_ yourself up."

"Right," Sam nodded, choosing to let the comment slide. "Thanks."

She hurried upstairs, making a mental note to slip Marissa's house key out of her purse the first chance she got.


	167. Chapter 167

"Man, this thing is heavy!" Spencer grunted as him and Freddie lugged a large Christmas tree into the Benson's living room.

"Alright, let's put it down right here!" Freddie gasped.

"Wow, looks good," Sam commented walking into the living room holding a baby monitor.

"Yeah, it really does," Carly nodded, coming in behind Sam. "And it will look even better once it's all decorated."

"It's lucky that Socko's father-in-law could get us a bunch of these for free," Spencer said. "Because they cost a _ton!_ Who would pay over one hundred bucks for one of these?"

"Um, you," Carly smiled. "You've always boughten really big trees even before Socko started giving them to you for free. Well, except for the year that you made that magnetic tree and burned all the presents and caused Mitch the Christmas Angel to visit me and show me an alternate universe where you were normal and in love with Freddie's mom and-"

"For the millionth time, Carls, you dreamed that," Sam said.

"Yeah, there's no way I'd ever be in love with Freddie's mom," Spencer cringed. "No offense though, Freddie."

"No, I get it," Freddie said quickly.

"You know, this tree looks a lot better in your living room than it does in ours," Spencer commented. "It's so cramped, since I'm working on two pretty big sculptures, and there's still all of the kids' toys all over the place. So when you guys come over for Christmas, it might be a little tight."

"Hey," Freddie said thoughtfully, looking at Sam. "Why don't you guys just come over here for Christmas?"

"Yeah," Sam nodded. "It would mean me not having to change out of my pajamas so soon!"

"That would be so fun!" Carly agreed. "Would you mind, Spencer? I know you and Ella kind of like hosting these things."

"Are you kidding? Of course that's fine!" Spencer said. "I _told _Ella I could get you to agree to it with just a few subtle hints...we've been trying to get you guys to take the holidays from us for months. Don't get us wrong, we love having you all over, but I mean, this place is huge!"

"Well then it's all set," Freddie grinned.

"Are you still going to do Dina and Bryan's stockings at your place?" Carly asked. "Because it may be a little hard to explain why Santa suddenly switched the houses he delivers their toys to."

"Oh, that's true," Spencer frowned. "And I _won't _ruin Santa Clause for them like Aunt Claudia did for me!"

"Well to be fair, you _were_ seventeen," Carly reminded him.

"Why don't you guys just do the stockings at your place, and then everyone can come over here for the other gifts," Sam suggested.

"Yeah, that should work," Freddie said.

"Hmm, yeah, okay," Spencer nodded. "And for your information, I was not seventeen when Aunt Claudia ruined Christmas for me!"

"How old were you then?" Sam asked.

"Er, eighteen."

"So," Carly laughed, turning to Sam. "Are you guys going to make Jason up a stocking?"

"Yup," Sam said. "Even though he won't remember it. I've already got him a bunch of toys."

"Sam won't let me put in the thing I picked up for him," Freddie mumbled.

"Because it's stupid," Sam said, rolling her eyes. "It's this little conductors hat he bought from that model train store he's obsessed with."

"Well maybe it will help him realize his dream of becoming a conductor, Sam," Freddie pointed out.

"Dude, he's two weeks old! His life dreams right now involve sleeping, eating and pooping!"

"But it could help him subconsciously," Freddie said. "And twenty years from now, when he's the world's best train conductor, he'll think back to this moment and thank us for helping him reach his dream."

"You see what I have to deal with?" Sam moaned.

"Aw, I think Jason might look pretty cute it a little conductor's hat," Carly smiled.

"Thank you, Carly!" Freddie said.

"Carls, remember this when your Christmas present from me is...missing," Sam said darkly. Just then, a loud cry emitted from the baby monitor she was holding.

"He probably needs changing," Sam said. "I'll go get him."

"So," Spencer said, stepping back to get a better look at the tree. "When are we going to start decorating this bad boy?"

"Why don't we do it tomorrow?" Freddie suggested. "I still have to go up to the attic and get all the ornaments and stuff."

"Dealio!" Spencer said happily. "Hey, would it be okay if I drop Dina and Bryan off here first? I need to pick up Ella's Christmas present, and last time I tried taking those two to the jewelry store, Dina almost wound up swallowing a ring."

"Yeah, sure," Freddie nodded.

"Oh, you're getting Ella jewelry?" Carly grinned. "I wonder if that's what Joey's getting me! Hey, Freddie? Can you maybe talk to him and see if you can find out?"

"Oh come on, wouldn't you rather it be a surprise?" Freddie asked, not too keen on having another one on one session with Joey. Sure, he was fine hanging out with him in a group, but as he discovered earlier, the two simply did not have enough in common to carry out a normal conversation alone.

"Yeah, I guess," Carly sighed.

"Look Jason, it's your first Christmas tree," Sam said, coming down the steps with her son in her arms.

"Yeah, isn't it big?" Spencer said to the infant. "Oh! That reminds me! I brought you guys some lights for the tree! Why don't I go get them and put them-"

"No!" Carly, Sam and Freddie said at once.

"Aw, why not?" Spencer moaned.

"Let's just say, there's a reason why Ella always deals with the lights on your tree," Carly said.

"Yeah, we don't want our living room set on fire," Sam said.

"What?" Spencer exclaimed. "That's so-okay, you've got a point."

...

Sam and Freddie were peacefully sleeping in their bed, both completely exhausted from waking up just two hours ago. Just then, they heard a cry coming from their son's room down the hall.

"Freddie..." Sam moaned, her eyes still closed as she was jerked out of her slumber. "It's your turn."

"No it's not," Freddie mumbled sleepily. "I got up last time."

"Well then get up again," Sam said, burying her head into her pillow. "I'm tired."

"And what do you think I am?"

"Please baby?" Sam said. "I love you."

"Not gonna work, Sam," Freddie said. "Now go, he probably needs to be changed."

"You do it," Sam yawned, still trying to cling to sleep.

"And he needs to be nursed."

"You do it," Sam said again.

"Cute," Freddie muttered. "Very cute."

"Oh fine," Sam finally conceded, throwing back her warm covers. She slid on her slippers and dragged her feet into Jason's room.

"Shh, shh, okay baby," Sam yawned, picking up the infant. "Mama's here. You hungry?" She sat down in the rocking chair next to Jason's crib and began to nurse him. Once Jason had finished, she gently burped him.

"Come on, Jason, time to go to sleep now," Sam whispered, rubbing his back as he continued to fuss. "Mommy's tired."

She gently began to rock him in the chair, still rubbing his back.

"Shh, shh," Sam said softly. She felt her eyes begin to close, and soon, she fell asleep in the rocking chair, Jason still safe in her arms.

And that's exactly how Freddie found them the next morning.


	168. Chapter 168

"I forgot how much fun this was," Carly laughed as her and Sam sat in Sam's living room, equipped with many suction cup arrows and two bows.

"I know," Sam agreed, shooting an arrow at their target, a large picture of a foot they had taped to the T.V. screen. "So, Freddie tells me you were trying to get him to ask Joey what he's getting you for Christmas a few days ago."

"Yeah," Carly nodded. "I just really want to know what he has planned this year. I mean, this _is _our third Christmas together, after all."

"Well what did you get him?" Sam asked.

"It-It was sort of pricey," Carly said slowly. "I got him that new Goldex watch they've been advertising lately."

"Carly!" Sam exclaimed. "That thing costs like seven hundred bucks!"

"I know, I know," Carly nodded.

"Poor Joey," Sam said. "I mean, I'm sure he'll love it and everything, but imagine...having to compete with a Goldex. His gift had better be pretty darn good."

"Well, see, that's just it," Carly said, putting down her bow. "I-I think I know what he's getting me, and it _is _better than a Goldex."

"What could be better than one of those?" Sam asked. "Other than a brick of gold?"

"I-I think he's going to propose to me," Carly grinned. "What?" Sam said, smiling. "Are you sure?"

"Well, not positive, that's why I was trying to get Freddie to see what it was that he was buying me," Carly explained. "But, I mean, lately I've been trying to give him subtle hints that, you know, I'd like to get married to him someday. Its been three years, after all, what's the guy waiting for? But anyway, a couple of weeks ago, I made some little comment while I was looking through a bridal magazine that I had picked up from the grocery store that I couldn't wait to be wearing one of those dresses, and then a few days after Jason was born, I sort of said that I bet if we had a kid together, it would be just as cute as Jason. And then just last weekend I was telling Joey how cute it was how Freddie proposed to you on Christmas."

"Uh-huh, and what has Joey been saying when you've been doing this?" Sam asked.

"That's just it!" Carly squealed. "He gets quiet and he tries to change the subject. It's so obvious that he doesn't want to ruin the surprise, right?"

"Well, yeah, I guess," Sam nodded.

"Oh, I just can't wait!" Carly said. "Just think; we can soon both say that our husbands proposed to us on Christmas, in the middle of the snow...Well, I don't know if Joey plans on doing it inside or outside, but that part doesn't really matter. And of course you're going to be my maid of honor, Sam, and Melanie and Ella can be my bridesmaids. I can have Dina be my flower girl, and Bryan can be the ring bearer, since Jason couldn't walk, otherwise, I'd have them both do it. Oh, and my dad will give me away! He can be wearing his military uniform, and Freddie and Spencer can be the groomsmen!"

"Geez, Carls, let the man propose first, before you start planing your whole wedding," Sam chuckled, getting up to check on Jason in his playpen next to the couch.

"I can't help it, I'm so excited!" Carly exclaimed. "I mean, sure, I would've _liked _the proposal to be a surprise. You were totally shocked when Freddie asked you, right?"

"Yeah," Sam smiled.

"But still, I bet it's going to be a great feeling, getting to say yes when he gets down on one knee and holds out the ring," Carly sighed longingly. "And then I can finally be a bride!"

...

"So Carly really thinks Joey's going to propose to her?" Freddie asked as Sam popped a plate of microwavable bacon into the microwave.

"Isn't that what I just said, Freddibean?"

"I was just confirming," Freddie said, shifting Jason in his arm slightly as he fixed himself a sandwich with one hand. "She's going to be one of those psycho brides, isn't she?"

"Um, duh," Sam nodded.

"Well, at least she'll be happy," Freddie said, sitting down at the table, taking a bite of his sandwich. "I wonder how Joey's going to do it."

"Is it really that hard to do?" Sam asked, sitting down next to her husband and popping a piece of bacon into her mouth.

"Shoosh yeah it is," Freddie nodded. "It's probably one of the hardest things in the world to do!"

"Please," Sam said, rolling her eyes, taking Jason from Freddie so she could feed him.

"I'm serious," Freddie nodded. "You girls have no idea how nerve wracking the whole process is. First you have to find the ring, which takes forever, plus you want to make sure it fits, so you have to find a way to inconspicuously measure the girls finger."

"You didn't measure my finger, did you?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, I did," Freddie grinned. "You remember about a month before I proposed to you, we were laying on my couch and I said that I wanted to try that cat's cradle string trick?"

"Vaguely," Sam nodded.

"Well while we were doing that, I took another tiny piece of string and when I was helping you do the trick around your hands, I measured your ring finger with the string."

"For real?" Sam laughed.

"Yup," Freddie said proudly. "And you had no idea."

"Well, okay, big deal, you have to find a ring," Sam shrugged. "That's not so hard."

"Oh, that's the easiest part," Freddie told her. "Next you have to figure out how you're going to actually ask the question. Do you want to do it in private or in public? Do you want to let other people in on the plan, or do everything by yourself? You wind up changing your mind about five times."

"How many times did you change your mind?" Sam asked. "Before you finally decided to do it on Christmas?"

"Seven times," Freddie admitted. "At one point, about three weeks before I actually did it, I was so ready to do it after we went to see that monster truck expo. I had the ring in my pocket and everything."

"So why didn't you do it then?" Sam questioned.

"Well, right when I was about to start my whole speech about how I loved you, and I wanted to spend my whole life with you, and get down on one knee, there was that huge fight in the seats in front of us, and it kind of killed the mood."

"Just a little bit, I guess," Sam grinned. "So...alright, I guess maybe figuring out the right way to ask the question isn't exactly easy. But come on, once you finally decide, you're done! All you do is ask!"

"And that," Freddie said. "Is the hardest part. Do you have any idea what sort of thoughts are swimming through a guy's brain right before he gets down on one knee? He's worrying about whether it's too soon, if the girl's really in love with him, if she's going to say yes, of if she's going to say no and and humiliate him. It's intense! I mean, all girls have to do is say yes or no, meanwhile us guys are trying not to throw up from the nerves while we wait for the answer."

"Wow," Sam said. "You were really worried I'd say no?"

"Kind of," he admitted. "I mean, I know you had told me you loved me, and I knew you did, but still...I kept sort of thinking back to when we were younger, and we would always say we hated each other, and I started thinking, what am I doing? This is Sam Puckett! Of course she's going to say no!"

Sam laughed softly. "Back in the days when I'd give you a wedgie for no reason."

"You gave me a wedgie last week," Freddie reminded her. "But at least you _did _say you loved me after that one, instead of I hate you."

"Man," Sam smiled. "Look at us. About six or seven years ago, we couldn't be in the same room with each other for more than five minutes without trying to murder each other..."

"And now," Freddie finished for her. "Here we are..." he looked down at his son in Sam's arms.

"You know," he said after a moment. "After you said yes the night I proposed to you, you made it all worth it. The stress, the nerves, the planning...everything. But still, you've got to admit now, it's not easy for a guy to get that proposal ready."

"I guess not," Sam mumbled.

"I mean," Freddie continued. "It's just one of the many difficult things guys have to deal with that girls will never understand."

"Okay, now you've lost it," Sam said, shaking her head. "Might I remind you that _after_ the guy proposes, and the couple gets married, the guy goes, and gets his wife pregnant, and then make her go through twenty-three hours of very painful labor, four of which he missed, and-"

"Alright, alright, I got it," Freddie said quickly. "I was stupid for saying that."

"Yes, you were," Sam nodded. "Very stupid."

...

**AN-Well...I don't know if everyone's heard the news...It sort of broke my heart. I'm sure many of you know, judging my twitter, but for those of you who don't...**

**Today they finally released information about Jennette McCurdy's new show. Instead of being a completely new character, she's going to continue playing Sam Puckett. The show is also going to star Ariana Grande (Cat from Victorious), and she will be playing Cat there too. The show's going to be about how those two girls start a baby sitting business and they'll be dealing with a bunch of wacky kids. **

**Now when I first read this, I was so excited. I was so happy they finally told us what Jennette's show was going to be about and that it was also going to star Arianna Grande PLUS Noah Munk, who would obviously be playing Gibby. But then, as the information sunk in, I realized that Sam was going to be doing all of this without Freddie, meaning that Freddie had probably gone off to some far away college...**

**I don't know exactly what this means, but I've been on twitter a lot, reading what everyone thinks, and, unfortunately, everyone seems to think that this means Dan is confirming that Seddie will not happen at the end of iCarly, if this new show of his is going to be focusing on just Sam. **

**For me, the only thing that has been comforting me about iCarly ending in November was the fact that Sam and Freddie were BOUND to get together in the finale! But now, seeing as this last iCarly really isn't the finally for Sam, just Freddie and Carly, that fact's looking a bit hazy now...**

**BUT...I refuse to give up hope, and I think that the rest of the seddie shippers should continue holding on until the end as well! I mean, you never know. I know many people are now beginning to speculate that when iCarly ends, it will be the three of them going off on their separate ways with no pairing or it will wind up being a Creddie ending (again, hold on to hope, Seddie shippers!), but Dan's famous for throwing us surprises. I mean, there's always the possibility that Sam and Freddie DO wind up together, and decided that since Freddie's going off to college far away and Sam's apparently going to be starting a baby sitting business to do a long distance relationship or something. Nathan Kress seems to be very friendly with Dan, so maybe Dan can get Nathan to guest star as Freddie and appear once in a while on the show. **

**Still, even with all of this, I'm very happy that Jennette McCurdy will be getting her own show, but I'm going to hold onto Seddie until the end! Tell me what you think**


	169. Chapter 169

"Hey, Sam?" Ella called, letting herself into the house.

"Yeah?" Sam answered from the living room. She was trying to soothe a crying Jason in her arms.

"Aw, what's wrong with him?" Ella asked her cousin.

"He had just fallen asleep when this car on the street backfired, and it must've scared him," Sam explained. "Stupid car. He's been fussy all day and I had _just _got him down...I swear, if I hadn't promised Freddie I wouldn't intentionally start fights with the neighbors anymore, I'd go out there and shove whoever's car that was head down the engine!"

"Oh, well, I'm going to visit Uncle Carmine in prison today," Ella told her. "You want me to tell him to send some guys out here and slash the tires on the car or something?"

"Nah, last time I asked him to do that, he wound up with six extra months on his sentence," Sam sighed.

"Oh, yeah," Ella nodded. "Anyway, I just stopped by here to ask if I could hide some Christmas presents I want to stuff in Dina and Bryan's stockings over here. Dina's been searching through all of my own hiding spots lately."

"Sure, go ahead," Sam told her, gently bouncing Jason in her arms.

"Thanks," Ella said, walking over to the small closet near the living room and stuffing a bag of toys in it. "Hey, where's Freddie anyway?"

"He went grocery shopping," Sam yawned. "Ha! Yes! I think he finally went back to sleep!"

"Well, I'll let you have some peace then," Ella said. "You want me to take some of those pictures of Jason on the coffee table to show Uncle Carmine?"

"Yeah, thanks," Sam nodded, walking towards the stairs. "I've been meaning to go down there and show them to him myself, but you know..."

"Hey, I understand, kid," Ella laughed. "I'll see you around."

Sam placed Jason in his crib. She grabbed a baby monitor and stuck it in her back pocket as she headed back downstairs.

"Alright," Sam said to herself, checking her clock on her pearphone. "Freddie probably won't be back for another hour, which means mama gets sixty whole minutes of Sam time!"

She threw herself on the sofa and shut her eyes, savoring the relaxing feeling that was beginning to feel so foreign to her nowadays.

Sam fell asleep at once, but no more than ten minutes had passed when she heard her front door slam open, waking her with a start.

"Freddie!" she moaned, rubbing her eyes. "You woke me up, you jerk! I hope you know this means you're taking Jason's first feeding toni- Carly?"

Sam sat up at the sight of her best friend walking into the room instead of her husband. Her face was tearstained and more tears were falling down her face. "Carly, what's wrong?" Sam asked, concerned.

"J-Joey!" Carly sobbed, falling down on the sofa next to Sam. "He-He just-he just broke-broke up with me!"

"What?" Sam frowned. "When?"

"Like ten minutes ago!" Carly cried.

"I-um, calm-calm down," Sam said, unsure of how to deal with this uncomfortable situation. "You wanna tell me what happened?"

"We were at the coffee place by the mall," Carly sniffed, taking the tissue Sam handed her from the coffee table. "And, well, we were talking, and then this other couple sat down at the table next to us, and the girl was wearing this amazing engagement ring, and I said to Joey, 'Wow, doesn't her ring look great? It must be so nice to wear everyday'. And-And then Joey got this weird look on his face and he said that we needed to talk."

"Oh," Sam nodded.

"At first I thought he was going to do it!" Carly said, blowing her nose loudly. "You know, propose. But-But then he got all serious, and you know what he said?"

"What?"

"He said lately, he got the feeling that I wanted our relationship to move faster than he wanted!" Carly exclaimed. "He said that he knew from how I'd been acting the last few weeks that I must really want to get married, but that he just wasn't ready! Can you believe that?"

"That's-" Sam started, but Carly interrupted her.

"Well after he said that, I asked him when he thought he _would _be ready for marriage," Carly continued. "Because I thought maybe he'd say a couple more months, or even a year! But nooooo. Instead, he says he may _never_ be ready. He said that he didn't know if he _ever_ wanted to settle down in the married life. Said he didn't want to be, and I quote, 'tied down'."

"Ouch," Sam cringed.

"_And_," Carly went on. "After that he said he wasn't 'comfortable' staying with me, knowing that I wanted something that he didn't, so he said that we should 'see other people'! I mean, obviously after he said all that stuff about marriage, I knew we were going to have to end it, but _I _didn't even get to be the one who ended it! He had to take _that_ away from me too!"

"What a scummy loser," Sam said loyally. "He didn't deserve to marry someone like you anyway, Carly."

"You have to say that, you're my best friend," Carly moaned, more tears falling from her eyes. "I can't believe I thought he was going to propose to me! How stupid was I?"

"You weren't stupid," Sam told her. "You were together for three years! Why wouldn't you expect to marry him some day? Hey, you know what might make you feel better? Ella's on her way over to visit our Uncle Carmine. I can call her and tell her to ask him to send a few of his friends that got out to beat Joey up! He might wind up getting a few extra months tacked onto his sentence, but he really liked you that one time he met you; I'm sure he wouldn't mind!"

"No," Carly sighed. "I don't want you to have him get hurt."

"Why not? He hurt you?" Sam pointed out.

"I know," Carly nodded. "But...well, how seriously would they be hurting him?"

"He can make sure they don't break any bones or bruise any vital organs," Sam said quickly.

"I-I'll think about it," Carly said. "But right now, I think I'd rather just cry my eyes out. I mean, I _loved _Joey. I really _did _want to marry him. I-where are you going?"

"To get junk food," Sam told her. "Isn't this one of those girl sessions where we get to stuff our faces with sugar?"

"Sam, we're not in high school anymore," Carly pointed out. "I think we're more mature than that."

"Okay, but we have double chocolate chip ice cream..."

"Bring two spoons. And a bottle of strawberry sauce."

"There you go," Sam grinned, grabbing the items from the kitchen.

"I can't believe we're really over," Carly said, taking a large spoonful of ice cream. "He was the longest boyfriend I ever had!"

"Well, honestly Carly, you were way too hot for him," Sam said. "We never wanted to say anything while you two were together, but the attractiveness ratio was way off. He's like a four, and you're _at least _an eight, on a bad day."

"He did have weird ears," Carly agreed. "And he didn't even have a real job! He was the assistant manager of some discount kitchen appliance store!"

"Now we're getting somewhere," Sam smiled. "Keep bashing him."

"And he was a total slimebag!" Carly continued. "I mean, if he didn't want to get married, why'd he stay with me for so long? Just to shoot me down like this?"

"Complete scuzball," Sam agreed.

"Yeah," Carly said softly. "But he was also really sweet sometimes."

"Oh no," Sam sighed.

"Like for my birthday this year," Carly began. "He-He took me star gazing on this tiny little boat he rented...and he bought me a dozen of roses, and said he'd love me until the last one died, and it was really sweet and cheesy because he had stuck a fake rose in there, you know, like they do in the movies?"

"Carly, don't do this," Sam begged.

"And on our anniversary," Carly continued, ignoring Sam. "He took me ice skating and he held my hand the whole time, and-and after, he bought us hot chocolate and he we just sat there and cuddled for hours...I'm never going to find anyone like that again!"

"Sure you are, Carls!" Sam said. "Do you know how many guys would love to date you? I'm telling you, the second you change your Splashface status back to single, you'll have a line of guys lined up in front of your door."

"No I won't!" Carly sobbed, taking another large scoop of ice cream. "I'm going to be single the rest of my life!"

"Carly, that's rid-" Sam started, but she was cut off by a cry coming from the baby monitor in her back pocket. "I've got to go check on him," Sam told her best friend. "But I'll be right back and then we can work on bashing Joey properly."

"And I'll never have kids now!" Carly continued to cry. "I'll die alone in a cold room with only my fourteen cats! And they'll probably end up eating my body!"

Sam shook her head as she hurried upstairs.

"Hey, Sam, guess what?" Freddie said happily, walking into his house with an armload of groceries. "They had a sale on those mini corn dogs I love so much _and _they had the fat free ones, so I can just eat a ton of them and still-Oh, hey Carls."

"What's wrong with me, Freddie?" Carly exclaimed.

"Er, what?" Freddie frowned, noticing Carly's tearstained face. "Um, are you okay-?"

"You're a guy, tell me why you people clearly don't want to be with me!" Carly said.

"I well, you-um-" Freddie stammered. "I-I don't think I'm really...why don't I just go put these groceries away and-"

"What's so repulsive about me that after three years I can't even convince a guy to spend his life with me?" Carly sobbed.

"You're not-" Freddie began.

"It's my hair, isn't it?"

"Um, no?"

"It is, isn't it?" Carly sobbed. "I try so hard to keep it nice and soft; I use special conditioner and everything, but maybe Joey thought that was too high maintenance. But if I don't condition it, it gets all dry and brittle!"

"Well, um, that's-that's quite a predicament," Freddie said. "Hey, do-do you happen to know where Sam is? She might be better for you to-"

"See! You don't even want to be around me, and you're my friend!" Carly cried.

"No!" Freddie said quickly. "It's just-"

"Relax, I'm here," Sam said, coming back downstairs with Jason. She handed him to Freddie. "Here, try to get him to go back to sleep."

"Yeah, okay," Freddie nodded. "Er, what's wrong with-?"

"Joey dumped her," Sam whispered.

"Oh...got it."

"Alright, Carly," Sam said, taking her seat next to her sobbing friend. She picked up her laptop. "You and I are going to spend the next five hours going through all your pictures of Joey on Splashface and Photo Chopping them so they look like mutants. Just ignore these first few I have of Freddie that I turned into a zombie..."

"Hey, why did you-?" Freddie started, but Sam hushed him.

"I guess that could be fun," Carly nodded. "Wow, this program looks really good; Freddie's looks disgusting in that picture."

"It's amazing what we can do with technology, Carls," Sam said happily as Carly began clicking away as Freddie, rolling his eyes, left the room as quickly as he could.

**...**

**AN-Sorry to all you guys who liked Joey (even though I never really gave him too many talking parts). But don't worry. I love Carly; I wouldn't make her wind up alone for the rest of her life! Oh, and I know this is sort of late but...HOLY CHIZ! Over 900 reviews? You guys are the greatest!**


	170. Chapter 170

"Well, it's official," Carly said moodily, stomping into Sam and Freddie's kitchen. "There are no cute single guys left in Seattle."

"Wait, you're already looking for a new boyfriend?" Freddie frowned. "Its only been a month since Joey dum-I mean, broke up with you. Aren't you supposed to wait awhile before you start dating someone new?"

"Technically, yes," Carly nodded. "But it's the holidays, Freddie! I can't be single and lonely! So I figured I find a hot guy and just kind of stay with him until New Years and then start looking for someone serious again."

"Where'd you look?" Sam asked, playing with Jason at the table.

"Well I went to the Groovy Smoothie and asked T-Bo if that cute cashier was still there," Carly said. "You know, the one who we would always stare at last year?"

"What?" Freddie said, looking at Sam.

"Oh calm down, we were just looking," Sam said. "So was he there?"

"No!" Carly exclaimed. "T-Bo said he let him go after he caught him eating fruit on the job! Stupid T-Bo..."

"Well, Christmas isn't for another week," Freddie pointed out. "I'm sure you'll find someone."

"I doubt it," Carly mumbled. "I've spent the whole morning going to all the places where I used to see hot boys but couldn't flirt with them because I was with Joey! It's like the universe has had it out for me this past week!"

"Carly, I told you, you're hot, you'll get a guy soon," Sam said. "Hey, you know what will make you feel better? Come play with Jason. Look, every time you show him this stuffed cow, he makes this cute little face. Watch."

She picked up Jason's stuffed cow and put it in front of his face. At once the baby's face lit up.

"Aw, that is cute," Carly smiled, picking up Jason and the toy. "Come here Jason. You want to play with Aunt Carly?"

"Oh, Freddie, my mom called today and said she can't come over for Christmas," Sam said, getting up taking a can of dog food from the fridge. "Her and Lewbert are going to some weird couple's cruise." She gave a shudder as she poured the dog food into Max's bowl. "So she said she's going to stop by tomorrow and drop off presents, so can you wrap that perfume I picked up at mall tonight?"

"You got your mom perfume for Christmas?" Freddie asked. "Wow, that's a pretty...normal gift to give Pam Puckett."

"Yeah, well, I swear, I can smell Lewbert's wart cream on her every time I see her," Sam said. "The gift's more for me than it is for her. Max! Here, Max!"

The dog came running into kitchen, obviously smelling the food in his dish.

"You get to give him his medicine this time, Fredbag," Sam said, petting the dog as he began eating his food.

"Aw man, why me?" Freddie moaned.

"Because I did it last time," Sam said.

"No you didn't!"

"Fine, I just don't want to do it," Sam shrugged.

"Why's Max need medicine?" Carly asked.

"He has an ear infection," Freddie said, getting a small bottle from the cabinet by the sink. "So we have to put these drops in his ear until it heals. I think we're almost out of the stuff, Sam."

"No worries, Andy's supposed to deliver more today," she told him.

"You guys get your pet medicine delivered?" Carly asked.

"Yeah, the vet we go to has this service where you can do that instead of having a prescription filled," Sam replied. "It's way cheaper, and, let's face it, I'm not about to wait in some long line at the pharmacy."

Freddie bent down and poured a few of the drops in Max's ear, causing the dark to bark loudly. "Hey, be careful with him!" Sam said to her husband.

"I am!" Freddie snapped. "Gross, I have ear goop all over me now..."

The doorbell suddenly rang, causing Max to bark again.

"That's probably Andy now," Freddie said, washing his hands. "Can you get it, Sam?"

"Yeah," she nodded.

"Since when have you guys had a doorbell?" Carly frowned.

"Pretty much the whole time we've had the house, Carls," Freddie chuckled, taking a sip of the hot chocolate he had made the three of them earlier. "Oh, hey, Andy."

Sam walked back into the kitchen with a tall, well-built man.

"Hey, Freddie," Andy grinned.

"Baby, do you have any cash on you?" Sam asked.

"Um, yeah, how much is it, same as usual?" Freddie asked, pulling out his wallet.

"Yup," Andy nodded.

"Cool, here," Freddie handed him a twenty dollar bill. "Keep the change."

"Thanks, man," Andy said. "So where's Jason? I love that little guy."

"He's right here," Carly said, quickly standing up with the baby. "Hi, I'm Carly." She held out a hand for him to shake.

"Andy," Andy smiled, shaking her hand. "So are you like the babysitter?"

"Nah, she's my best friend," Sam said, taking her son from Carly. "She works at the T.V. studio with me and Freddie."

"Yeah, I write the scripts with Sam," Carly said.

"Wow, cool stuff," Andy nodded. "Well, anyway, I'll see you guys next week. I have a bunch of other deliveries to make."

"Thanks," Freddie said. "You want some hot chocolate for the road? I know it's like twenty degrees out there."

"You're the best," Andy said gratefully, taking the cup from Freddie. "I'll bring back the mug next week."

"Bye, Andy," Sam said as the delivery man headed out of the kitchen and out the front door.

"Oh my God!" Carly said the second she heard the front door closed. "Why didn't you tell me that guy was so perfect looking?"

"What?" Sam laughed.

"Do you think I made a good impression on him?" Carly asked. "I mean, I know he thought I was the baby sitter at first, but he seemed to be really impressed when he found out I work at the studio..."

"Wait, you like this guy?" Sam frowned.

"Um, he's beautiful, Sam," Carly said, rolling her eyes. "Of course I like him! Okay, when's he coming back? I need to make sure I'm here again if I'm going to woo him into being my new boyfriend!"

"He's coming again on Christmas Eve," Freddie told her, amused. "What happened to just finding a random dude to couple up with until New Years?"

"That was before I knew Mr. Perfect was going to strut into your house!" Carly said.

"Mr. Perfect?" Sam repeated. "Carly, you've only known the guy five minutes!"

"But I totally felt a connection," Carly said. "Okay, I need you to tell me everything about this guy. What are his likes and dislikes? What's his sign? What are his favorite date spots?"

"How are we supposed to know those things?" Sam asked. "We didn't interview this guy!"

"Ugh, fine, I'll find all that stuff out next week when I see him," Carly said, grabbing her jacket and keys.

"Where are you going?" Freddie asked.

"To go get my eyebrows done," she replied. "I need them to be perfect for when I see Andy again!"

"Well," Freddie sighed as Carly hurried out of the house. "We're probably going to get a new delivery guy, aren't we?"

"Probably," Sam nodded.


	171. Chapter 171

"No!"

"Oh come on, why not?" T-Bo asked.

"Because," Freddie said firmly. "I don't want you using my son as a taste tester for your new apple juice smoothie!"

"But little kids love apple juice!" T-Bo pointed out.

"He's not even a month old yet!" Freddie said, picking his son up from his stroller in the Groovy Smoothie. "He can't drink a smoothie!"

"Hey, if you want a taste tester, I can do it," Gibby volunteered.

"No way, your taste buds are all wonky," T-Bo said.

"Wow," Gibby said as T-Bo walked back to the counter. "That really hurt."

"Eh, just forget about it," Freddie said, grabbing a bottle of formula from Jason's diaper bag. "So, you coming to mine and Sam's place for Christmas Friday?"

"Can't," Gibby replied. "My mom got us tickets to go to a live taping of _Celebrities Underwater_ that day."

"Whoa, that's pretty cool," Freddie grinned. "Be sure to get some autographs for me."

"Yeah, okay," Gibby nodded. "So are we going to go to the arcade after this? This punk keeps trying to take my high score of of _Dance Mania Jamz_. I gotta go defend my title!"

"Okay, first of all, that 'punk' is a ten-year old girl," Freddie said. "And I don't think that the arcade is really the best place to bring Jason. It's too loud and crazy."

"What?" Gibby exclaimed. "But I've been looking forward to this all week! I even wore my special dance pants!"

"I'm sorry, Gib," Freddie said.

"I thought just the two of us were supposed to hang out today," Gibby mumbled, crossing his arms. "Why couldn't Sam have Jason stay at home with her?"

"Because Sam's not at home, she went with Ella to help her grandmother find a lawyer."

"Why? What did her grandmother do?" Gibby asked.

"Look, you really don't want to know," Freddie said. "It will change the way you look at peanut butter forever...But hey, we can still hang out! We'll do the arcade some other time."

"Fine," Gibby said. "What about a movie?"

"You can't bring a baby into a movie theatre! He'll cry and everyone will hate us!"

"You're killing me here, Benson," Gibby said.

"Oh! I know something we can do at the community center!" Freddie said. "Spencer told me about it, and we were planning on going, but then he got banned from there again..."

"What is it?" Gibby asked.

"Well a bunch of super fans of _Galaxy Wars _are going to be there all day reenacting some of the scenes from the movie," Freddie said. "It's supposed to be awesome! You up for that?"

"Shoosh yeah I am!" Gibby nodded eagerly. "But if an arcade was going to be too loud for a baby, won't a community center filled with sci-fi freaks be just as bad?"

"Well, yeah, I guess," Freddie nodded. "But it will be loud with _culture_. Jason will get to have this once-in-a-lifetime experience at such a critical age! This could lead to him becoming the movie's number one fan later on! You know how proud that would make me? And you, you Gibby, will get to say you were part of the moment that led to it."

"Well the what are we waiting for?" Gibby asked. "Let's go!"

"Alright," Freddie said, putting Jason back in his stroller. "But you have to swear to make sure that Sam never finds out about this. She _will _kill both of us if she knows we took her son to one of these things."

"Got it," Gibby nodded.

...

"Shoot, I was hoping we'd beat Sam home," Freddie frowned as he pulled into his driveway later that evening, spotting his wife's car in the driveway. "Okay, Gibby, remember; we took Jason on a nice long walk in the park for the whole day, got it?"

"Yup," Gibby said. "But don't you think you should change Jason out of that onsie first?"

Freddie turned to look at his sleeping son in the back seat in his car seat, wearing a light blue onsie with a picture of Lou Groundrunner on it. He had boughten it for him after the infant spit up all over his old clothes.

"I will," Gibby said. "So when we get in, you distract Sam and I'll run Jason upstairs and change him out of it. Now come on."

The two men stepped out of the car and after Freddie took Jason from the back seat, they entered the house.

"Hey, baby," Freddie said quickly, spotting his wife in the living room, holding Jason so that she couldn't see his attire. "Er, what exactly are you doing."

"Well I got bored," Sam said. "So I was watching the food channel, and this chick was making a gingerbread house and I thought, hey...ham house!" She smiled proudly down at the large pile of ham she had been working with at the coffee table.

"It doesn't look like a house," Gibby pointed out.

"Well you don't look like a man, but you don't see me insulting you," Sam snapped.

"You _just _insulted me!"

"Anyway," Sam said, turning back to Freddie. "What did you guys do all day?"

"We-We took Jason to the park," Freddie said. "Walked with him with his stroller."

"Really? The whole day?" Sam frowned.

"Yup," Freddie nodded. "Poor little guy, I think he got tired out. I'll just go put him upstairs."

"I'll do it," Sam said, holding out her arms to take Jason. "I haven't seen him all day."

"No!" Freddie said quickly. "I mean, you rest, Sam. You deserve a nice break. Gibby, why don't you give Sam a foot rub?"

"Yeah! I love rubbing people's feet!" Gibby said.

"Dude, just give him to me," Sam said, ignoring Gibby and making to take Jason out of her husband's hands.

"Sam, okay, just listen-" Freddie said Sam took Jason out of his arms. "

"Hi Jason," Sam cooed, smiling at her son. "Did you miss mommy-Freddie! What is he wearing?"

"Um, it's just something I picked up," Freddie said. "When we were out, Jason spit up and I didn't have any clean clothes for him in the diaper bag, and there was a store right next to the park and I thought that looked pretty cute."

"Then why does it say _My First Galaxy Wars Convention _on it?" Sam asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Um, I-" Freddie stuttered.

"You took him to a _Galaxy Wars _convention?" Sam hissed, and Freddie was suddenly very grateful that she was holding Jason. He knew she would't yell loudly at him or hit him so long as their son was in her arms. But after she put him down...that would be another story.

"Gibby made me!" Freddie defended. "He said he wanted to do something fun!"

Sam turned to Gibby, who took one look at her expression before running out of the house.

"Freddie, I swear-" Sam started.

"Sam, I'm sorry," Freddie said. "But-But is it really that big a deal? I mean, I was with Jason the whole time, I didn't take him to any of the areas that were too crazy, and me and Gibby even skipped riding the simulated Proton Cruiser!"

"You're _trying _to nubbify our son, aren't you?" Sam frowned.

"Look, he probably won't even remember it," Freddie said. "So no harm, right?"

Sam looked thoughtful for a minute. "Yeah," she finally said. "I guess you're right."

"I-I am?" Freddie said, surprised. "Really?"

"Yeah," Sam nodded. "So tomorrow why doesn't Jason spend the whole day with me watching me hit mannequins with my butter sock?"

"What? Sam, that's crazy!"

"But he won't remember it, I thought," Sam said simply.

"Fine, I get your point, I nubified our son," Freddie said, rolling his eyes. "You happy?"

"Well I'm going to have to work extra hard to undo it the next few years," Sam said. "But I guess I can live."

She turned to head upstairs. "Oh," she said, looking over her shoulder at Freddie. "Just so you know, you get to wake up with Jason the whole night."

"Yeah," Freddie sighed. "I figured."


	172. Chapter 172

"Hey, Carly," Ella told her sister-in-law as she sat in Sam's living room, wrapping some presents. "If you're still looking for a guy to spend the holidays with, I can set you up with this guy I met down at the car place today. He's not exactly boyfriend material, but he'd be fun to have around for a few weeks."

"She's off that kick," Sam told her, hanging up more ornaments on her tree. "She's trying to woo in the guy who delivers Max's ear medicine."

"A pet medicine delivery guy?" Ella frowned.

"He's beautiful," Carly said, fixing her mascara, looking intently at her reflection in her tiny compact mirror. "What time's he supposed to be here again, Sam?"

"I dunno, soon, I think," Sam shrugged, sitting down on the couch, picking up the plate of Christmas cookies.

"Soon?" Carly repeated frantically. "But I'm still so unprepared! How's my hair? Is it fluffy enough?"

"Wow, I forgot how crazy she gets when she's in flirt mode," Ella muttered to Sam.

"Well, she's got three years of pent-up flirt in her," Sam shrugged.

"Alright, according to Andy's Splashface page I found," Carly said, pulling the page up on her pearphone. "He's a big fan of movies with surprise twists at the end, bubble gum ice cream and anything to do football. So when he comes over, all I have to do is make him think I like all those things too!"

"Um, you do realize he's only here to drop off some ear drops," Sam said. "How do you plan on talking to him long enough to slip all that in."

"I have a plan," Carly said. "Anyway, I also found out from Splashface that he's twenty five, the youngest of three children and speaks fluent German. Oh my God, he's perfect!"

"If you say so," Ella chuckled.

Just then the doorbell rang and Carly jumped. "Oh man, this it! This is it!"

"Calm down, you're making me nauseous," Sam cringed as she got up to get the door.

"Hey, Andy," she greeted the deliveryman, letting him in.

"Hey, I've got Max's ear drops," Andy said brightly. "That'll be ten bucks."

"Oh, I'll get it!" Carly said, hurrying over to Andy. "Hi! We met last week."

"Oh right, Carla, right?" Andy nodded.

"Um, actually, it's Carly," Carly said. "But Carla's close enough! Anyway, let me just get my purse..."

She picked up her purse from the couch and dumped the contents onto the coffee table.

"I hope you don't mind, but all I have is change," Carly said, beginning to count out several nickels and dimes.

"Er, I guess that's fine," Andy shrugged.

"Oh, look what I just found!" Carly said, holding up a movie ticket stub that had mysteriously made its way into her bag. "This must be from that great movie I saw last week. Man, what a surprise twist _that _was at the end, I never saw that coming. But, hey, I love those types of movies!"

"Yeah, those are the best kind," Andy agreed.

Ella and Sam exchanged looks behind his back.

"Wow, what a coincidence, we both like the same types of movies!" Carly grinned, still counting out change. "The only thing that would've made that movie better was if I was watching it while I ate a big cone of bubble gum ice cream."

"You like bubble gum ice cream?" Andy asked.

"Um, try _love_," Carly said.

"No way, so do I!" Andy said.

"Another coincidence!" Carly said. "I'm a compete addict for that ice cream. In fact, I ate a whole carton of it while I was watching my DVD of _The Greatest Football Players of All Time _the other night for like the millionth time."

"I have that DVD too!" Andy said. "I always rewind the part where they compare the statistics of the Manning brothers!"

"Oh, yeah, that's my favorite part too," Carly said. "Well, here you go. Ten dollars, plus a little something extra for your troubles."

She dumped a large pile of coins into Andy's hand.

"Thanks," he smiled. "Anyway, looks like this is the last time I'll be seeing you guys for awhile."

"Wait, what?" Carly frowned. "Why?"

"Well, Max's ear's almost healed now, isn't it?" Andy said.

"Yeah, the vet said he could stop taking the ear drops after this week," San nodded.

"So-So you won't be delivering medicine here anymore?" Carly asked.

"Not unless Max gets sick again and needs more," Andy shrugged. "Well, it was nice seeing you, Carly. See you next time at the vet if I'm around, Sam."

"I-I don't believe it," Carly stammered as Andy let himself out. "The most amazing guy ever walks into my life, I build a connection with him, and then he leaves me! Why didn't you tell me this was the last week he was coming, here Sam?"

"I forgot," Sam said.

"Well, um, how often does Max get sick?" Carly asked desperately. "A lot?"

"Not really," Sam frowned.

"Can't you just call your vet and say he's sick so Andy will come back and deliver more medicine for him?" Carly pleaded.

"You need a prescription, don't you?" Ella pointed out.

"Ugh! Then what am I going to do?" Carly moaned.

"Chill out?" Sam suggested.

"Sam! This is serious!" Carly exclaimed. "Wait! I know what you can do! You can get Freddie hack into the vet office's computer and rearrange Andy's delivery schedule so he winds up back here! He'll think it was just an accident, but then I can talk to him some more and maybe I can somewhere!"

"And this is where I leave," Ella said, grabbing her jacket.


	173. Chapter 173

"Freddie!"

"Huh? What?" Freddie sputtered, jerking his head up off of his pillow. "Sam?"

"Baby, come on, wake up! It's Christmas!" Sam said excitedly, shaking his arm.

"Yeah, it's also six thirty in the morning," Freddie yawned. "Why are you up? I don't hear Jason crying."

"I know, but it's Christmas! Jason't first Christmas!" Sam said. "Come on, I want to go down so he can see what's in his socking!"

"Sam, he doesn't even know what's going on," Freddie pointed out, his head falling back down on his pillow.

"So?" Sam said. "We know what's going on! Come on, please? I can't wait any longer!"

"You're not going to let me sleep until I agree, are you?" Freddie asked.

"Nope."

"Alright, alright, I'm up," Freddie yawned, sitting up.

"Good," Sam said happily leaning over to give him a quick kiss. "And hey, this is a chance for you to make another one of your lame home movies with your video camera."

"Yeah, it is!" Freddie said, perking up. "Okay, you go bring Jason downstairs, and I'll go get the camera!"

Sam hurried into her son's room, where he was laying in his crib.

"Jason! Hey, guess what day it is?" Sam smiled, picking him up.

The infant stared blankly up at her.

"It's Christmas!" Sam said. "And you know what that means?"

Again, the infant continued to stare up at her.

"Santa Clause came!" Sam chuckled. "And he left a whole bunch of stuff! You wanna go downstairs and see it?"

Jason made a soft cooing noise.

"I'll take that as a yes," Sam said. She headed downstairs where Freddie was already waiting for them with his video camera by the tree.

"Merry first Christmas, Jason," Freddie said, pointing the video camera at Sam and the infant as Sam sat down with Jason by his stocking. "You ready to see all of your toys? I mean," he turned the camera to capture the _very _large stocking by the tree. "There's got to be a ton of them in there. Wow, Sam, think you went a little overboard?"

"No, I do not," Sam said, reaching for Jason's stocking so she could begin to pull out presents.

"You're gonna be one of _those _moms, aren't you?" Freddie chuckled.

"One of what moms?" Sam asked, pulling out a stuffed shark. "Look, Jason! A shark! They swim around and eat stuff and scare people!"

"You're gonna spoil him, aren't you?" Freddie grinned, still pointing his video camera at Jason. "You remember like three years ago, when you told me that _I'd _be the one to spoil our daughter if we ever had one? Well, looks like _somebody's _pretty excited to be spoiling her son, now isn't she?"

"Please, you picked out half these things," Sam said, pulling out a plastic frying pan that had plastic bacon strips with smiley faces on them. "I mean," she added quickly, looking down at Jason. "_Santa _did. Mommy and daddy had nothing to do with this, Jason." She looked up at her husband. "Good job, Frednerd, you almost ruined Christmas for him!"

"Sorry, I'll keep my mouth shut," Freddie laughed. "Oh, look, Jason! _Santa _gave you a cool train teething ring for when you get a little older!"

"Thank God Santa got you two," Sam said, pulling out another teething ring. "See this one has trucks on it. _Much _cooler."

"No way, trains totally trump trucks," Freddie said.

"Trucks trump trains!" Sam said, sticking her tongue out at him.

"In what universe?" Freddie asked.

"Every!"

"Sam, trains have been around _far_ longer than trucks have," Freddie explained. "They've served way more purposes than trucks ever have. They're a huge part of this nation's history and-"

"Yeah, I'll skip the history lesson, if you don't mind," Sam cut him off. "Okay, Jason, you ready to finish going through your presents?"

She looked down at Jason only to discover him fast asleep in her arms.

"And you bored him to sleep," Sam said to Freddie. "Nice."

"You want to finish going through the rest of the presents in an hour or so when he wakes up?" Freddie asked.

"Yeah, I'll go put him in the playpen," Sam nodded, getting up.

"Well, everybody else probably won't be getting here for another few hours," Freddie said as Sam set the infant down in his playpen. "Want to go back to sleep?"

"Nah, for the first time in I don't know how long, I'm actually not tired," Sam said, flopping down onto the couch. "I think it's because it's Christmas."

"You're like a little kid, you know that?" Freddie laughed, sitting down next to his wife, pulling her into a hug, kissing her temple.

"Yeah, and just think," Sam smiled. "In a few years, Jason will be the one waking _us _up on Christmas morning."

"That'll be fun," Freddie nodded. "Hey, what do you want to do until he wakes up?"

"It's Christmas, baby," Sam said, grabbing the remote. "You know how many T.V. specials are going to be on? There's supposed to be a werewolf one on!"

"A werewolf Christmas special?" Freddie frowned.

"Yeah, _Howling with Elves_!"

"Of course," Freddie smiled. "Of course."

...

"5000 pieces? Can this day _get _any better?" Spencer asked excitedly as he dumped the pieces of the model Death Comet from _Galaxy Wars _he had gotten for Christmas.

"Once you build it, I should bring out my mini model Proton Cruiser and we can do battle!" Freddie said, helping Spencer sift through the pieces.

"Yeah, and _I'm _the little kid," Sam said rolling her eyes.

"Seriously," Ella nodded. "How did either of you get married?"

"Hey, Sam? Do you need any help cooking dinner?" Melanie asked, sitting on the sofa next to Cody.

"Sure, go wild," Sam shrugged, picking up the new numchucks her and Cody had boughten her. "Man, these things actually might be able to do more damage than the butter sock!"

"No, no, you're not supposed to _use _them!" Melanie said. "See, they're signed by that fighter you like! You're just supposed to display them and _not _hurt anybody with them."

"We'll see," Sam said.

"I don't think those are appropriate to have around a child, Samantha," Marissa said, pursing her lips. "Now, if you'd just let me go through the house and-"

"No!"

"Hey, Mel, I'll help you in the kitchen," Carly said, hopping up.

"Daddy," Dina said, walking over to her father with the new board game she had just opened. "Play with me."

"Not now, sweetie, daddy's very, very busy," Spencer said, beginning to construct the model out of the tiny pieces.

"Here, _I'll _be the good parent and play with you," Ella said to her daughter. "Sam, you can play too. And you too, Cody. You're not doing anything."

"Um, okay, sure," Cody nodded.

"Yeah, hold on," Sam said, shifting Jason, who was laying in her arms. "Freddie, come get Jason and put him in-"

"Shh! Building!" Freddie hissed.

"Fine," Sam said, getting up. "I'll go put him down. Oh no, oops." She purposely stepped on the tiny section he had begun constructing. "Sorry, babe."

"Sam! You broke it!" Freddie exclaimed. "Now I've got to start the control panel all over again..."

"That'll teach you to ignore mama," Sam smiled, satisfied as she headed towards the playpen to place Jason in it.

"Oh no! Sam!" Carly called from the kitchen.

"What?" Sam asked, hurrying in after she put Jason down.

"I was just reaching for a glass and Max's whole bottle of ear drops just fell down the drain!" Carly said. "They're all gone! Oh, I guess that means you'll have to go and call Andy and have him deliver more."

"You do realize that the glasses are in that cabinet over there," Sam said, raising an eyebrow. "You know, the one all the way across from the sink."

"I-well, excuse me for not knowing the entire layout of your kitchen!" Carly said.

"You just wanted another excuse to see Andy again," Sam said, rolling her eyes.

"That is not true," Carly said.

"Fine, then you won't mind if we ask for a different delivery man," Sam shrugged.

Carly gasped. "You wouldn't!"


	174. Chapter 174

"So," Sam said, laying down next to Freddie on their bed after she had just finished putting Jason to sleep Christmas evening. "You liked that fencing gear I got you?"

"Yeah," Freddie nodded, who had been absentmindedly playing with the sword his wife had given him for Christmas earlier. "You know, I don't think I've gotten a chance to go fencing in over a year. I can't wait to get back into it. What about you? You like your present?"

Sam smiled. "You got me a DVD cookbook of pork recipes, baby. I _love _it. In fact, I'm thinking tomorrow I make that deep-fried ham."

"Sure, we don't need unclogged arteries," Freddie chuckled. "But you know...that wasn't my whole present."

"You got me something else?" Sam asked.

"Yup," he said, opening up the drawer of his bedside table. He pulled out a small box. "I know I get you a lot of jewelry, and you're not exactly the biggest fan of jewelry-"

"I like the stuff you buy me, though," Sam grinned, pointing to the golden necklace with a small ham on it that Freddie had boughten her for their first Christmas as a couple five years ago that she had yet to take off since she had opened it.

"-And it still looks good on you," Freddie smiled. "But I saw this at the mall a couple weeks ago, and I thought it'd be nice."

Sam opened up the box to reveal a small locket.

"Open it," Freddie told her. Sam picked up the locket and opened it up. On one side was a picture of her and Freddie, wrapped around each other, and on the other side, there was a picture of Jason.

"Whoa...this is..." Sam breathed.

"So you like it?" Freddie asked.

Sam answered him by pressing her lips to his.

"You're unbelievable, Benson, you know that?" Sam said when they pulled apart.

"And why's that?" Freddie asked.

"Because you keep one-upping me with your presents!" Sam said, playfully hitting his shoulder. "I mean, you go and do this, and you proposed to me a couple Christmases ago...you plan this, don't you?"

"Yes, Sam," Freddie said, rolling his eyes. "When I set out to buy you a Christmas present, I think, hey, how can I sabotage Sam this year?"

"I knew it," Sam chuckled as Freddie put his arm around her and pulled her closer. "So, when are you gonna go down to fencing place again?"

"Hmm, maybe tomorrow, if you don't mind," he said. "I wonder if that Toader guy is still there..."

"Nah, I think your mom scared him so much that he moved out of Seattle years ago," Sam said. "Hey, are you ever going to teach Jason how to fence when he gets older?"

"Yeah...maybe," Freddie said thoughtfully. "You think he'd want me to?"

"I don't know," Sam shrugged. "He _does _have 'Fencin' Benson' blood in him."

"That's true!" Freddie said excitedly. "Maybe him and I can start another father-son fencing group, just like my grandpa did! And we can tour the country and be the Fencin' Bensons: The New Generation!"

"Yeah...let's not get carried away there," Sam frowned. "Don't make me regret bringing the whole thing up."

...

"Alright, I called the vet," Sam said, hanging up her pearphone, sitting on the kitchen counter. "And Andy's going to make another delivery this afternoon. You know, since Carly dumped Max's medicine down the sink."

"I told you, it was an accident," Carly said innocently, flipping through her magazine.

"But aren't we supposed to go to my mom's for her famous after-Christmas yam-and-tofu casserole this afternoon?" Freddie called from the living room where he was changing Jason.

"Oh, darn," Sam said, taking a sip of peppy cola, smiling. "Looks like I'll have to stay back. Someone's got to be here to get the medicine."

"That's okay, I'll stay here, you both can go," Carly said, looking up from her magazine.

"Carly, don't-" Sam hissed.

"Thanks, Carls!" Freddie called back. "We owe you one!"

"Yeah, thanks Carly," Sam snapped. "Now I have to go eat that disgusting casserole and listen to Freddie's mom try and get me to go to some mother-in-law/daughter-in-law retreat in Wyoming."

"Oh, sorry," Carly said. "But...I was just hoping to sort of be alone when Andy came today."

"So you're kicking me out of my own house?" Sam frowned.

"But it's for true love!" Carly said. "And-And I'll make it up to you! How about tonight I order everything and anything you want from that fried chicken restaurant you like so much?"

"Uncle Clucky's?"

"Sure," Carly nodded.

"You _do _know that will be pretty expensive, if I'm ordering whatever I want," Sam told her. "Especially if I'm going to starve at Freddie's mom's place during lunch."

"That's fine," Carly said quickly. "Er, it _will _be under a hundred bucks, right?"

"Oh, Carly," Sam chuckled, pulling up Uncle Clucky's menu on her phone to begin perusing her dinner order. "Carly, Carly, Carly."


	175. Chapter 175

"She's crazy, absolutely insane," Sam said as she picked Jason up out of his carseat as Freddie got out of the driver's seat of the car.

"Oh come on," Freddie said, smiling, looking at a pamphlet. "You and my mom could go on nature hikes, learn to make organic body lotions...oh, and they'll even give you both massages together!"

"That's right, laugh it up," Sam snapped. "When your mom sees those emails for the big annual mother-son Clarity Finding Convention in Yakima, we'll see if you think it's so funny."

Freddie stopped laughing at once.

"Smart boy," Sam said. "Hey, Carly's car's not here anymore. I guess she went home."

"Andy must've delivered the medicine already then," Freddie said, unlocking the front door of the house.

"Yeah, well, she owes me a mountain of fried chicken platters from Uncle Clucky's," Sam said. She picked up the small bottle of ear drops that was sitting on the coffee table in the living room that Carly must've left.

"Fredpus, give Max his medicine," Sam said, tossing the bottle to her husband.

"You haven't done it once, Sam," Freddie grumbled.

"I have to nurse Jason," Sam smiled, satisfied. "I'm being a responsible mother."

"But I'm a responsible father," Freddie pointed out. "So I don't see why I always get stuck with the disgusting job of giving Max his ear drops."

"Hmm, okay," Sam shrugged. "Do _you _want to nurse him?"

'I-that's a cheap shot, Sam!" Freddie snapped as he headed into the kitchen, leaving Sam chuckling in her victory.

"Where _is _Carly" Sam asked a few minutes later when she was done feeding Jason. "It's ten minutes past my dinner time!"

"I'm sure Carly will buy you chicken tomorrow," Freddie said, rolling his eyes. "Why don't we just eat some of that leftover roast beef from Christmas dinner last night?"

"But I had my order all ready!" Sam said said. "See, I typed it on my pearphone!"

"Baby, um, I know Carly makes a pretty decent living, but I'm pretty sure if she orders you all of this, she'll have to sell her apartment and move in with us," Freddie frowned, looking at his wife's order. "Maybe you want to cut some stuff out?"

"Fine," Sam sighed. "I guess I can get by with only five orders of chicken fries..."

"Good call," Freddie chuckled.

...

"Well, well, well," Sam said the next morning as Carly walked into the Benson's house. "_Someone_ forgot that she owed _someone_ a lovely fried chicken dinner, didn't she?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Carly said. "I'll get it for you tonight."

"Good," Sam said happily. "So...?"

"So...what?" Carly asked innocently, sitting down on the couch next to Sam.

"How did things go with Andy?" Sam asked, grinning.

"Oh my, God, Sam!" Carly exclaimed, clearly unable to hold back anymore. "It went _perfectly_!"

"Yeah? So kicking me out of my house worked?" Sam laughed.

"Yup," Carly nodded. "When he came over, I invited him in, told him that you and Freddie had some big family thing, and that's why you guys weren't here. And well, I had already made some coffee for him, so I asked if we wanted to stay for a little bit and drink it with me and he said sure, he could use a break. And,we sort of talked and it turns out we have a lot in common!"

"Yeah, he already knows you're a huge fan of surprise endings, bubble gum ice cream and football from the other day, remember?" Sam said, rolling her eyes.

"No, _real_ stuff," Carly said. "He hates being closed in small spaces, _I _hate being closed in small spaces. He likes the Vintage channel, I like the channel. I love to shop, he, well, he's _been _to a mall."

"So you guys just talked then?" Sam asked.

"Yeah," Carly said. "And well, when he finished his coffee, he said that he thought I seemed like a lot of fun to be around, and I said that we should hang out sometime, and he said, how about right now? So I went with him to finish up his deliveries and then we went to this sushi place! It was so amazing, Sam! And then he drove me back here, you know, so I could get my car, and then he followed me back to my place and he walked me up to my apartment and he gave me his number and said that we should do it again sometime!"

"Wow, look at you, Carls," Sam smiled. "Back in the dating game."

"Well, I wouldn't say Andy and I are officially dating," Carly admitted. "I mean, I don't want to jump into things and scare him off, like I did with Joey. _But, _hopefully, if things keep going the way they did yesterday, I'll be able to change my relationship status on Splashface. It looks so sad saying single."

"So did you call him to try and go out again?" Sam asked.

"Better," Carly grinned. "_He _called _me. _Before I came over here! He wanted to know if I wanted to go to the Cobras game with him tonight!"

"You hate football, though, Carls," Sam pointed out.

"Who cares?" Carly shrugged. "Oh, speaking of which, that's the reason I came over. You remember how I told Andy I was a huge fan of it? So I was thinking that you could sort of brief me on the rules and positions and stuff."

"I thought you said the date was tonight," Sam frowned.

"Yeah, it is," Carly nodded.

"Dude, you expect me to teach you about football in less than one day?" Sam laughed.

"Oh come on, it won't be that hard," Carly assured her. "Okay, I watched a few clips of past games online this morning, and I have a few questions. First, what are those big funny shaped yellow poles at the end of the field for?"


	176. Chapter 176

"So see, we just take this DVD," Sam said, opening up one of Freddie's DVD cases and sliding the disc out. "And put it in this case..." she placed the disc in a new case. "And put it back on the shelf. It drives daddy crazy."

She smiled at the infant, looking at her through the bars on his playpen.

"But remember, Jason," Sam said. "You can't ever tell daddy about this. It will be our little secret. And when you're older, you can help mommy annoy daddy! Won't that be fun?"

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Unsure of who would be visiting her at home that would actually bother to use the doorbell, Sam unlocked the front door and opened it up.

"Hello, neighbor!" Jill exclaimed, wrapping her arms around Sam before Sam could even react. "Long time no see!"

"Next time we go to visit my brother in New York, you and Freddie will just have to come with us!" Jack said brightly as Sam and Freddie's overly-friendly neighbors let themselves in. "We had to endure a whole month of Benson-less fun!"

"Oh, Jack!" Jill squealed, spotting Jason. "Look! That must be the new Baby Benson! Oh, how darling! A baby in our lives!"

"Yeah, he's not really in _your _lives-" Sam started as Jack and Jill ran over to the playpen.

"Well isn't he just precious?" Jack cooed. "Hi, buddy! We're your Uncle Jack and Aunt Jill!"

"Um, no, you're _just _Jack and Jill," Sam said firmly.

"Oh, so silly!" Jill laughed. She bent down to pick Jason up. "Now what's this little guy's name?"

"Jason," Sam said. She gently took her son out of Jill's arms. "And he _really _doesn't like being around strangers."

"But we're not strangers," Jack scoffed. "We're practically family!"

"Yeah...not really," Sam said.

"I'm telling you, Jack, I've missed that sense of humor!" Jill laughed.

"Okay, how about you move this freak show back to your house?" Sam said, rolling her eyes. "Like, now?"

"She kills me!" Jack howled.

Just then, Jason began crying.

"Oh dear, it seems like something must've upset him!" Jill said.

"Some_one_," Sam mumbled, softly trying to soothe her son. "Shh, Jason, it's okay."

"You know," Jack said. "I _did _take a few courses on child development in college. I think I know how to handle this. Don't panic, Sam!"

"I'm not," Sam frowned. "Obviously, you two are freaking the poor kid out, so why don't you-"

"-What usually works for un-agreeable children," Jack continued. "Can be a wide variety of techniques. A comforting toy, a soothing car ride, a nice lullaby-"

"Oh, Jack!" Jill squealed. "We can run home and bring our accordions over and play for him!"

"What a brilliant idea!" Jack nodded eagerly.

"Um...okay," Sam nodded. "And in the meantime, I'll try the car ride thing."

"Good thinking, Sam," Jill said. "Drive a few times around the block and then we'll meet back here for a sing-a-long. Oh, I can hardly wait! Let's go, Jack!"

Sam watched the couple had left the house. The second they did, Jason stopped crying.

"Sorry about that, Jason," Sam said, grabbing her bag. "But now it looks like we're gonna have to go hide out at Aunt Carly's for awhile."

...

"A sing-a-long?" Carly frowned. "With accordions? Please tell me you're kidding."

"I wish I could, kid," Sam sighed, watching Jason sleep in his carrier in Carly's apartment. "I called Freddie and told him I was over here. Is it okay if he hangs out with us for awhile after he finishes fixing Spencer's hard drive?"

"Sure, it will be just like the old times, you two crashing at my place," Carly laughed. "So, are you and Freddie still having everyone over for New Years Eve?"

"Yeah," Sam nodded. "But just a fair warning, I may not make it until midnight this year. I usually pass out around ten."

"You're such a mom now," Carly grinned. "Pretty soon you'll be wearing those mom jeans and driving a car pool."

"Ugh, please," Sam cringed. "Besides, legally, the court says I can't drive a car pool. After that whole incident with the jelly fish transports a few years ago..."

"Right, I've been trying to block that out, thanks," Carly shuddered. "Anyway, would it be cool if I invite Andy to your place for New Years Eve then? We really kicked it off at that football game. He didn't even care that I accidentally cheered for the other team!"

"Go ahead," Sam said.

"Thanks," Carly said. "So it's just going to be you and Freddie, Ella and Spencer, Cody and Melanie, me and Andy and Gibby and Tasha?"

"Yup," Sam nodded. "Speaking of Tasha, I still can't believe she's managed to stick it out with Gibby for so long."

"I know," Carly agreed. "They've been dating since high school! It's really cute...in its own sick and disturbed way, but hey, whatever floats their boat."

"I still say she had to have been dropped on her head as a baby," Sam said. "There's no other explanation for why her judgement's so screwed up."

"Maybe because she loves him?" Carly suggested, smiling.

"No," Sam said. "That can't be it."

"Well, there's been weirder couples," Carly pointed out. "I mean, there's you and Freddie, who spent a good portion of your lives vowing to make the other completely miserable."

"Oh...dang it, you have a point!" Sam moaned.

"Thank you," Carly said happily. "Oh, and by the way, I have a new lemonade recipe I can try out on New Years, isn't that great?"

"Um, yeah, sure," Sam nodded. "Great."

...

"And then Gibby helped the orphan to his feet and gave him the rest of his hot chocolate," Tasha said, sitting on Sam and Freddie's couch on New Years Eve.

"Hey, I live to help the helpless," Gibby said.

"And what exactly was an orphan doing at the movie theatre?" Spencer frowned.

"How should I know?" Gibby shrugged.

"Oh, look, only ten minutes until midnight left!" Melanie said, looking at the T.V. where the New Years Eve special was playing.

"And Sam and Freddie are fast asleep," Ella grinned, looking at the couple, who was passed out. "Hang on, I'll wake them up."

She shook their shoulders, startling them both awake.

"What? What's happening?" Freddie yawned.

"It's almost midnight," Andy told them.

"Good, I can sleep then," Sam said, rubbing her eyes.

"Okay everyone, I have my special lemonade," Carly said, bringing out a tray of glasses from the kitchen.

"Well this looks wonderful," Spencer said, taking a glass. "But I sort of hungry. Can you go grab some chips for me while you're up."

"Fine," Carly sighed. "I'll be right back." She retreated back into the kitchen.

Everyone quickly dumped their glasses of lemonade into the potted plant near the coffee table.

"You don't have to actually drink that stuff, Andy," Sam said. "Just dump it quickly before she gets back."

"Dump it? Are you kidding me?" Andy frowned, taking a long swig from his glass. "This stuff is delicious!"

Freddie frowned. "You mean you _like _it?"

"You're tastebuds _aren't _crying out in pain right now?" Spencer asked.

"Um, no," Andy said. "This stuff is delicious."

"Wow," Sam said mumbled to Freddie. "I guess those two really _are _good for each other..."

"Here you go," Carly said, tossing Spencer his bag of chips. "Wow, is everyone already done with their lemonade?"

"Yup," Ella said quickly. "It was really delicious," Melanie smiled.

"Hey, Carly, is there any more left?" Andy asked, finishing his glass. "This stuff is really good."

"You like it?" Carly grinned.

"It's better than anything I've tasted," he replied.

"Oh," Carly blushed, looking very flattered. "I'll got get you another glass then."

"Wait, here comes the countdown!" Sam said, looking at the T.V. screen.

"Ten!" Everyone said eagerly. "Nine! Eight! Seven! Six! Five! Four! Three! Two! One!"

They all cheered. Freddie pulled Sam into a deep kiss as the other couples did the same thing.

"Happy New Years," Freddie said when they pulled apart. "Our first as parents."

"Happy New Years, baby," Sam smiled. She turned back to everyone else. Carly had just pulled away from Andy and was now grinning happily at Sam. "Okay, guys, out. Mama needs her sleep."

...

**AN- Can I just say I feel incredibly powerful making it New Years in August? Also, I heard that Victorious is not going to be renewed for another season. I love that show, and while I'm not as big a fan of it as I am of iCarly, I am very upset that it's ending after only a few years. *Sigh* iCary's ending, Victorious is ending...my childhood really is ending, isn't it**


	177. Chapter 177

"How," Sam yawned, sitting up on her bed as she slammed the off button of the alarm clock next to the bed that had just gone off. "Am I supposed to function at work today when I'm running on only, like, four hours of sleep?"

"Coffee?" Freddie suggested, slowly sliding out of bed. "That's what I do."

"Yeah, but I can only have a little caffeine, according to the doctor, since I'm nursing Jason," Sam pointed out. "Oh, right," Freddie said, giving Sam a quick kiss. "Well you know what? I'm sure once you get to the office, you'll wake right up."

"I doubt it," Sam mumbled.

"Go take your shower first, baby," Freddie told her. "I'll go get Jason up and changed."

"Thanks," Sam yawned again.

By the time Sam was dressed and showered, Freddie had already gotten Jason ready and had finished making Sam toast and bacon.

"I can't believe I have to be up this early," Sam said, taking a bite of a piece of bacon. "This is earlier than we had to wake up for work before!"

"We didn't have Jason to get ready before," Freddie pointed out. "Plus, we still have to drive him over to Spencer's. I'm just gonna run up and take a quick shower and then we can head out."

As Freddie retreated upstairs, Sam picked up her son from his carrier.

"Well, Jason," Sam said as she began to feed him. "Guess this is our first day apart, huh?"

Sam frowned as the truth of the matter really began to sink in. She was going back to work, and she was going to have to leave Jason behind. Of course, in the little over a month it had been since Jason was born, she had left him for a few hours with Freddie while she went out to get smoothies with Carly or run and pick things up from the store, but she'd never left him for nearly a whole day.

"But...it will be fine," Sam said slowly, more to herself than Jason. "Yeah, you can spend the whole day with Uncle Spencer and Bryan. And Dina will be there once she gets back from nursery school, and you know how she loves to play with you. And then me and daddy will be back before you know it."

After Freddie had gotten showered, the couple loaded Jason up into Freddie's car and and began the drive over to Bushwell Plaza.

"So," Freddie said as he drove. "You nervous about leaving Jason for the first time?"

"No," Sam said quickly.

"Sam..." he said knowingly, glancing over at his wife. "It's okay if you are. I am. I mean, don't get me wrong, I know Spencer will do a great job taking care of him, but it's a little weird leaving him with someone other than you for such a long time."

Sam didn't say anything.

"You know," Freddie continued. "My mom was a wreck when she had to leave me for the first time when she went back to work. According to my Aunt Suzzy, she was an hour late to work because she refused to let go of me.

"Are you comparing me to your mother?" Sam frowned.

"Well I'm just-"

"Yeah, do that again, and you can stay home with Jason for the next few months while you recover from your injuries," Sam said.

Freddie rolled his eyes. "A bit defensive there, aren't we?"

"Just drive, Fredbag," Sam snapped.

Freddie chuckled. "Whatever you say."

Freddie pulled into the apartment building's parking lot, and Sam and Freddie took the elevator up the eighth floor with Jason.

"Oh, hello, you two," Marissa said, coming out of her own apartment just as they were about to enter Spencer's. "And how's my sweet little grandson doing?"

"He's fine, mom," Freddie said. "We were just getting ready to drop him off at Spencer's, since Sam's going back to work."

"What?" Marissa exclaimed. "You're leaving him with _that _buffoon? What about me? I'm the grandmother!"

"But you have to work," Sam said quickly. "We didn't want to have you rearrange your whole schedule."

"Yeah, Spencer works right out of his apartment," Freddie nodded. "So it's a lot more convenient. And besides, he's not a buffoon. He _is _a father, remember?"

"But-But he's so-" Marissa sputtered. "And he's-"

"Alright, well, I think you need to get going," Freddie said, glancing over at Sam. "Or you'll be late. Bye mom!"

"But-" Marissa started, but Sam quickly pulled open the Shay's door and the couple quickly hurried inside, slamming the door shut quickly.

"Jason!" Dina exclaimed, jumping up from the couch where she had been sitting and running over to look at the infant in his carrier. "Hi! Guess what? I go to school!"

"Yeah, and if we don't get going, we'll be late, and I'll get another lecture from your teacher," Ella said. She turned to Sam. "First day back, huh? You nervous about leaving Jason?"

"No! Why does everyone keep saying that?" Sam said.

Ella shook her head. "Alright, if you say so...I'll see you two around. Spencer's just getting Bryan up."

"I'm here, I'm here," Spencer said, coming downstairs with the toddler in his hands. "Hey, Jason! You're gonna have fun here today! Or, as much fun as anyone who just lays around and eats and poops can have, anyway."

"Here's all his stuff," Freddie said, setting Jason's diaper bag on the couch. "Bottles, diapers, toys, extra-clothes."

"Got it," Spencer said, setting Bryan in his high chair and pouring a small amount of dry cereal on the tray for him.

"Alright, we'll call and check up on him during our lunch break," Freddie said. "Thanks again, Spence. I'll see you after work, Jason." He gave his son a kiss on the top of his small head. "Come on, Sam, we need to get going."

"We have four bottles in there for him," Sam said, ignoring Freddie, still holding onto Jason in her arms. "He usually drinks one every two hours during the day."

"Every two hours, yup," Spencer nodded. "Don't worry about-"

"And he really likes to sleep with this blanket here," Sam said, pulling out a small blue blanket from the diaper bag.

"Okay, I-" Spencer said.

"And if he starts crying," Sam continued. "He likes it when you bounce him in your arms, but not too fast, or he spits up."

"Um, Sam, we've sort of got to-" Freddie started.

"And when you're changing him," Sam said. "Make sure you put the diaper on right. And-"

"Sam, seriously, we need to get going," Freddie said.

"But-But-" Sam said, looking down at the tiny helpless infant in her arms.

"Relax, I'll take good care of him," Spencer assured her.

"Okay," Sam sighed. She gave Jason a kiss. "Bye, Jason. Try not to miss me too much, okay?"

Somewhat reluctantly, she handed her son over to Spencer.

"So," Freddie said smugly as they left the apartment. "What was that you were saying about you not being nervous to leave him?"

"Oh shut up," Sam snapped, punching him in the shoulder.

...

"Hey," Freddie said brightly as Sam and Carly headed over to their usual table in the studio cafeteria later that day. "How's your first day back been, Sam?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, it's been great," Sam said, pulling out her pearphone.

"Yeah, even though she keeps calling Spencer to check on Jason every twenty minutes," Carly smiled, rolling her eyes.

"Sam, really?" Freddie laughed, rolling his eyes.

"I want to make sure he's okay!" Sam defended. "Don't you?"

"Yes, I do, but baby, you're being a bit-"

"What?" Sam frowned. "A bit what?"

"Um...I don't think I want to finish that sentence," Freddie said.

"Smart," Sam said.

"Relax, I was talking to Ella a few days ago, and she said all moms act crazy for the first few times they have to leave their kids to go back to work," Carly said. "I'm sure Sam will get used to it in a few weeks."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Freddie nodded.

The rest of the day seemed to drag on for Sam. Even though she continued to check up on Jason throughout the day, she still couldn't wait to finally pick her son up.

"I think I'm going to go to the mall really quick before I go home," Carly said as the trio headed out to the parking lot after work. "There's supposed to be a huge sale on eyeshadow at My Makeup Magic. You want to come, Sam?"

"Pfft, no," Sam scoffed. "Freddie, hurry it up! I want to get back to Spencer's place today, you know!"

"Oh, right," Carly chuckled. "Well, I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"Bye, Carls," Freddie said, unlocking his car.

"Step on it, Freddicini," Sam said, hopping into the car.

"There's this crazy thing called a speed limit that I have to abide by, Sam," Freddie said, amused.

"Ugh, I knew I should've driven," Sam moaned.

When the couple pulled back into Bushwell Plaza at last, Sam didn't even wait for Freddie to turn off the engine before running into the building and taking the stairs all the way up to the eighth floor.

"Hey, Jason!" Sam said, letting herself right into the apartment and heading over to her son laying in the playpen. "Did you miss me?"

"Well you called like forty times, so I don't see how he could," Spencer pointed out.

"Where's Freddie?" Ella asked, sliding a plate of spaghetti tacos in front of Dina in the kitchen.

"I dunno, being slow," Sam shrugged.

"I helped daddy feed Jason!" Dina said proudly, taking a bite of her dinner. "I got to hold the bottle in Jason's mouth!"

"Nice work, kid," Sam grinned. "Oh, look who's finally here, Jason."

"Well I didn't sprint up here like someone did," Freddie said as he walked into the apartment. "Hey, Jason, you have fun with Uncle Spencer?"

"Yeah, he got to watch me work on my zebra sculpture for that chiropractor," Spencer said.

"Why does a chiropractor want a zebra sculpture?" Sam asked.

"I dunno, because he likes their backs?" Spencer shrugged.

"Yeah, I'm sure that's the reason," Freddie said. "Well, we should probably get Jason home."

"Oh, right," Sam nodded. "Thanks for watching him, Spencer!"

"No problem, I love hanging out with that little guy," Spencer said. "See you tomorrow."

"So," Freddie said as him and Sam closed the apartment door behind them as they headed towards the elevator. "It was harder leaving him than you thought, huh?"

"Maybe a little harder," Sam mumbled. "I can't believe I have to do it again tomorrow. And the next day! You remember how Carly said a lot of moms end up quitting their jobs after they have their kids? I get it now."

"You'll be fine, it's like Carly told you at lunch, you just have to get used to it," Freddie said. "You remember how when I went back to work a week after Jason was born and I called you like, five times a day? But eventually, I got better and I only called you during lunch."

"That's true," Sam nodded.

"You'll see, it'll get easier," Freddie told her, putting his arm around her.

"It better," Sam said.


	178. Chapter 178

"These things don't even bounce!" Gibby frowned, holding up a tiny glass marble and examining it.

"They're not supposed to!" Freddie said, grabbing the marble from his friend. "You put all the marbles in a circle and you use this big one and try and hit them out of it."

"Well that sounds stupid," Gibby huffed.

"It's a fun game!" Freddie defended.

"What are you stubrags doing?" Sam asked, walking into the living room, laying Jason in his playpen.

"Trying to play a game of marbles," Freddie said. "Gibby! Get the shooter out of your mouth!"

"Why are you guys playing with marbles?" Sam asked. "We have this thing called _television_."

"There's nothing good on," Freddie told her. "You want to play with us?"

"Absolutely not," Sam said. "Gibby, get out of my seat."

"It doesn't have your name on," Gibby said.

"It doesn't need to, it's my house," Sam snapped. "Now up, you sack of potatoes!"

"Always make Gibby move," Gibby mumbled as he slid over and Sam took his seat.

"Get over it," Sam told him. She turned to Freddie. "I'm board."

"So play marbles with us," Freddie said.

"I told you, that's not happening," Sam said. "Can't you guys do something remotely entertaining?"

"Marbles is a game of skill, coordination and planning," Freddie said. "It's _very _entertaining."

"You know, I could probably get more excitement from watching Jason sleep," Sam said, rolling her eyes.

"I dunno," Gibby said. "Jason's not a very exciting baby."

Sam threw a cushion at him.

"Ow!" Gibby exclaimed. "What was that for?"

"For saying my kid's boring!" Sam said. "He is _not _boring!"

"All he does is lie there and cry whenever I get near him!" Gibby said. "I mean, at first, I didn't mind that, because he did it with everyone, but now it's just me!"

"Gibby, he's two months old," Freddie pointed out. "He can't do much _but _lie around. And well, we've been over this before, Gibby, babies don't like you."

"But I have such a lovable face!" Gibby said.

"Oh, there are _so _many insults I can give from that," Sam said.

"Be nice," Freddie told her.

"Look, I just think Jason's not as entertaining as he could be," Gibby said.

"Yeah, like _you're _a ton of fun to be around," Sam snapped.

"My mom says she _loves_ spending time with me!" Gibby retorted.

"Gibby, what do you expect Jason to do that's entertaining?" Freddie asked before Sam could hit Gibby with her comeback. "The kid can't even sit up yet!"

"All the baby's on commercials are hilarious," Gibby said. "They drink soda and drive motorcycles and throw parties."

"You idiot, those are _commercials_!" Sam said, thumping the back of his head. "The babies aren't really doing those things!"

"Yes they are," Gibby said, rubbing his head.

"So you really believe they take babies and _really _make them wrestle snakes and race bikes for those commercials?" Freddie frowned.

"Duh," Gibby nodded.

"Do me a favor, Gib," Freddie said. "Never, _ever_, have kids."

...

"Sam," Freddie moaned as he heard Jason wake up and begin crying over the baby monitor by his and Sam's bed. "Sam, Jason's crying."

"So go get him," Sam mumbled.

"I was just up the last two times," Freddie said, pulling his covers tighter. "You go."

"I swear, once Jason starts sleeping through the night, I'm going to throw a party," Sam yawned, slowly getting up. She headed into her son's room, where he was laying in his crib, crying.

"You hungry again?" Sam asked, picking him up. "Or do you need to be changed?"

Sam frowned. Jason felt much warmed than he usually did, and his face was red.

"Jason, what's wrong?" Sam asked, rubbing her son's back to try and soothe him. She felt his forehead. It was very hot.

"Oh, baby, are you sick?" Sam asked, feeling slightly panicked.

She headed back to her and Freddie's bedroom, carrying the still crying Jason with her.

"Freddie," she said, shaking her husband's shoulder. "Wake up."

"What? Sam I _told _you," Freddie said, sitting up. "It's _your _turn to feed him and change him."

"Freddie, feel his forehead," Sam told him. "I think he's sick."

"Are you serious?" Freddie frowned, suddenly wide awake. He took Jason from his wife's arms and felt his forehead. "Oh man, he _definitely _has a fever."

"Well what do we do?" Sam asked urgently.

"Um...try nursing him," Freddie said, getting up out of bed. "I'll go get the thermometer so we can take his temperature."

"Okay," Sam nodded. She tried to nurse Jason, but the infant kept turning his head as he continued to cry.

"I don't think he's hungry," Sam said as Freddie hurried back into the room.

"Alright, well, let's see how bad his fever is," Freddie said, sticking the thermometer in Jason's ear. After a few seconds, there was a short beep, and Freddie looked at the thermometer.

"What is it?" Sam asked.

"Crab...102."

"102?" Sam repeated. "That's really high!"

"Yeah, I know," Freddie said. "I wish it was a decent hour, so we could call the doctor."

"Can't we take him to the emergency room?" Sam asked.

"I don't know, that might be worse for him," Freddie told her. "His immune system is pretty weak right now. I wouldn't want to take him there and have him catch something worse."

"Well we have to do _something _for him," Sam said. "Wait, go get some of those books on taking care of newborns we got from my baby shower. See if there's anything in there!"

"Good thinking," Freddie said. He hurried downstairs and grabbed the books.

"Okay," he said, returning to the bedroom. He opened one of the books and began flipping through it. "Here we go. This says that since infants don't have strong immune systems, it's not uncommon for them to get colds and flus during their first few months."

"So _what do we do_?" Sam asked.

"Um, let's see..." Freddie said, scanning the page. "Okay, they say as long as the fever's under 103, we don't have to take him to the emergency room. Good...they recommend giving him a dose of baby aspirin, a cold bath to bring his fever down, and making sure he's well fed."

"We have some baby aspirin in the medicine cabinet in the kitchen," Sam said, getting up off the bed. "Let's try that."

"Alright," Freddie nodded.

The couple headed downstairs and Sam poured the liquid aspirin into a small bottle and mixed it in with a bit of formula.

"I know you're not too hungry, Jason, but drink this, okay?" she said, placing the nipple of the bottle into his mouth. "For mommy."

The infant began to drink, and Sam and Freddie exchanged relieved glances.

"Hopefully that will make him feel a little better," Freddie said. "Or at least-"

"Oh, he spit it all up!" Sam said as the infant regurgitated the contents of the bottle all over her shoulder. But Sam didn't even seem to notice that. "That means he probably didn't even get any of the medicine! Should we try giving him more?"

"No, we don't want to risk giving him too much," Freddie said. "What else did the book say...? A cold bath?"

"Yeah. Yeah, let's try that," Sam said. "Go get it ready."

While Freddie went off to fill the small baby tub in the bathroom, Sam continued to try and calm Jason down.

"I know, Jason, I know," she said, rubbing his back. "We're trying to make you feel better."

"Sam, the bath's ready!" Freddie called.

Sam brought Jason into the bathroom and quickly undressed him and set him down gently in the baby tub on the counter.

"Stop squirming, Jason," Freddie said softly. "You'll just make yourself sicker."

"You think it's working?" Sam asked, stroking the infant's head.

"I hope," Freddie said.

After a few moments in the tub, Freddie lifted Jason out and dressed him again.

"Let me take his temperature again," Sam said, sticking the thermometer in Jason's ear. She waited a moment and then read the reading.

"He's still got a 101," she sighed.

"You want to put him back in the bath?" Freddie asked.

"No, he might just wind up catching a cold," Sam said. "I guess...I guess there's really nothing left for us to do except stay up and try to calm him down. And then when the doctor's office opens tomorrow morning at eight, we can take him there."

"Yeah, you're right," Freddie said, sitting down on the couch, Jason still crying in his arms. "Looks like we'll be pulling an all-nighter then."

"Yup," Sam nodded, sitting down next to her husband. "Looks like we are."


	179. Chapter 179

**AN: Sorry about the confusion! I accidentally uploaded a chapter from my other story!**

**I can't believe this. I'm literally stunned. OVER 1000 REVIEWS? HOLY CHIZ! I cannot thank all of you enough for following this story for 179 chapters. It's just amazing! You guys are the best! Thank you so much! You wouldn't believe how happy I am writing this right now!**

**Oh, and happy iLost My Mind anniversary! **

**...**

"And he's had the fever since this morning?" the pediatrician asked as he examined Jason later that morning at the doctor's office.

Right at eight o'clock, Sam and Freddie had driven Jason over, hoping the pediatrician would be able to help.

"I woke up at around one this morning with him," Sam told the doctor. "And that's when we realized he had the fever."

"It was 102 then, though," Freddie said. "It dropped to 101 after we gave him a cold bath, and its stayed there since."

"Did you give him baby aspirin?"

"Yes," Sam nodded. "We put it in his formula, but he spit it up, so I don't think he really got any, and we didn't want to give him anymore."

"You were absolutely right," the doctor said. "It's better for him to have to little than too much. Has he been up since three then?"

"Well he finally fell back asleep around six thirty," Freddie replied. "And he just woke up in the car on the way over here."

"I hate to tell you this, but when infants get sick like this, it usually means the parents don't get much sleep," the doctor said. "He'll be very fussy."

"But is he okay?" Sam asked.

"He _does _have a virus," the doctor said. "But nothing serious. I figure his fever should break in a day or two, and he should be good as new in a little less than a week. Just keep giving him the baby aspirin and nurse him often and you'll be fine."

"Alright," Freddie nodded, picking Jason up from the examination table. "Thanks for your help."

"Call if you have any other questions," the doctor told them. "But just so you know, you two did everything right. I wish I saw that with all first time parents. You wouldn't believe some of whack-job parents I've seen in my twenty-five years in practice. Why when I was just starting out here, this one lady tried to heal her daughter's cut knee by pouring diet soda on it. Can you imagine?"

"Er, yeah, I think that was my mom," Sam said. "She had some theory that the bubbles from the soda would clean out my cut, and well, she didn't want to waste the regular soda, so she used diet."

"Oh, I'm so sorry," the doctor said quickly. "I didn't mean-"

"No, no, I get it, she's a total whack-job," Sam said. "Believe me, I figured that out _years_ ago."

...

"One of us should stay home with him tomorrow," Sam yawned as her and Freddie walked back into the house, Jason fussing in her arms.

"Yeah, we shouldn't bring him to Spencer's like this," Freddie nodded.

"I'll do it," Sam volunteered.

"Okay," Freddie agreed. "So why don't I take him now? Go upstairs and get some sleep and I'll give him his medicine and try and get him to sleep."

"Thanks, baby," Sam said, giving her husband a quick kiss. She handed Jason over to him. "Try and feel better, Jason."

As Freddie got Jason's bottle ready, he felt a pang of understanding sympathy for his own mother. He suddenly realized just how hard it was, seeing your own child sick. Perhaps that why she had always gone to such extremes to keep him as free of germs as she possibly could, even going so far as to literally put him in a plastic bubble for a few weeks when he was three and there had been a chicken pox outbreak at his daycare.

"Let's try and keep this down, okay?" Freddie sighed as he started feeding Jason his bottle. "It will help you feel better." Much to his relief, the infant swallowed up the contents of the bottle, and he began to calm down a little.

"Hey, Sam?" Carly called, letting herself into the house.

"She's asleep, Carls," Freddie yawned as Carly, followed by Melanie, walked into the kitchen.

"Really? I thought she had actually been getting up earlier because of Jason?" Carly said.

"Yeah, well, her and I were up all night with him," Freddie explained. "He's sick. He has a fever and everything."

"Oh no," Melanie frowned. "Is he feeling any better now though?"

"A little," Freddie replied. "Why do you guys need Sam, anyway?"

"We were going to see if she wanted to go to the nail salon with us," Carly explained. "Since I'm having dinner with Andy tonight, but, well, if she's sleeping, I'm guessing she doesn't want to be woken up, does she?"

"Um, she might just rip your head up if you wake her," Freddie smiled.

"Hmm, and I think it would be bad to show up to the restaurant without a head, now wouldn't it?" Carly laughed. She looked down at Jason. "I feel so bad that he's sick."

"The doctor says it shouldn't last more than a week," Freddie said.

"But still, he's so tiny and helpless," Melanie said.

"Yeah, plus he's too cute to be sick, aren't you Jason?" Carly cooed.

"I don't think cuteness is an immunity to germs, Carly," Freddie said, rolling his eyes.

"Well, it should be," Carly said. "Anyway, we need to get going. Feel better, Jason."

"See you, girls," Freddie said to them as they headed out of the kitchen.

He looked down in his arms and realized that Jason was fast asleep.

"Oh thank God," Freddie sighed. He was so exhausted that he could practically feel his eyes drooping. He walked upstairs as slowly as he could so he wouldn't wake his son, and then dragged him feet to his to his and Sam's bedroom and collapsed on the bed.

"Dude, ow, that was my leg," Sam mumbled, pulling her leg out from under Freddie.

"Oh, sorry," Freddie yawned. "I didn't mean to wake you up."

"Is he sleeping?" Sam asked.

"Yup. And he took his medicine," Freddie said, kicking off his shoes and sliding underneath the covers. "Oh, and Carly and Melanie stopped by. They wanted to know if you wanted to go to the nail salon with them, but I told them you were pretty much passed out up here."

"Thanks," Sam mumbled, burying her head in her pillow. "Man, I can't believe we've been up pretty much all morning with Jason."

"I know," Freddie agreed. "But I guess we should get used to that. I mean, we're _parents_, Sam."

"Yeah, thanks, I've realized that," Sam chuckled. "Where have _you _been the past two months?"

"You know what I mean," Freddie said. "Who knows how many other all-nighters we're going to have to pull after this."

"That's the one thing I'm not crazy about," Sam yawned. "But I _guess _I can live with it."

"At least Jason's starting to feel a little better," Freddie said. "That's the important thing, right?'

"Yeah," Sam nodded. "Now shut up, will you, so I can get back to sleep."

...

Later that evening, Sam sat on the couch, watching reruns of _America Sings _as she fed Jason, still wearing the pajamas that she had changed into as soon as she had gotten home from the doctor's office earlier. While she was still feeling rather tired, she was at least happy with the fact that Jason's fever had gone down to only 100, and he was much less fussy.

"Hey, Sam," Carly smiled, letting herself into the house for the second time that day.

"Hey, Carls, wow, you look fancy," Sam said, looking at her best friends' stunning black dress.

"Thanks," Carly smiled. "It's for my dinner with Andy."

"Is this actually a date?" Sam asked. "Or are you guys still 'taking it slow'?"

"I dunno," Carly shrugged. "I mean, the restaurant we're going to _is_ pretty classy, not the sort of place you would go to with just a friend...but I don't know if it's technically a date."

"Is he paying?"

"Well, he always does, even though I offer to pay for myself," Carly said.

"Well then it's clearly a date, Carly," Sam said.

"Nah, I think he's just being a gentleman," Carly said. "Anyway, how's Jason doing?"

"Better," Sam replied.

"Where's Freddie?"

"Upstairs, sleeping," Sam said. "Since he's going to work tomorrow and I'm gonna stay home with Jason, I'm letting him sleep tonight."

"Aw, what a sweet wife," Carly laughed. "Oh! While we were out today, me and Melanie picked up some stuff for Jason, since he's sick." She opened up the large bag she had brought in with her and began rummaging through it. "There's some stuffed animals, some of those pretty dangly keys that all babies love, and a bunch of other toys for him."

"Thanks, Carls," Sam grinned, showing the toys to Jason. "Look, Jason! Your aunt Carly's already spoiling you!"

"Oh shush," Carly said, getting up. "You know I love babies!"

"Hey, I'm not complaining," Sam told her. "Besides, according to Freddie, I spoil him even more."

"Yeah, you sort of do," Carly nodded.

"I do not!"

"Someone's in denial," Carly chuckled. "But I've got to go. I'm going to be late for dinner."

"You mean your date," Sam said.

"Well, you never know..." Carly smiled. "And, we already have dinner plans for next weekend. That's got to be big, right?"

"Why? What's next weekend?" Sam frowned. "Are you kidding me?" Carly exclaimed. "You don't know what next weekend is?"

"Um, no. So are you going to tell me, or are you going to keep standing there acting ally crazy?"

"It's _Valentine's Day_, Sam!" Carly said, rolling her eyes at her friend's ignorance.

"Oh, yeah," Sam shrugged.

"Don't tell me you and Freddie don't have anything planned," Carly said.

"We both just sort of forgot this year," Sam said. "And it's not like we can do anything, you know. We can't bring Jason out to a restaurant with us."

"So you guys really aren't going to do anything?" Carly asked.

"Well it's not like we really did much before," Sam said. "Just dinner and a movie and then we'd go back home."

"But you're married!"

"So what? Just because we're married doesn't mean we have to go out on Valentine's Day."

"Yes it does!" Carly said. "It's in the rules!"

"The rules?" Sam repeated.

"Yes, the rules," Carly said. "And by not going out with your husband on Valentine's Day you're just spitting in the face of the rules, you-you Rule Spitter!"

"Don't you have a dinner/date to get to?" Sam asked, amused.

"Yes, I do," Carly said. "But you're still a Rule Spitter!"


	180. Chapter 180

**AN-Hey, just really quick...I know a lot of you guys are probably fans of Victorious and were really upset to hear that it's ending. But if you go onto the Victorious page of this site, there's a story(though it's not really a story), called Let's Save Victorious! by StrawberryAngel143, that's working to try and hopefully get Nickelodeon to realize the errors of their ways. I urge you guys to check it out!**

**...**

"Hey, Freddie," Carly smiled, sitting down across from Freddie, who was already eating his lunch.

"Hey, Carls," he greeted her, hanging up his pearphone, which he had just been talking on. "I was just checking to see how Jason and Sam are doing. Sam says Jason's fever's down and he's been sleeping a lot, which is good."

"I'm glad," Carly said. "So do you think Sam will be coming back in to work tomorrow?"

"If Jason's fever stays down tonight, probably," Freddie nodded.

"Thank God, I told you, it's so lonely without Sam here," Carly said, taking a bite of her salad.

"Um, okay, thanks," Freddie frowned.

"You know what I mean," Carly told him. She took a swig of her iced tea. "So, Freddie, I don't know if you know what this weekend is-"

"Oh I don't know, Carls, could it be...Valentine's Day?" Freddie asked, raising an eyebrow.

"So _you_ didn't forget like Sam did, at least," Carly said approvingly. "Do you have any idea what kind of nonsense your wife is going on about?"

"Some crazy idea about just staying home that night, I'm sure?"

"Yes!" Carly nodded. "How did you-"

"Sam told me about your little discussion," Freddie said.

"Well it's insane!" Carly said firmly. "I can't believe you two aren't going to do anything for Valentine's Day! You're a married couple! This is your night!"

"Look, Carls, Sam and I talked last night, and we both agreed that yeah, we'd love to go out to dinner or something for Valentine's Day, especially considering we haven't been out together since Jason's been born, but we just can't," Freddie said. "Maybe next year when we can call up a sitter or something, but right now, Sam and I don't feel comfortable leaving Jason with someone we don't know while we go out, and everyone we do trust to watch Jason is going to be out themselves that night."

"But, it's just so sad," Carly sighed.

"No, it's not," Freddie assured her. "Sam and I will have a great Valentine's Day at home. We'll order in take-out, rent a movie, all that stuff."

"How romantic," Carly said sarcastically.

"Trust me, Carls, we'll have a good time," Freddie told her. "Just go out and have fun with Andy, okay, and don't worry about us."

"Alright," Carly sighed. "I'll try."

...

"You got the movie, Sam?" Freddie asked, setting a bowl of popcorn onto the coffee table.

"Yup, _Rabid Dogs of San Francisco II_," Sam said, tossing him a DVD.

"Such a romantic choice," Freddie laughed.

"Please, the day I willingly watch a chick flick will be the day you stop being a total nub," Sam said.

"So I take it that means never?" Freddie asked.

"Yup," Sam said, wrapping her arms around her neck. "Happy Valentine's Day, baby." She kissed him deeply.

"Okay, Bensons," Carly said, bursting into the house with Andy at her heels. "Get dressed. You're going out."

"What?" Freddie frowned as he pulled away from his wife. "Carly, we already told you, we can't."

"Yeah, we don't have anyone to watch Jason," Sam nodded.

"Which is why we're here," Carly told them. "Go get some dinner and do whatever it is Sam and Freddie do on a date. Andy and I will stay here and watch Jason for you."

"But what about you guys? I thought you had plans?" Sam said.

"Eh, neither of us has kids, we can stay out late," Andy told them. "So we'll just do something when you get back."

"Wow, guys, I-I don't know what to say," Freddie said.

"You can go put on clothes other than your ratty old sweats and get going," Carly told him. "I refuse to sit here and let you guys have a non-eventful Valentine's Day. So go!"

"We owe you one, Carls," Sam grinned.

"Yeah, yeah, just go do Valentine's Day right," Carly laughed.

...

"I can't believe it's been so long since we've been out," Freddie said as him and Sam sat in their favorite restaurant that miraculously had a table open on Valentine's Day.

"I know, last time I was so big I could barely fit in the booth," Sam laughed.

"Yeah, I remember that," Freddie smiled. "It was really nice of Carly to do this for us."

"Seriously," Sam nodded. "So, Freddad, what are we going to do after dinner on our first night out since we had Jason?"

"Hmm, well, we shouldn't stay out _too _late," Freddie said, looking at his watch. "I'd say we should be back by ten, so Carly and Andy will still have the night for their Valentine's Day, so we have about...three hours, once we finish up here. What do you want to do?"

"Well..." Sam said thoughtfully. "There is one thing I _really _want to do."

"What?"

Sam leaned over and whispered something into Freddie's ear.

"Baby," he grinned. "I have _never _been more attracted to you."

...

"So let me get this straight," Carly frowned when they returned back home at a little after ten. "On your first night out in months, you two rent a hotel room to sleep?"

"Carls, it was the _best_ nap of my life," Sam said.

"Mine too," Freddie nodded. "There was nobody crying and waking us up. We just got to sleep."

"Well, at least you two seemed to enjoy yourselves," Carly sighed.

"We did, thanks again," Freddie said. "Where's Andy?"

"In the kitchen, feeding Max," Carly said.

"I'll go get him so you two can head out and have your Valentine's then," Freddie said, heading into the kitchen.

"Is it really that tiring having a baby around that you actually go out to sleep?" Carly asked as Freddie left.

"Definitely," Sam nodded. "But, well, honestly we didn't _just _sleep at the hotel. I mean, come on."

"So what did you do then?" Carly asked. "Did you get massages or something?"

"What? No, Carls," Sam said, rolling her eyes. "You know, maybe it wouldn't _kill _you to read those articles in the back of your fashion magazines...they could probably help you."

"Gross, no way," Carly cringed. "They're icky."

"Hey, ready to go?" Andy asked Carly walking into the room.

"Yup, let's go," Carly grinned.

"Have fun, you crazy kids!" Freddie called after them.

"Man, that nap was just what I needed," Sam said, plopping down on the couch. "I may actually be able to keep my eyes open tomorrow."

"Same here," Freddie laughed. "Oh and I got you a little something...I know it's not much, but well, it _is _Valentine's Day, after all." He handed her a large box of chocolates.

"Baby, you read my mind, didn't you?" Sam smiled, opening up the box and putting a chocolate into her mouth. "Holy Chiz, this is amazing!"

"Yeah, well, they're foreign," Freddie chuckled. "So how about we finish off Valentine's Day here on our couch pigging out on chocolates and watching a movie about rabid dogs."

"Hmm, sounds like a date to me," Sam said, kicking off her heels.

"You know," Freddie said as he sat down next to his wife, wrapping his arms around her as he flicked on the T.V. "As much fun as I had with you tonight, I would've been just as happy sitting here with you the whole time."


	181. Chapter 181

**AN: Hey, Jessica(guest) who sent me that review in chapter 60 (if you're reading this), I'd love to respond to you, but you didn't sign in, so I can't message you, lol. So if you wanted to sign in and send another review, I'd definitely respond back!**

**...**

"I don't know about this," Gibby frowned.

"Oh come on, it'll be fun!" Sam said, rolling her eyes.

"What exactly is fun about putting my hand in a bowl of hot water?"

"It's a contest," Sam said. "We see who can keep their hand in their bowl for the longest is the champion!"

"Champion of what?" Gibby asked.

"Champion of hot water hand sticking, I don't know," Sam said. "Are you gonna do it or not?"

"Fine," Gibby huffed. "But if this sets me back in my dream to become a hand model, I'm blaming you."

"Whatever," Sam said, pushing a bowl of steaming hot water towards Gibby and pulling another bowl towards herself. "On three, dunk you hand, okay? One, two, three!"

They both submerged their hands in water.

"Ah! Oh! It's burning!" Gibby cringed. "Ah! Ah!"

"Um, I'm afraid to ask what's going on here," Freddie frowned, walking into the room.

"We're seeing who can keep their hand in hot water the longest," Sam said simply.

"Okay...why?"

"So I can be the champion!" Gibby exclaimed. "But it's going to come at a price...Ah! I can't handle it anymore!" He pulled his hand, which was now bright red, from the water. "I give up! I need ice! Maybe I can save my hand so I can still make it in the modeling business."

Freddie watched Gibby run into the kitchen.

"Sam," Freddie sighed, sticking his hand in Sam's bowl. "The water in your bowl is luke warm."

"Well, yeah," Sam nodded. "I'm not going to stick my hand in hot water! What am I? Some kind of idiot? The cable is out."

"Ah, so you tortured Gibby," Freddie said. "Got it."

Jason, who was laying in the playpen next to the couch began to cry.

"He probably needs to be changed," Sam said.

"I'll get him," Freddie said, bending down to pick up his son. "You bought more diapers?"

"They're upstairs on the changing table," Sam nodded.

Sam was just about to get up and see how Gibby was doing in the kitchen, when the front door slammed open and Carly ran in.

"Sam! Sam!" Carly exclaimed.

"Wow, someone's happy," Sam smiled. "What's up, kid?"

"I've got two pieces of _very _exciting news," Carly said. "You wanna hear? Huh? Do you? Do you?"

"If I said no, I'm pretty sure you'd explode all over my couch and then I'd have some awkward stains to explain," Sam said. "So go for it."

"Well, first," Carly grinned. "Andy officially asked me to be his girlfriend!"

"No way? Are you serious?" Sam said.

"I don't kid when it comes to guys," Carly said.

"Well did you say yes?"

"I haven't been working my flirt off the past three months to say no, did I?" Carly laughed.

"That's awesome, Carls," Sam said. "I'm so happy for you! You're back in the dating game! I'll bet that loser Joey's still all lonely moping over you."

"I'd like to think so," Carly nodded.

"Well, what's the second piece of exciting news?" Sam asked.

"Oh, right," Carly said. "Right after Andy asked me to be his girlfriend, I went to the mall, since you know I always shop when I'm really happy. Or really sad. Or when I'm mad or-"

"I get it, you shop non-stop," Sam said. "So what happened at the mall? Did they reopen Grind Your Own Meat? I told you that health inspector didn't know what he was talking about!"

"No, they didn't," Carly said. "But they were handing out flyers for this contest the mall is having next weekend."

"What sort of contest?"

"It's a baby pageant!" Carly exclaimed.

"A baby pageant?" Sam repeated, frowning.

"Yeah!" Carly nodded. "It's a contest to find the cutest baby in the Seattle area! I was thinking that you and I-"

"No," Sam said firmly. "No way."

"Come on, Jason could totally win this thing!" Carly said.

"Um, in case you've been absent for the past three months, Jason's a _boy_," Sam said. "Boys don't do pageants."

"There's a whole category for baby boys," Carly said.

"I don't care," Sam said. "I'm not putting Jason in some stupid pageant. I hated doing those things, so I'm not going to force my son into them!"

"But he's a baby, he'll never remember!" Carly said. "And it's not even like the pageants you used to do. The parents just walk up on stage with their babies, show them to the judges, who have some scale they judge on, and that's it! _Plus_, if Jason wins, he can a bunch of savings bonds!"

"It's not happening, Carly," Sam said.

"...And," Carly said. "The pageant is being sponsored by the Fat Cake corporation."

"It-It is?"

"Yup," Carly smiled. "And each baby that places in the top ten at the end of the pageant gets a year's supply of Fat Cakes."

"I-I-But-" Sam stammered.

"Come on, Sam," Carly said. "Do it for the Fat Cakes."

"Will _I _really have to go onstage with him?" Sam sighed.

"I'll do it for you," Carly said quickly. "I'll just say I'm his aunt, which I am, just not by blood."

Sam pondered this. "Fine. _But _this is the only pageant he ever does. And I still want it clear that I hate all pageants, and that I'm just letting Jason do this for the Fat Cakes."

"I'll note that," Carly laughed.


	182. Chapter 182

"You what?"

"Oh calm down, Freddie," Carly said, looking through Jason's closet.

"Why did you put our son in a pageant, Sam?" Freddie asked Sam. "You yell at me when I take him to a _Galaxy Wars _convention, but you're allowed to show him off like a piece of meat? I thought you hated pageants!"

"I do hate them," Sam snapped. "And I didn't want to enter him in hit, but _she _made me! She drew me in with Fat Cakes!"

"I will go out and _buy _you Fat Cakes, Sam," Freddie said. "You didn't have to shove Jason into a pageant to get them!"

"I did not _shove _him in it," Sam said. "For the last time, Carly made me do it!"

"It will be fun," Carly told him.

"How will humiliating my son in front of a bunch of people be fun?" Freddie asked, crossing his arms.

"You're not going to humiliate him," Carly said, rolling her eyes. "He'll win! I mean, I know I'm probably biased, but Jason is one cute baby! I don't think there's a cuter baby out there."

"Of course there isn't, is there Jason?" Sam cooed, picking her son up out of his crib. "You're going to win this weekend and get mommy some Fat Cakes, aren't you? And then I promise, we'll never speak of this again."

"Yeah, not until your therapy sessions ten years from now when you're having problems because you were exploited for snack foods," Freddie said.

"Oh shut it," Sam said. "He also gets a bunch of savings bonds if he wins. Aren't you the one who's been talking about starting a college fund for him?"

"Wait, he gets savings bonds?" Freddie asked. "How much?"

"Here, look for yourself," Carly said, handing Freddie the flyer.

"Holy chiz!" Freddie exclaimed, his eyes widening. "They're going to give away that much money to an infant that can't even sit up? For that much money _I'd _enter the thing!"

"So are you going to stop complaining now?" Sam asked.

"Definitely," Freddie nodded. "I mean, if Jason wins, this could be the foundation of my ten-point plan to make sure he goes to an Ivy League school!"

"Um, you do realize he's three months old, right?" Carly frowned. "Don't you think it's a little early to start planning what college he's going to?"

"Don't waste your breath, Carls," Sam said. "Freddie was already researching top schools before I even finished my second trimester."

...

"Oh man, it's just like I remember it," Sam cringed, looking around the crowd of flustered mothers fussing over their babies. "All the desperation...is it too late to drop out of this Carly?"

"Sam, no, we can't drop out," Carly said. "Besides, I'm the one who's going to be onstage with him. All you have to do is sit in the audience with Freddie. Just think of the Fat Cakes!"

"I know, but Carly, this place is seriously freaking me out," Sam said. "I just saw this one mom putting eyeliner on her baby boy!"

"Oh, speaking of which," Carly said opening her bag. "The lighting here isn't exactly great. I have some powder we can put on Jason's face."

"No!" Sam said firmly. "You're not putting make-up on him, Carly!"

"It's not like girly make-up," Carly said. "It's like the kind they put on guys in the movies!"

"Carly, I'm not letting you put that chiz on Jason," Sam said. "I don't care if it's for all the Fat Cakes in the world."

"But Sam-"

"You've been acting crazy ever since you brought up this pageant," Sam frowned. "And not just Carly crazy. Extra super crazy."

"I-I like pageants," Carly mumbled.

"No..." Sam said. "I had to practically force you to do that one against Leanne Carter in the tenth grade. What's going on here, Shay?"

"Okay," Carly sighed. "When I was at the mall the other day, after Andy asked me to be his girlfriend, I-I ran into Joey. He's-He's not exactly moping over me like you said. He has a new girlfriend."

"But Carly, you shouldn't care!" Sam said. "He was a total wazbag and dumped you after three years, we've been over this! Plus you have Andy, who's like, five times hotter than Joey was!"

"I know, I know," Carly said. "But, well, his girlfriend's actually an older girl. Like in her thirties. And-And she has a kid who's a few months older than Jason from her past marriage."

"Are you serious?" Sam frowned. "Joey didn't want to rush into marrying you, but he's willing to be in a relationship with someone who has a kid?"

"Exactly!" Carly nodded. "And I saw her entering her baby in this pageant that day, and, well, I just really wanted to beat her. I know I shouldn't have tried to use Jason just so I could get to Joey's new girlfriend, but I just sort of did. Look, if you really don't want Jason to do this, I'll go scratch his name out of the program right now."

Sam sighed. "Which one is Joey's new girlfriend?"

"That one over there," Carly said, nodding over to a tall red-head who was straightening the tie on her infant's suit. "I think her names' Erica."

Sam looked at her. "She does seem sort of annoying...look at the way she's sipping her coffee; who sticks their pinky out when they're sipping coffee? Plus, Jason's way cuter than her baby...Okay, Carly, you can keep Jason in the pageant."

"Really? Sam you're the best!" Carly smiled, hugging her best friend.

"I know," Sam laughed. "Alright, I think the pageant is about to start. I'm going to go find Freddie and grab some seats." She picked up Jason from his carrier.

"Okay, Jason, you need to kick some baby butt out there," she said to her son. "It's for your Aunt Carly."

She handed him over to Carly.

"Thanks, Sam," Carly said.

"Yeah, yeah," Sam said. "But no make-up on him!"

...

"I can't believe it," Freddie laughed as him, Sam and Carly walked back into the Benson home later that night. "Out of the 134 baby boys in Jason's category, he got first place!"

"I know," Sam smiled, carrying Jason in one hand and a trophy in the other. "But there's no cuter baby out there, is there Jason, just like I've been saying."

"I still don't think you needed to throw a donut at the mom whose kid got second place," Freddie said.

"You saw the looks she was giving Jason!" Sam exclaimed. "Like her scrunchy baby could ever beat mine."

"I still say the best part of the pageant was when Erica's son spiting up all over the judges," Carly smiled. "Sweet, sweet justice."

"Here, go start giving Jason his bath," Sam said, handing him over to Freddie. "I'm going to go get my Fat Cakes out of the car."

"Try not to eat all of them in one day," Carly begged. "I can't deal with another sugar high from you. When you ate those dozen containers of frosting, you broke my laptop trying to do a backflip over the couch, remember?"

"Relax, I'll only eat like, ten a day?"

"Just remember, they _do _put a limit on how many Fat Cakes you get throughout the year," Carly said. "When they say a year's supply, they mane a normal year's supply, not a Sam year's supply."

"What? Come on!" Sam groaned. "Again? One of these days I'm going to hire a lawyer!"

...

**AN- Well, as hard as it is for me to believe, I'm leaving for college tomorrow. I am ****by no means ending this story****, but these daily updates will have to be stopping; it would just be to hard to continue writing them every day and keep up with my classes. It will probably go back to being only once or twice a week I update. I do have a few chapters written in advance, so the daily updates won't be stopping just yet, though. I just wanted to say thanks so much to all of you for supporting this story for so long. I started writing this story two years ago, thinking that I would probably end it after I got Sam and Freddie together, but seeing all of the great reviews and comments really drove me to continue. I am still in shock that this story has over 1000 reviews. So again, I AM NOT DISCONTINUING this story, and the daily updates will continue for awhile, since I have a few new chapters written, but I just wanted to let everyone know that in a few days, they're probably going to have to stop and go to only about once a week. **


	183. Chapter 183

**AN-Hey, sorry I didn't update yesterday, even though I promised a few more daily updates. I just got my computer hooked up to the Internet in my dorm. Thanks so much for all of the good luck wishes, I love you guys!**

**...**

"Stop being so stupid!"

"Sam, you're the one being unreasonable!"

"You guys realize I can hear you pulling into your driveway?" Melanie said, letting herself into the house. "What are you two arguing about anyway?"

"Fredward is saying that our yard's 'too small' for a trampoline," Sam said. "And I say he's full of garbage! It could go right by the pool!"

"Melanie, please tell her that there's no way a normal sized trampoline will fit in our yard with our pool," Freddie said, rolling his eyes. "And we both know she's not going to want to get a normal sized trampoline! She's going to want to get the biggest dang trampoline there is!"

"Is this what you've spent the whole morning doing?" Melanie frowned. "Arguing about whether or not to get a trampoline?"

"It's important!" Sam defended.

"Sam, you're a twenty-four year old mother," Freddie sighed. "Don't you think you're a bit out of your trampoline prime?"

"Are you calling me old?" Sam snapped.

"Oh no," Melanie sighed.

"Because you are two months older than me, you know," Sam said. "So if I'm old, you're ancient, Fredweiner!"

"I never called you old," Freddie argued. "I just said trampolines are usually more of a kid thing!"

"Yeah, and in case you didn't noticed, we have a kid!" Sam retorted. "Or maybe you forgot because you were four hours late when he was being born-"

"I thought we were past that!"

"Until you're the one on the hospital bed shoving a little person out of you, it's never in the past!"

"Um, guys," Melanie said. "Maybe I should-"

Suddenly the alarm on Freddie's phone went off. "Oh, I need to go meet Spencer and Gibby down at the bowling alley."

"Well then here," Sam said, tossing Freddie a tube of lip balm. "Tell Gibby he left this here."

"Alright, want me to pick up anything for dinner, baby?"

"I could go for some Mexican food," Sam nodded.

"Cool, I'll swing by El Taco Guapo," Freddie said, giving his wife a quick kiss on the lips. "I'll see you later, Sam."

"Bye, baby," Sam smiled as Freddie, after saying a quick goodbye to Melanie, headed out of the house.

"I-I don't think I'll ever understand your relationship," Melanie said, shaking her head. "One minute you're at each others throats, and then the next you're kissing."

"It never gets old," Sam grinned. "So what's up?"

"Well, mom told you how her and Lewbert are having that party in a few weeks for their anniversary, right?"

"Ugh, don't remind me," Sam groaned. "I can't believe I'm being forced to celebrate the day she decided to tie the knot with that piece of wart."

"It will be fun," Melanie reasoned. "Besides, Uncle Carmine is getting paroled that weekend, so he'll be there!"

"Yeah, I guess that will make it worthwhile," Sam nodded. "He can see Jason in person finally!"

"That will be sweet," Melanie smiled. "Oh, and well, apparently Lewbert's sisters are coming down for the party and there's going to be no room at mom's house so she told me that they're going to need to stay at one of our places."

"There is absolutely no way anybody with Lewbert's DNA is staying at my house," Sam said firmly.

"Come on, Sam," Melanie pleaded. "They can't stay with me and Cody! Our apartment only has two rooms!"

"Your place is huge!" Sam pointed out. "And you're only using one room right now!"

"Well Cody uses the other room for an office."

"Then why's there a bed in there?"

"Um, he gets tired while he works sometimes?" Melanie said lamely.

"They can't stay here, Melanie," Sam said. "We have Jason!"

"Well they won't be sleeping his his room," Melanie said. "And you have two spare rooms!"

"One of them's an office!"

"With a bed, which according to what you said just two seconds ago, makes it available to guests," Melanie smirked.

"They still can't stay," Sam said.

"Look, tomorrow you and I will think of some way to decide this fairly," Melanie said. "I have to go now."

"You're taking them!" Sam called after her twin. "There's no way I'm letting them stay here."

...

"Four strikes in a row," Spencer grinned, sitting back down next to Freddie and Gibby. "That's what we call a streak, boys."

"That's what we call cheating," Freddie mumbled.

"You can't cheat in bowling," Spencer scoffed. "Maybe I just have more skill than you two."

"Man, that's the third game in a row you've won," Gibby said.

"You guys want to play one more game?" Freddie asked.

"Just one more," Spencer said, looking at his watch. "I have to be home in about an hour. Ella's making me cook dinner tonight so her and a few women from work can go out."

"Oh, yeah, I promised Sam I'd pick up some tacos for dinner," Freddie said.

"Wives," Spencer sighed.

"I hear you," Freddie laughed.

"Me too," Gibby nodded.

Freddie and Spencer looked over at Gibby.

"Um, Gib?" Freddie frowned. "You don't have a wife."

"Yeah, you're not married," Spencer said.

"Yes I am!" Gibby said indignantly.

Freddie dropped the bowling ball he had just picked up. It landed on Spencer's foot.

"Ow! My toes!" Spencer exclaimed, falling into the seat that was thankfully behind him.

"You can't be married, Gibby," Freddie said, shaking his head at his friend's nonsense. "I mean, you never had a wedding or-"

"I had a wonderful wedding in Vegas six months ago!" Gibby said.

"You-You're not serious, are you?" Freddie frowned. "You're joking, right? Well, ha ha, very funny, but give it up now, Gib."

"I can't feel my big toe," Spencer cringed.

"I'm not joking, man," Gibby said. "Me and Tasha got married in Vegas six months ago."

"I-You-That's not possible!" Freddie said.

"Yeah," Spencer said, still wincing in pain. "If you really got married, then where's your ring?"

"Right," Freddie said, pointing at Gibby's bare fingers.

"Oh, well, we couldn't find a ring to fit my finger," Gibby explained. "So we just put my ring on my toe." He pulled off his bowling shoes and showed them a gold ring around his middle toe.

"I don't believe it," Freddie said, staring at the ring in awe. "You-You really got married? Six months ago? And we didn't know!"

Gibby sighed. "For the millionth time, I have a blog. If you people read it you would've known about my wedding, Guppy's haircut and about my cat getting a new favorite brand of cat food!"

"Well why didn't you say anything?" Spencer exclaimed. "People usually mention weddings!"

"No one ever asked me!"

"I-I still can't get this through my head," Freddie said. "Gibby Gibson eloped in Vegas and has been wearing his ring on his toe for six months..."

"Well, if there's one person I'm not surprised about this being about, it's Gibby," Spencer said.

"Just read my blog!" Gibby said. "It has a lavender background now!"

...

**AN- I wanted to have Gibby get married, and I thought, you know, Gibby seems like the type of person to just sort of forget to mention the fact that he got married six months, ago, right**


	184. Chapter 184

"Sam," Freddie said, running into the house after getting back from the bowling alley. "Sam! You'll never believe this!"

"You want to hear something you'll never believe?" Sam asked, siting on the couch, burping Jason. "Guess who Melanie's trying to get to stay in our house? Lewbert's sisters!"

"What? Why?" Freddie frowned.

"They're coming in for Lewbert's and my mom's anniversary party," Sam said. "And there's no room at their house, so either us or Melanie and Cody have to take them in."

"I didn't know Lewbert had sisters," Freddie said.

"He has three of them," Sam said. "And I've seen pictures. Let's just say, Lewbert got the looks in the family."

"We've got to try and get them to stay with Melanie," Freddie said.

"No chiz," Sam said. "She's coming over tomorrow and we'll 'decide fairly' who gets stuck with them. But just so you know, if we end up having to take them, I'm going to take Jason and stay in Melanie and Cody's extra bedroom and leave you to deal with the female Lewberts."

"Thanks," Freddie said, rolling his eyes. "Now do you want to hear my news?"

"Sure," Sam said. "What's up, baby?"

"Gibby's married!"

"What?" Sam exclaimed. "No he's not!"

"Yes he is," Freddie said. "He got married six months ago! In Vegas! To Tasha!"

"And he never said anything?"

"Well apparently we're supposed to be asking him if he's gotten married recently," Freddie said.

"But he doesn't have a ring!"

"He wears it on his toe," Freddie explained. "It wouldn't fit on his fingers."

"Man, Carly's going to freak out when she finds out Gibby's been married this long," Sam said. "Knowing that Gibby got married before her...poor kid will probably have a meltdown."

"Probably," Freddie said.

"Man, Gibby Gibson's married," Sam said, shaking her head. "How can Tasha handle it? Having that freak as her husband for the rest of her life...How can she stand that?"

"Come on, I'm sure Gibby's a good husband," Freddie said. "Not as good as me, obviously..."

"Bit cocky there, are we?" Sam grinned, setting Jason down in his playpen.

"You don't think it's true, Sam?" Freddie asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I never said that," Sam laughed, kissing him. "I never said that _at all_."

...

"Alright, Sam, this is it," Melanie said. She had a jar in her hands. "The slips of papers that Freddie numbered 1-50 are in here. He's going to pull one out, and if it's an even number, they stay with you, and if it's an odd number, they stay with me and Cody. Sound fair?"

"No," Sam mumbled. "But let's get this over with anyway. Fredhead, remember: you drawn an even number, I just might put all of your boxers in the freezer."

"So no pressure," Cody said to him.

"Alright, Freddie, here you go," Melanie said, handing him the jar. "Do it."

"Okay," Freddie said, sticking his hand in the jar. "Odd number...Odd number." He unfolded the slip of paper and let out a groan. "48."

"Yes!" Cody and Melanie cheered, high-fiving each other.

"You rigged this!" Sam cried.

"Freddie's the one who numbered the slips," Melanie reminded her.

"Fine, then it's your fault," Sam said, punching her husband in the arm.

"Ow!" Freddie exclaimed. "Can't you find a new spot to hit me if you're going to do that? You have this area so bruised, you know!"

"Well, Cody and I will go tell mom the good news," Melanie said. "And don't worry, you two. I know Lewbert's sisters look...horrible in pictures, but remember, you can't judge a book by its cover!"

"Oh just get lost, will you?" Sam snapped.

"I guess we should start getting the rooms ready," Freddie sighed. "Two can share the guest room and one can sleep in the office."

"We're not getting anything ready for them," Sam said. "They can sleep on the couch."

"Sam," Freddie said. "We can't make our guests sleep on the couch."

"They are not _our _guests, they're Lewbert's guests," Sam said firmly.

"It's only for a weekend they're staying, right?" Freddie said. "Two days. That's not that bad."

"Well then _you're _the ones getting the rooms ready," Sam sighed. "I'm playing no part in this."

"Alright, baby," Freddie said, giving her a quick kiss. "I'm gonna go up and check on Jason."

Sam threw herself down onto the couch. Max jumped up next to her.

"Well, Maxie," Sam said, petting the lab's ears. "Maybe they'll be allergic to dogs and then they'll _have _to go stay with Melanie."

"Hey, Sam!" Carly said brightly, walking through the front door with a huge smile on her face.

"_Someone's _happy," Sam observed. "Maybe happy enough to let three woman stay at her apartment for a weekend?"

"Got stuck with Lewbert's sisters, huh?" Carly said. "Sorry about that Sam. But look at this necklace Andy gave me last night! It's for our one-month anniversary!"

"Wow," Sam said. "Good stuff."

"I'm so happy right now," Carly said, sitting down next to her best friend. "_Nothing _can bring me down."

"How about this?" Sam said. "You know Gibby's been married for the past six months?"

"Nice try, Sam," Carly laughed.

"No, I'm serious," Sam said. "He told Freddie and Spencer yesterday during their little bowling game. Him and Tasha got married in Vegas and Gibby's been wearing the ring on his toe because it wouldn't fit his finger."

"Wait...you serious?" Carly said, her grin being replaced by a frown. "He's really married?"

"True chiz."

"Oh come on!" Carly exclaimed. "_Gibby _got married before me? The man doesn't even remember to shave his toes most of the time!"

"Yeah, well, Tasha's apparently seen through that," Sam said. "I told you there was something wrong with that chick."

Carly stood up.

"Where are you going?" Sam called after her as she stormed out.

"To take a bubble bath," Carly said. "And hopefully get some of my happy back!"


	185. Chapter 185

"I mean, Gibby, I could've gotten a cute dress and everything!" Carly moaned, hastily sipping her smoothie. "You realize that? And if Tasha didn't want to do all the planning, I would've been more than happy to help out!"

"Sorry, Carls," Gibby said. "But hey, when Guppy gets married, you can plan his wedding!"

"Yeah, knowing my luck that kid will end up getting married before me too," Carly mumbled. "I mean, Jason probably will be married before I am!"

"Carly, you _have _a boyfriend," Sam pointed out, wiping some drool off of Jason's face. "Who knows, you might marry Andy. Now can we please stop obsessing over Gibby's wedding and focus on a real problem? I'm being forced to house Lewbert's sisters!"

"So? They could be nice," Gibby shrugged.

"Nice?" Sam scoffed. "Please."

"Why wouldn't you want a whole wedding ceremony?" Carly burst out. "I mean, it would be a day centered around you and Tasha!"

"Eh, parties where I have to wear shoes really aren't my thing," Gibby said.

"Oh, you're getting a party, mister," Carly said firmly.

"You're not going to throw him and Tasha a party, are you?" Sam moaned.

"Of course I am!" Carly said. "It will be fun. Are you and Tasha free this Saturday, Gib?"

"Um, sure."

"Cool, then party at my place," Carly smiled. "Sam, you and Freddie can drop Jason off at one of your mom's places, right?"

"I guess," Sam said. "But seriously people, focus! What am I doing about Wenda, Kina, and Lewberta?"

"Those are their names?" Carly frowned. "What was wrong with Lewbert's mom? She didn't even give those kids a chance!"

"Yeah, and they all turned out horrible, didn't they?" Sam said.

"Sam," Carly said. "I think you're overreacting about this whole thing. I mean, like Gibby said, they could be nice."

"Did you just quote Gibby?" Sam frowned.

"Hey, I'm a quotable person!" Gibby defended.

"So where's Freddie?" Carly asked, chuckling.

"He was going to call his dad today," Sam said.

"Freddie has a dad?" Gibby frowned.

"Yeah," Sam said rolling her eyes. "How do you think he got here?"

"I don't know," Gibby said. "I thought his mom just...had him."

"And he's married," Carly sighed. "So, why's Freddie calling his dad?"

"Because we want him to see Jason," Sam explained. "He's only seen a few pictures, and seeing as he's Jason's only grandfather, we want Jason to get to know him."

"Aw, that's sweet," Carly said. "You know, I've never met Freddie's dad. What's he like?"

"Pretty much the total opposite of his mom," Sam said.

"Ah," Carly nodded.

"Hey, I'm gonna get going, I think Jason's getting fussy," Sam said, putting the infant back in his stroller. "See you guys."

"Bye, remember, party on Saturday!" Carly said.

"Yeah, yeah, Shay."

...

"Hey, baby," Sam said, walking back into house with Jason.

"Hey," Freddie said, taking Jason from her arms.

"So you talked to your dad?" Sam asked, kicking off her shoes by the door.

"Yup," Freddie nodded. "And he was able to talk his boss at work into giving him a week off of work, so he can come stay with us."

"Cool," Sam said. "And hey, that probably means that your mom will stay clear of the house for the week!"

"Yeah," Freddie nodded. "But, um, it-it turns out that the week that he got off overlaps with the weekend that Lewbert's sisters are going to be staying."

"So we're going to have four extra people in the house?" Sam frowned.

"Well I'm sure if we call and tell Melanie the situation, she'd take at least one of the sisters," Freddie reasoned.

"No, my mom already told her plastic surgeon he could stay there," Sam moaned.

"Okay, well, it's only going to be two days that we're really cramped," Freddie reasoned. "My dad can sleep in the guest room until the sisters arrive, and then we can...move him to Jason's room with one of our camping beds! Jason will just sleep in our room."

"Or," Sam said. "We make Lewbert's sisters sleep in sleeping bags down here and-"

"Sam," Freddie sighed.

"Fine, they can have beds," Sam mumbled. "But you owe me for this, Fredguts."

"I'll wake up with Jason twice in a row tonight," Freddie said, giving her a quick kiss. "Sound fair?"

"I guess," Sam smiled.


	186. Chapter 186

"Carly, calm down, will you?" Sam said, talking into her pearphone as she tried to make the bed in her and Freddie's guest room. "We'll be there as soon as we can! Freddie's dropping Jason off at his mom's house, and he's making me make up the bed in the guest room for his dad tomorrow, because he claims dragging a huge camping bed into Jason's room and cleaning out his office is enough work for him and that I should 'contribute' by making the beds. Like where does he come up with this chiz? AnnoyMyWife. com or something?"

"I don't know, probably," Carly laughed. "Just get over here as soon as you can. Andy and Melanie and Cody are already here."

"Alright, alright," Sam said. "Ugh! Why's it so dang hard to put sheets on! This is why I never do it!"

She hung up her pearphone and, deciding she could "persuade" Freddie into making the rest of the bed later, she headed back downstairs just as Freddie was walking in through the front door.

"You finish making the beds?" Freddie asked.

"Um, yeah, sure," Sam nodded. "Come on, baby, we're going to be late for Carly's little Gibby celebration."

"I'm gonna wind up making the beds too, aren't I?" Freddie sighed.

"Probably," Sam smiled, leaning up to kiss him. "But I'll make it worth your while later..."

...

"Ah! Why is this so spicy!" Spencer exclaimed, taking a bite out of a chip with salsa.

"There's Peruvian Puff Peppers in them," Carly explained.

"But now I can't feel my tongue!" Spencer moaned.

"So, Tasha," Sam said, eating a slice of cake. "Congratz on your wedding and all, but...Gibby, really?"

"I know, I really married up, didn't I?" Tasha grinned. "I'm just so lucky I found him before some hotter girl could sweep him away."

"Do you have a brain injury or something?" Sam exclaimed.

"Sam, be nice," Freddie whispered in his wife's ear. He turned to Tasha. "She just means...you must have a brain injury if you think Gibby would go with any hotter girl because he's _clearly _so in love with you, right Sam?"

"Sure, why not?" Sam sighed.

"Aw, that's so sweet," Tasha smiled.

"Okay, everyone! Attention please!" Carly said.

"Carls, you only invited seven people here," Ella said. "You have our attention. Trust me."

"Okay, well, I'd just like to make a toast to the happy couple," Carly said. "Since they didn't have a...traditional wedding ceremony and I couldn't do it there."

"She's never going to let this go," Sam whispered to Freddie.

"So I just wanted to say congratulations to them," Carly continued. "They're a...great couple. And I know they're both going to make each other really happy for the rest of their lives. So to Gibby and Tasha Gibson!"

"Thanks, Carls," Gibby grinned. "That made me feel all tingly inside."

"Hey, Sam," Melanie said, sitting down to her sister. "I'm sorry again about Lewbert's sisters. I didn't know Freddie's dad's going to come down. I tried talking to mom to see if her plastic surgeon could stay with her, but she's already invited Lewbert's dermatologist to sleep in our old room."

"Gross," Sam cringed.

"Are you mad at me?" Melanie asked.

"Nah," Sam said. "Mom's plastic surgeon is pretty gross too, remember? So I guess you're suffering enough."

"Thanks," Melanie smiled.

"I'm bored," Sam sighed.

"Carly will probably get upset if you leave now, though," Melanie told her.

"Yeah, I know," Sam said. "Hey, you wanna have some fun with me?"

"Um...is it _legal _fun?" Melanie frowned.

"Yes, sheesh," Sam said, rolling her eyes. "Just watch, I saw this on T.V. last night. Hey, Freddie! Come over here!"

"What?" Freddie asked, leaving his conversation with Gibby and Spencer and walking over to his wide.

"Do you think Melanie is hot?" Sam asked.

"No!" Freddie said at once.

"So you're saying I'm not hot?" Sam said, raising an eyebrow. "We're identical twins, Fredward. We look the same."

"I-I, no, you're _very _hot," Freddie said quickly.

"So then Melanie's hot?"

"Well I guess-"

"So you think my sister's hot, basically?" Sam said. "Wow, Freddie. Wow."

"But-not like-she's-" Freddie stammered. "You're more-she's not-!"

"Spit it out, Fredbag," Sam said.

"I-Ah! My head hurts!" Freddie exclaimed. "Sam, you know you're the hottest, most beautiful girl to me. You know that!"

"Yeah, I do," Sam laughed. "I just wanted to see your reaction." She turned to Melanie. "See, that was fun!"

"So you gave me a migraine to have _fun_?" Freddie said.

"Basically," Sam shrugged.

"Oh, you just wait," Freddie said. "I'll get you back for that stunt, Sam."

...

"Freddie!" Sam screamed, slamming the cabinet doors shut in the kitchen. "Benson! You're dead!"

"Yes, Samantha?" Freddie smirked, walking into the kitchen.

"Where are they?" Sam said, grabbing the collar of his shirt.

"I don't know what you are referring to," Freddie said simply.

"Where did you hide my Fat Cakes?" Sam snapped. "Huh? Where are they?"

"Hmm, that's an interesting question."

"Don't play with mama, Fredbeans, where are they?" Sam said loudly. "Is this your idea of getting me back for that whole thing at Carly's? Because it's _not _funny!"

"I don't know, I think it's pretty funny," Freddie said, grinning.

"Freddie! I swear, I'm going to-"

"Relax, relax, the Fat Cakes are safe," Freddie assured her. "And I'll give them to you-"

"You'd better!" Sam said.

"-If you do something for me."

"Oh, I see what you're doing, Fredbrain," Sam said, narrowing her eyes. "And you're crazy if you think for one second that I'm going to do _that _with you right now-"

"No, no, not _that,_" Freddie said. "I want you to sit with me tonight and watch the _Galaxy Wars _trilogy."

"I've already done that with you," Sam said.

"Not with the directors commentary and extra 30 seconds of Proton Cruiser chase scenes."

"Fine," Sam said, rolling her eyes. "Now give me my Fat Cakes!"

"There's one more thing," Freddie said, grinning wider now. "We're going to have Jason out here while we watch."

"Freddie!" Sam exclaimed. "Why? Why do you want to do this to me? You already took him to that stupid convention, why do you have to ruin my baby more?"

"Oh come on, he'll probably sleep through most of it," Freddie told her.

"But-But-"

"Sam, I've hidden those Fat Cakes very well..."

"Alright, alright!" Sam exclaimed. "Just give me my Fat Cakes! I'm getting shakes without them!"


	187. Chapter 187

"Hey," Carly smiled as Sam walked into the small writing room at the studio.

"Hey," Sam greeted her. "Guess who only took five minutes to say goodbye to Jason at Spencer's this morning?"

"Nice, so it's getting easier to leave him then?" Carly asked.

"It's still hard," Sam shrugged. "But yeah, it's not _as _hard as it has been."

"That's good," Carly said. "So Freddie's dad's coming in today?"

"Yeah," Sam nodded. "He's leaving around two today to go pick him up at the airport, so if you want to give me a ride home, that'd be great."

"No problem," Carly replied. "So what's Freddie going to be doing with his dad?"

"I'm not sure, they'll probably catch up," Sam said. "I mean, they haven't seen each other since our wedding, and that was only for a few hours."

"That's sweet," Carly said. "I can't wait to meet him. How's Freddie's mom feel about him coming up, though?"

"She doesn't know," Sam said. "So when we go pick up Jason, just don't mention it. Freddie doesn't want her to freak out."

"Got it," Carly nodded.

Sam was more eager than she ever was to get out of work that day. While she knew Freddie wanted to have at least a few hours to spend alone with his dad, she still wanted to see her father-in-law, who, unlike Marissa, didn't slip in criticisms about her every other sentence. She also couldn't wait to see his face when he saw Jason. He was his only grandfather, after all.

"Freddie texted me and said that the pizzas are on their way over to the house right now," Sam said as she got into Carly's car. "You see? This is why I like Freddie's dad more than his mom! She always says this stupid little rhyme whenever I eat pizza around her. 'Cheese, sauce and crust, may be yummy, but they will sure make you have a great big tummy'."

"I can see how that could be unpleasant to hear," Carly laughed.

When the girls arrived at Bushwell Plaza, they let themselves into Spencer's apartment, where they saw Marissa sitting on the couch with Jason while Spencer sat on the rug replacing his shoelaces.

"Hey, Jason, did you miss me?" Sam said, taking her son out of Marissa's hands. "Yeah, you did, didn't you?"

"I just stopped by," Marissa said, standing up. "I thought I'd check to see if my grandson's mind was being stimulated over here, but it wasn't, was it, Spencer?"

"I was reading him and Bryan a board book!" Spencer defended. "But since apparently that wasn't good enough, I thought I'd get caught up on my lacing."

"Are you playing those tapes for him every night before he goes to sleep, Samantha?" Marissa asked. "If Jason's going to grow up to be just as smart at my Freddie, he'll need to observe this stuff subconsciously. If not, his mind wind up with intelligence from his…other genes."

"Yeah, well, I make just as much as Freddie, even with my 'other intelligence genes'," Sam snapped.

"Okay, why don't we get going," Carly said quickly. "If the pizza was on its way, it's probably already back at your place, and you know I hate cold pizza."

"Pizza? Again?" Marissa said disapprovingly. "Remember what I said. Cheese, sauce and-"

"Cool it with that, will you?" Sam said, rolling her eyes, putting Jason in his carrier.

"Where's Freddie?" Marissa puffed. "I'll have a word with _him _about the diet plans going on in his house."

"He's not here, he's already home," Sam told her.

"Why? Is he sick? Is he hurt?" Marissa gasped. "And no one told me?"

"He's not sick," Sam said quickly. "He just got a half day or something."

"Well he could've told me that," Marissa said. "We could've started working on my nature forest puzzle!"

"Hey, I thought today was the day that Mr. Ben-" Spencer began, but Sam quickly elbowed him in the gut.

"What was that?" Marissa asked, frowning.

"Um, so I think Jason was trying to say 'grandma' the other day," Sam said, trying to distract her mother-in-law. "It wound up just being a burp, but, um, it was really close!"

"Oh, I knew my lullabies would have an effect on him!" Marissa said, forgetting what Spencer had just started to say. "Now he's so ahead of the typical development milestones for his age!"

"Yeah, you're a genius," Sam said, struggling to keep the sarcasm out of her voice. "Well, we need to get going, thanks for watching Jason, Spence."

"Wait, I'll come with you," Marissa said, grabbing her purse. "The last time I visited, Samantha, your kitchen was an absolute mess. I'm going to need to give it a scrub if I want to keep bacteria away from my grandson."

"No!" Sam said at once. "I mean-"

"-Spencer wants you to get him up-to-date on his flu shots!" Carly lied quickly.

"What?" Spencer exclaimed, his eyes widening.

Carly and Sam gave him pleading looks.

"Well, if you really need them," Marissa sighed. "I suppose I can get my first aid kit from across the hall…"

"Um I-I guess that will be great," Spencer said shakily. "Thanks, Mrs. Benson."

"Well stay put," Marissa told him. "I'll go find some of my extra-large needles."

The second she shut the door behind her, Spencer turned to the girls.

"You owe me for this!"

"Freddie's the one who doesn't want her to know his dad's here," Sam said. "Take it up with him."

"And I'm sure the shots won't hurt too much," Carly added.

"But needles scare me!" Spencer frowned. "More than those self-flushing toilets at the mall!"

…

"There he is!" Rob Benson said the second Sam and Carly walked through the door of the Benson's house with Jason. "There's my grandson! I finally get to see him in person!"

"Careful with him, dad," Freddie said as his father made to lift Jason out of his carrier.

"Relax, I've held babies before," Rob said, holding Jason in his arms. "Well, none since you, and I was wearing the special gloves your mother made me wear, but still. Hey, Sam, how are you doing?"

"Good," Sam smiled. "This is Carly Shay, my best friend."

"Nice to meet you," Carly said.

"And the same to you," Rob greeted her. "And now that everyone's here, we can all dig into some pizza! I sprang for the kind with the fancy crust!"

"You're a great man," Sam said, hurrying towards the kitchen.

"So," Freddie said as he followed Sam into the kitchen. He picked up the boxes of pizza, minus the one Sam was already starting on, to bring into the living room. "You didn't mention anything to my mom, right?"

"Nope, Spencer almost did, though," Sam said. "But she's giving him flu shots now, so it's all good."

"Alright," Freddie nodded. "If we can just keep her away for a week, we'll be good."

"Baby, you know if we just tell her he's here, she'll stay away on her own," Sam pointed out.

"Yeah, but then she's going to start on me the second he leaves," Freddie sighed. "And anyway, once Lewbert's sisters get here, I'll doubt she'll be coming over anyway."

"Dang, I almost forgot about that," Sam moaned. "I can't believe those three are staying in our house."

"It'll be…interesting," Freddie said.

"Yeah," Sam said, rolling her eyes. "Interesting."


	188. Chapter 188

"Okay," Freddie said, walking downstairs. "There's new towels in the bathroom for Lewbert's sisters and I moved Jason's crib into our room. I think we're ready for them."

"If you say so," Sam mumbled, sitting on the couch playing with Jason.

"Alright, well they shouldn't be here for another three hours," Freddie said, looking at his watch. "So I'm going to shower and then I'll run over to my mom's to return that dish from the beet casserole she gave us and then I'll-"

"Hey," Carly said brightly, walking into the house with Andy behind her. "The sisters here yet?"

"Nope," Sam said. "Thank God. I can't believe how much this weekend is going to suck. I'm stuck with those three nut jobs _plus_ I have to go to my mom and Lewbert's anniversary party. It's worse than going to work!"

"I'm sorry," Carly said sympathetically. "Andy and I actually just stopped by to see if we could borrow Max for a few hours. There's this dog park that Andy's boss wants him to look at."

"Yeah, sure," Sam nodded. "I think he's upstairs somewhere."

"Cool," Carly nodded. "Hey, Freddie, where's your dad?"

"Taking a nap," Freddie replied.

"Do you guys know a big van just pulled into your driveway?" Andy asked, peering out the window.

"What?" Sam frowned, getting up to see for herself. "Crab, Freddie! They're here! You said we still had three hours!"

"I thought we did!" Freddie defended.

"Well, I guess we'll just take Max and run…" Carly said.

"No, please stay," Sam begged. "

"Yeah, we can't deal with them alone," Freddie nodded.

"Look, they're probably tired after their trip," Carly reasoned. "So I'm sure after they say hello they'll just go upstairs and-"

Suddenly the front door flew open.

"I need ice for my bunions!" a large woman exclaimed, marching right into the house and throwing herself down on the couch. "They're beginning to blister!"

"Well I need ointment for my back rash!" another woman, this one smaller than her sister but with several rashes across her body.

"And I need cream for my wart!" said the third sister, who had a large wart scarily similar to Lewbert's on her cheek.

"Um, hello," Freddie said, staring at the women who had just let themselves into his house. "I'm Freddie and-"

"Where's my ice?" interrupted the large woman.

"Shut up, Wenda, I need my ointment!" said the second sister.

"Well I need my cream, Kina, so shut your trap!" screamed the third woman.

"Oh my God," Carly whispered to Sam. "They're horrible!"

"I know," Sam moaned as the women continued to argue. "Hey! Shut up!"

The women fell silent.

"No one's icing anyone's bunions, or rubbing ointment on rashes or touching warts for you three, got it?" Sam said firmly.

"I knew we should've gotten Lewbert to put us up in a hotel," Wenda mumbled. "But no, he has to be cheap just like mother…"

"Okay, well, it was nice meeting all of you," Carly said, picking up Max, who had padded into the living room to check out all the excitement. "Come on, Andy, we should get to the dog park before it gets too dark."

"Thanks a lot, Shay," Sam mumbled as Carly and Andy hurried out of the house with Max.

"So," Freddie said. "Why don't you three let me help you bring up your bags-"

"About time," Lewberta snapped, throwing a large duffle bag at Freddie.

Sam was about to open her mouth to yell at the woman, but before she got a chance to, the front door of the house opened again and Marissa walked in.

"Mom!" Freddie yelled in surprise, dropping the bag. "What are you doing here?"

"Well _somebody _promised me he'd bring by my casserole dish," Marissa replied. "If that somebody wants more of my famous beet casserole, then he'd better learn to-Oh, hello. I didn't know you had guests."

"Um, yeah, these are Lewbert's sisters," Sam said quickly. "They're in town for my mom's and his anniversary party this weekend."

"Oh…I see," Marissa said, pursing her lips at the mention of Lewbert's name. "Well then, I'll just be on my way."

"Okay, well, bye," Freddie said. "Drive safe and-"

"What a refreshing nap," Rob Benson said, yawning as he came downstairs.

"Robert?" Marissa frowned, her eyes widening.

"Oh no," Freddie sighed, looking at Sam.

"Marissa?" Rob said. "I didn't know you'd be here."

"What are _you _doing here?" Marissa demanded.

"He's visiting to see Jason, mom," Freddie explained. "We want Jason to get to know his grandfather."

"But I'm a perfectly good grandparent, he doesn't need two!" Marissa pointed out.

"Is anyone going to take our bags up?" Lewberta said loudly. "And my wart's beginning to throb!"

"Well I can see my grandparenting services are being replaced," Marissa huffed. "I suppose I'll just go back home and live out the rest of my lonely life…"

"Mom, come on, you're being ridiculous," Freddie sighed.

"Well then, I'll just go be 'ridiculous' where I'm more wanted," she said firmly as she turned on a heel and stormed out of the house.

"Chiz," Freddie mumbled. "I guess I should go after her…"

"What? And leave me here with the three whack jobs?" Sam hissed. "No way!"

"Well do _you _want to go after her?" Freddie asked. "Besides, you're not going to be alone; my dad's here."

The couple turned back around to see that Lewbert's sisters where now on their feet, surrounding Freddie's father.

"So," Kina said. "You've got a lady friend in your life?"

"Um, no, not at the moment," Rob said uncomfortably.

"Well we can fix that…" Lewberta grinned.

"Look, I'll be back as soon as I can, and then I promise I'll help you get things sorted out here," Freddie told Sam.

"Fine," Sam sighed. "But hurry!"

…..

Freddie walked back into his house at a little after one in the morning. The living room was empty, and the house seemed quiet, so he assumed Lewbert's sisters had gone off to sleep.

He headed upstairs to his and Sam's room. Sam was sitting on their bed, feeding Jason.

"You said you'd be quick," Sam said as he slid off his shoes and collapsed on the bed next to her. "You've been gone nine hours, you know."

"I know, I'm sorry, baby," Freddie yawned. "But you know how my mom is. Apparently, by housing my dad here, I'm choosing him over her, even though she's the one who carried me for eleven months. It took forever to finally convince her that she shouldn't just pack up her things and move to a retirement home in Florida."

"You _stopped _her from doing that?" Sam frowned. "Freddie!"

"Sam, I can't make my mom move to Florida," Freddie said, rolling his eyes. "So how were things here?"

"How do you think?" Sam asked. "Although I do have to say, it was pretty funny watching your dad get hit on my three disgusting women. But I had to cook for them, and apparently they're all vegans. Do you know what I was forced to make in the same oven that I cook my hams?"

"What?"

"Some weird tofu thing!" Sam exclaimed. "It tasted like rubber! I'm starving still, I could barely swallow it."

"Well, it will be over soon," Freddie told her. "And then you'll never have to be near tofu again."

"I'd better not," Sam said, wiping Jason's chin.

"Here, I'll put him in his crib," Freddie said, taking Jason from his wife.

"Thanks," Sam yawned, getting underneath the covers.

Freddie gently placed Jason in his crib and returned back to his bed.

"You know," Freddie said softly as he turned off the lamp next to the bed and slid his arms around Sam's waist. "I've got to say, I'm impressed with how well you handled yourself with Lewbert's sisters today. I would've thought you'd get out the butter sock or something."

"Don't think I wasn't considering it," Sam said. "But I figured I'd try and behave….for now. But one more night of tofu just might break me."

"Don't worry, we'll be eating dinner at your mom's place tomorrow," Freddie pointed out.

"That's true," Sam agreed. "At least we can get the crazies out of here."

"Exactly," Freddie said, kissing her temple. "It'll get better, Sam."


	189. Chapter 189

"So what time are we supposed to be at your mom's place?" Freddie asked, making his and Sam's bed.

"I think she said the party's starting around noon," Sam called back from the shower. "So I say we get there at one, stay for _maybe _an hour and then come back here to enjoy some peaceful Lewbert-sister free time."

"Baby, you can't ditch your mom's anniversary party," Freddie said.

"Sure I can," Sam said, turning off the shower and wrapping a towel around her body. "We can just tell her Jason's not feeling good or something like that."

"How about this," Freddie compromised. "We go, on time, and if you're absolutely, 100 percent miserable after an hour, even with all of your cousins and…odd family members, we'll leave."

Sam sighed. "Fine."

"I'll get Jason ready," Freddie said, picking the infant up out of his crib that was now standing against the window in their bedroom as Sam began to get dressed.

"Good, I'm going to run down and cook me some bacon," Sam said. "Before Lewbert's sisters wake up and demand some weird tofu meal."

Sam headed into the kitchen and grabbed a package of bacon from the fridge. She was just about to dump the contents into a frying pan when she heard her front door open.

"I smell bacon," Pam Puckett said, letting herself into the house. "You'd better be making me a plate, kid."

"Don't you have a party to be setting up for?" Sam asked.

"That's why I'm here," Pam said, pouring herself a glass of orange juice.

"What do you mean?" Sam frowned.

"Well if the party's here, obviously I'm going to be setting up here," Pam said, rolling her eyes. "Use that brain of yours, Sammy."

Sam nearly dropped the frying pan. "You're having the party here?"

"I told you that," Pam said simply.

"No you didn't!" Sam exclaimed. "When?"

"When we went out for dinner at Mama's Italian Meat House."

"You've _never _taken, me there," Sam said firmly.

"Hmm, must've dreamed it then," Pam shrugged. "Oh well."

"You can't have it here," Sam said. "It was bad enough that I had to go to _your _place to celebrate your marriage to the man with the biggest wart in history, I'm not about to host the event!"

"Too bad, I already gave everyone your address," Pam said. "Hey, I'm gonna go use your shower."

"But you-" Sam started, but her mother had already began heading up the stairs, passing Freddie, who was carrying Jason, on her way.

"Dude, you'll never believe this," Sam said, taking Jason from her husband. "Apparently, my mom told everyone that the party's going to be over here."

"What?" Freddie said. "Why?"

"I don't know, because she loves making things difficult," Sam shrugged, getting a bottle from the fridge for Jason.

"Okay, okay, we can handle this," Freddie said.

"Freddie, why do you have to be so dang optimistic?" Sam snapped. "We already have three freakish women staying with us, your dad, and now a whole group of my relatives _plus _more of Lewbert's relatives. How is this going to be okay?"

"Look, we'll just…have to deal with it, okay baby?" Freddie said.

"How are we supposed to deal with this?" Sam pointed out.

"It won't be that bad," Freddie assured her. "You're mom said she got food from that deep-fried diner, right? So the food's taken care of. Most of your relatives aren't allowed to be out after ten because of their parole officers, so they won't be here _too _late, and I'm sure if you call Carly, she'd be more than happy to come over here and decorate."

"I guess if you put it that way, it doesn't sound _too _terrible," Sam mumbled. "You know, it's sort of annoying when you're all perky like this."

"Yeah, but you know you love it," Freddie grinned, leaning down to give his wife a kiss.

"Maybe," Sam chuckled.

Just then, the front door was thrown open.

"Good morning neighbors!" Jack called, walking in with Jill. "Guess what? We heard that crazy-looking lady while we were taking out our trash. She was saying something about a party here!"

"And you know Jack and I are the biggest party animals around," Jill added cheerfully. "Won't this be great? A whole day together at a party!"

"Okay, even _I _can't deal with this," Freddie mumbled to Sam.

…..

"Well, that was…interesting," Carly said as the last of the party guests headed out the door at a little past ten that evening.

"I can't believe I survived that," Sam moaned, throwing herself down on the couch. "Man, and the place is a mess now. Freddie, you're going to have a lot of work cleaning this up tomorrow."

"You're not going to help him clean?" Carly asked.

"Pfft, no," Sam scoffed.

"You know Sam and cleaning," Freddie said, rolling his eyes. "Anyway, I guess I'll go pick up Jason from my mom's place before it gets too late. "

"Alright," Sam yawned.

"Hey, I should probably head home," Carly said as Freddie left. "I need to be up early; Andy's taking me fishing."

"But you hate fishing," Sam pointed out.

"Well yeah, it's smelly and icky," Carly cringed. "But Andy looks so cute in his little fishing hat."

"Have fun," Sam laughed.

"So did everyone leave?" Carly asked, getting to her feet. "Or are there still people in the yard or something?"

"No, I think we got rid of everyone," Sam said. "Freddie's dad's still out with his college friend, and Lewbert's sisters went to bed. And I think I'm going to head up and-"

"Well that was one fun-tastic party, wasn't it, Jack?" Jill asked, walking through the sliding glass door from the backyard. "I don't think I've had this much fun in years. Not since my knitting group fell apart."

"You said it, Jill," Jack agreed. "So what's next on the agenda, Sam? The party can't stop so early."

"And you can stay and party with us too, Carly," Jill said. "Just because we're a bit…closer to Sam than you may be, doesn't mean you'd be a third wheel to all of our fun."

"Oh, that's okay," Carly said quickly. "I'm going fishing in the morning, so I think I'll just head home and-"

"Fishing?" Jack exclaimed. "Jill and I love fishing!"

"We sure do!" Jill nodded.

"Well that's…nice," Carly said. "So I'll just be going now and-"

"Why don't you come with us back to our house and we'll show you are collection of lures?" Jack said eagerly.

"And we can show you our Finnish fishing rod!" Jill added.

"Yeah, Carls, you should go," Sam said.

"Sam!" Carly hissed.

"Well then let's go!" Jack said, grabbing Carly by the arm.

Sam smiled to herself as Carly was dragged off by her neighbors. She'd have to remember to make it up to her…eventually.


	190. Chapter 190

**AN-Hey Jessica, if you're still reading this, I didn't respond this way the first time because I didn't know if you wanted everyone to see this, but since you said it was okay, here it is:**

**Yes, this was my first iCarly fanfic (I had written a few other fanfics for Harry Potter and Recess), and I didn't plan on it being this long, but I got so many nice reviews telling me to keep going so I just did!**

**A lot of times the ideas just sort of pop into my head, or I'll kind of build on something I see happen on a television show. **

**I'm 18 years old, and I just started my first year of college. I haven't written a book report in a LONG time, but when I did, I assure you, I did not enjoy doing it. And yes, I love iCarly and am very sad to see it ending. **

**Oh, and you're not a nub for not knowing what happened it chapter 60. If you're the age you say you are, I'm very glad you didn't, lol. **

**Hope that answered all your questions!**

…

"Alright, it's finally leaving day!" Sam said happily. "Lewbert's sisters are getting _out _of the house!"

"I know, I can't wait," Freddie agreed, changing Jason on the couple's bed. "But a couple hours after they leave, we have to go drop my dad off at the airport, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember," Sam nodded. "You know, I didn't mind having _him _here. He didn't try and make me rub ointment on his feet…"

"Those women _were _horrible," Freddie sighed, passing Jason to Sam. "Here, why don't you go take Jason and see if they're all ready to leave while I finish getting dressed."

"They'd better be ready to leave," Sam said, taking her son in her arms. "Or I'm kicking them out the door on my own."

Sam headed downstairs and heard the three voices of Lewbert's sisters drawing from the living room. However, the voices didn't sound whiny and annoying as they usually did. In fact, they sounded downright pleasant.

"So I really just take a dab of oatmeal and put it on my face while I sleep?" said Lewberta.

"And this strawberry yogurt face mask will really get rid of all my wrinkles?" Kina asked.

"Oh yeah," came Carly's voice. "It's a miracle worker."

"Carly?" Sam said, frowning at the sight of her best friend huddled together with Lewbert's sisters in the middle of her living room. "What are you doing here?"

"Hey," Carly smiled, looking over at Sam. "I just stopped by to get my purse I left here last night."

"She's teaching us handy little home-beauty treatments," Wenda explained. "I know it may not look like it, but even us three need some help sometimes."

"No kidding," Sam said. "Carls, you want to come help me with a thing over here?"

"Sure," Carly. "Be back in a second, ladies!" She followed Sam into the kitchen. "What's up?"

"What are you doing?" Sam hissed.

"Um, helping three appearance-disturbed women," Carly said.

"They're supposed to be leaving!" Sam said. "Not sitting around the living room having a lame little spa day!"

"First of all, spa days are _not _stupid," Carly said. "And if you would actually _do _them with me, you'd see that. And I'm not having a spa day with them; I just came by and they were up packing and I happened to look into their very empty cosmetics bags and offered them a few tips."

"Fine, help them look less hideous, though I'm sure that's a loosing battle," Sam said. "But just make sure they're gone! They said they were hitting the road at eleven, and that's when I want them out!"

"Will do," Carly nodded. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go share the wonders of exfoliating face cream."

….

It took Sam and Freddie some time to get their house back in order after all the commotion of having Freddie's dad and Lewbert's sisters stay, plus having to host a party, but within a week, the Benson's had fallen back into a normal schedule.

On a morning shortly after Lewbert's sisters had left, Sam slowly opened her eyes and yawned, looking at the clock on her bedside table. It was a little after ten; probably the latest she had ever gotten to sleep in since Jason had been born. She looked over and saw that Freddie's side of the bed was empty.

_The nub must've decided to be nice and take care of Jason on his own this morning_, Sam figured. She was just about to go back to sleep when the bedroom door opened and Freddie, carrying Jason in one arm and a large tray in the other, walked in.

"Good, you're finally up," Freddie said, setting Jason down on the bed.

"You made me breakfast in bed?" Sam smiled as she took Jason and set him in her lap as Freddie put the tray, which was filled with assorted breakfast meats and pancakes, in front of her.

"Well yeah," Freddie grinned, giving her a quick kiss. "You _do _know what today is?"

"Um, Sunday?"

"Sam," Freddie laughed. "It's Mother's Day."

"Oh yeah, I'm a mom now," Sam said, taking a bite of her bacon.

"Uh-huh," Freddie nodded. "So me and Jason spent all morning making you this breakfast in bed."

"Aw, you helped daddy cook?" Sam said, kissing the top of Jason's head. The infant happily cooed in response, playfully pulling the ends of Sam's hair.

"And here you go," Freddie said, handing Sam a sheet of construction paper with two very small purple hand prints on it. "I found some finger paint and figured I'd have Jason make you a little something. He wound up making a huge mess downstairs, but I handled that."

"Thank you, Jason," Sam laughed, setting the paper on her bedside table. "I love it."

"And from me," Freddie said, handing Sam an envelope.

"You got me something too?" Sam frowned. "Dude, I'm not _your _mother, you know?"

"I know," Freddie said. "But you're the mother of my child, so I thought I should still get you something. Just open it, will you?"

Sam rolled her eyes and tore open the envelope.

"Two tickets to Pie-mania?" Sam exclaimed excitedly.

"Yup," Freddie said proudly. "The nation's biggest pie festival. You can try over 200 types of pie _and _compete in a huge pie-eating contest, which we all know you would dominate it."

"Shoosh yeah I will," Sam said. "When is this?"

"This afternoon," Freddie replied. "I have Jason's stroller all packed up, since babies get in free, so when you're done eating and get dressed, we can leave."

"Baby, this is the best," Sam said. She looked down at Jason. "And you, Jason, get to see your mommy eat ten times the number of pies as 500-pound truck drivers."

…**.**

**AN-So….who wants to hear how Seddie helped me in chemistry? Well I had to memorize a bunch of symbols on the periodic table, and I kept getting confused between the symbols for lead (Pb) and Palladium( Pd). And then I remembered that Palladium is the seddie element (Mrs. Benson offered Freddie a 100,000 bar of pure palladium to break up with Sam, but he refused), and Seddie has a d in it.**

**So yeah, that's my lame little story **


	191. Chapter 191

**AN-Sorry for the long waits for updates, I've just got a lot going on with college and what not. And hi again, Jessica! To answer your other two questions…I go to the University of Florida. And English is absolutely NOT my best subject. In fact I'd consider it one of my least favorite subjects. I like reading and writing, but not the kind of stuff that they make you do in the classes. I guess I sort of like math classes the best, but my major is Psychology at college. Hope I answered your questions!**

…**..**

"Hey," Carly smiled, walking into Sam and Freddie's house. "You guys ready to go yet?"

"Freddie's still getting dressed," Sam yawned.

"Okay," Carly said, pouring herself a cup of coffee. "So, how was your mother's day yesterday? Freddie told me he had something planned for you."

"We went Pie-Mania," Sam grinned. "And I brought home first place in three different pie-eating contests."

"Three?" Carly frowned. "Jeesh, how many pies did you eat?"

"The grand total was 28," Sam said proudly.

"I don't think I'd be able to move if I ate even two pies," Carly cringed. "But I'm glad you had fun."

Suddenly, there was a short cry from Jason's playpen in the living room.

"That kid's been up all night," Sam yawned, heading into the room.

"Is he sick again?" Carly asked, following Sam.

"Nah," Sam replied, picking up her son. "You see how his gums are sort of red? Freddie and I think he started teething."

"Wow, really? Isn't he sort of young for that though?" Carly said.

"Nah," Sam shrugged. "Apparently the book that Freddie's been reading from his mom says some baby's start as early as four months, and Jason's already six months." She walked over to the fridge and got out a teething ring and placed it into Jason's mouth.

"Freddie's the one reading the books?" Carly asked, amused. "Why am I not surprised?"

"Hey, I read one," Sam said. "While I was pregnant. I grew this kid for nine months, I don't need some stupid book to tell me what to do now."

"I guess that makes sense," Carly shrugged. "Hey, I just got a subscription to Jetfix last night. Why don't you leave Jason with Freddie after work and come over and watch some movies with me?"

"Can't," Sam sighed. "I promised Melanie I'd help her go over a bunch of annoying paperwork to try and get my mom a new parole officer since apparently the one she has know has been stealing Frothy's cat food."

"What would he be doing with cat food?" Carly frowned.

"Apparently it's a big selling item online," Sam replied. "If you want to come by Melanie's place and hang out there…"

"As tempting as it sounds to fill out your mother's parole paperwork," Carly smiled. "I think I'll pass. I'll just call Andy and we'll watch something together instead. He's really into action movies, but I think I can convince him to watch a nice romantic comedy instead."

"Gross," Sam cringed. "Andy must really be into you if he's going to watch that chiz over an action flick."

…..

"I don't even know what this means," Sam moaned. "Why can't we just tell the police chief to find mom a new parole officer?"

"Because mom's gone through three already this year, and he's getting annoyed with her," Melanie explained. "So he's making us find her one this time."

"Well then just find her one already," Sam yawned. "I'm tired!"

"It's eight thirty," Melanie pointed out.

"And your point is?" Sam said, getting up and heading to the kitchen. "Do you have anything decent to eat here at least?"

"There's some ice cream in the freezer," Melanie replied. "Now come help me look through these parole officer pages. Man, who knew there were this many in Seattle?"

"Pick the first one," Sam said, spooning out a spoonful of ice cream.

"Sam, we can't just pick someone at random," Melanie said, rolling her eyes. "He's going to be in charge of making sure our mom doesn't wind up in prison. We can't just get any guy for that job."

"Whatever, shouldn't Cody be here doing this?" Sam asked. "He's a lawyer, isn't he?"

"He's an _accountant_," Melanie corrected her. "And he's at a meeting. Okay, I think I found someone who looks pretty normal."

"Finally," Sam sighed. "Its only been two hours. So are we finally done?"

"I think so," Melanie nodded. "This guy doesn't seem to have anything weird going on with him. I'll send him an email first thing tomorrow morning."

"Good, I can go home and sleep," Sam said.

"Um, actually," Melanie said. "I wanted to talk to you about something first."

"For the last time, I'm not going with you to that lame twin convention just so you can try and meet the Olsen twins," Sam said. "Just watch them on _Full House _reruns like the rest of America."

"I wasn't going to ask you that," Melanie said.

"Oh," Sam said. "Then what's up?"

"Well, I went to the doctor's with Cody this morning," Melanie said. "And it turns out that I'm pregnant."

Sam's eyes widened. "For real?"

"Yeah, I'm seven weeks along," Melanie smiled.

"Holy chiz, that's awesome!" Sam exclaimed. She hugged her sister.

"Did you just willingly hug me?" Melanie laughed.

"Don't get used to it; it's a special occasion," Sam said.

….

"Hey," Freddie said as Sam walked back into the house later that night. "I just got Jason down. Those teething rings are really helping."

"Good," Sam said, sitting down on the couch next to him.

"So did you find your mom a new parole officer?" Freddie asked.

"Yeah, we did," Sam nodded. "And guess what? Melanie is pregnant."

"Are you serious?" Freddie said. "That's great!"

"Yeah, it is," Sam agreed. "Soon Jason can have a little cousin around."

"We should get together some of Jason's old stuff," Freddie said. "So she can use it. At least until we need it again."

"Again?" Sam frowned.

"Well, I-I just thought that, you know, maybe, sometime down the road, we might want to have another baby," Freddie mumbled. "I know we never really discussed it, but it was just a thought."

Sam smiled. "You'd really like that?"

"Well it'd have to be something we'd both want, obviously," Freddie said. "But yeah, I would. I always got lonely as an only child."

"I think another one would be sort of fun," Sam said, resting her head on Freddie's shoulder. "But not for a _long _time. It's hard enough having one kid in diapers, I'm not about to be dealing with two."

"Agreed," Freddie smiled. "But someday…"

"Yeah," Sam said softly. "Some day."


	192. Chapter 192

**AN- Hi again, Jessica! Were I am right now for school, there isn't really a beach nearby, but I'm originally from S. Florida, and I went to the beach fairly often. But honestly it's so rainy where I'm from, that beach days aren't as common as you'd think. And I've lived in Florida my whole life, so I'm used to the hot summers; I usually lie out and get a tan or do things inside when it gets ridiculously hot. Anyway, hope that answered your questions!**

…**..**

"Just do it!"

"No!" Gibby protested.

"Come on, I'll even pay you," Sam said. "One whole buck. That's such a deal for you!"

"You want me to stick my hand down your garbage disposal for a dollar?" Gibby frowned. "That's a rip off!"

"Dude, I need you to do it," Sam said. "I dropped Jason's baby spoon down there and he'll probably be hungry when he wakes up."

"So use another spoon."

"The other four that we have might be stuck down there too…" Sam mumbled. "Just do it, Gib."

"Why can't Freddie?"

"Because he's out helping Carly buy a new pearbook," Sam explained. "Now quit yapping and put your hand down that pipe, will you?"

"Fine," Gibby conceded. "But I want you far away from the switch that turns the garbage disposal on. The last thing I need is for my hand to be ripped to shreds…Not when I'm so close to finally fitting into my size seven gloves."

"I'm not going to turn the garbage disposal on, Gibby," Sam said, rolling her eyes.

Gibby rose an eyebrow.

"Okay, okay," Sam sighed. "I'll go into the living room. Happy?"

"Not really."

"Just do it, you freak," Sam snapped, heading into the living room. She settled herself down on the sofa and began flipping through channels on the T.V. She had just begun watching a rather graphic documentary on the methods of Do-It-Yourself home stitches when Melanie walked though the door.

"Hey," Melanie smiled, sitting down next to her sister. "I just came back from mom's."

"You told her about the baby?" Sam asked.

"Uh-huh," Melanie nodded. "She told me to make sure it's a girl, so that she can give me all of our old baby stuff she still has in storage."

"She still has that stuff?" Sam frowned.

"Evidently she was supposed to trade it to some guy she met on the Internet a few years ago for some sort of sequined bikini, but he changed his mind at the last minute," Melanie explained.

"Probably saw mom and decided the world didn't need to see her in it," Sam said.

Melanie laughed just as the front door opened again and Carly and Freddie entered.

"Hey, you got your pearbook?" Sam asked Carly.

"Yeah, after two hours," Carly said. "Your husband spent forever debating with the sales guy about the advantages of the new hard drive!"

"He was trying to rip you off!" Freddie defended. "You would've paid 500 bucks more for the new hard drive when all it does is-"

"But the laptop was such a nice shade of purple!" Carly said. "It was a lot more glossy looking than this one."

"You don't buy a computer because it looks glossy," Freddie said, disgusted. He turned to Melanie. "Hey, Sam told me the news last night. Congratulations!"

"Thanks," Melanie grinned.

"What news?" Carly asked.

"Well," Melanie said. "I just found out a few days ago that I'm pregnant."

Carly's eyes widened. "W-Wow, Melanie, that's-that's great! This is so exciting! Another half-Puckett baby!"

"Hopefully we can all handle that," Freddie smiled.

Just then a cry emitted from the baby monitor sitting on the coffee table.

"I'll get him," Freddie said. "Oh, did you ever get those spoons out of the garbage disposal so we can feed him?"

"Gibby's on it now," Sam replied.

As Freddie hurried upstairs, Melanie's phone beeped.

"Oh, it's Cody," she said, looking at her pearphone screen. "We're driving to his parents place today to tell them the news too."

"Have fun," Carly said.

"Thanks, I'll see you guys in a few days," Melanie replied.

Once Melanie had left, Carly sighed and sat down on the couch.

"What's up?" Sam frowned.

"Nothing's up," Carly said.

"Come on, Shay," Sam said. "Either learn to lie better, or tell me what's going on in that brunette head of yours."

"It's stupid," Carly mumbled.

"Carly, you know I'm gonna get it out of you eventually," Sam sighed. "Why make this difficult?"

"It's just," Carly started. "Everyone's having babies but me!"

"What?"

"First Spencer and Ella had Dina and Bryan," Carly said. "And that wasn't too bad. I mean, they're way older than us, of course they'd have their kids first, that's what I always expected. And then you and Freddie had Jason, and now Melanie's having a baby. That's everyone but me! I know it's terrible, and totally selfish, but I just feel…jealous."

"Carls, you're being ridiculous," Sam said. "It's not a contest, you know."

"Yeah, well, if it was one, I'd be loosing, wouldn't I?" Carly pointed out.

"Come on, you're not even 24 yet! Most people our age are just starting out in their jobs and chiz," Sam said. "Freddie was telling me about some study on the news that said that most people don't even have kids until their thirties now! You have plenty of time!"

"But I'm not even married yet," Carly said.

"You haven't even been dating Andy for a year, kid," Sam reminded her. "Slow down."

"Hey, Sam!" Gibby called from the kitchen. "I think I have the last spoon! All need to do now is pull it up…Ah! My arm's stuck!"

"Oh my God," Carly moaned. "Are you aware that _Gibby _, could have a kid before me? Gibby!"

"Okay…that's sort of a scary though," Sam admitted. "But Carly, I still don't see why you're freaking out. I mean, you still get to do all the things that Freddie and I can't do, and soon Melanie won't be able to do them either."

"Like what?" Carly muttered.

"Like have a life," Sam said. "You know what me and Freddie did last Friday night? We stayed home and watched six straight hours of _Boy Meets World_, getting up a million times to either change Jason or feed him! We haven't gotten to go out and do something in months!"

"Really?" Carly frowned.

"Yeah," Sam nodded. "Don't you remember, me and Freddie couldn't even go to that party from work because we had to take Jason to his check up? Plus, with babies, you don't sleep. Ever."

"I thought Jason was beginning to sleep through the whole night almost," Carly pointed out.

"Yeah, but that kid still feels the need to wake up before six most mornings," Sam said darkly. "Look, I love Jason, but seriously, you should just worry about you right now, not about the fact that Gibby may or may not have a kid before you."

"You're right," Carly smiled. "Thanks, I needed that pep talk."

"Yeah, it's weird being on this side of one of those," Sam said.

"Can somebody please help me?" Gibby yelled from the kitchen. "My arm's still stuck and I'm beginning to loose feeling in it!"

"Well, I'm going to take a shower," Sam said, getting to her feet.

"You're not going to help Gibby?" Carly asked.

"That monkey got his arm stuck in there himself," Sam said. "He can get it out too."


	193. Chapter 193

**AN-Hi again, Jessica. Well…I'm relatively average height, not too tall, not to short (though I'd love to be taller). My worst professor is my professor online. It's not even that she's mean or tough, it's just that her directions are very unclear. Other than that, my professors are fine. I am the oldest of four children; I have two brothers and a sister who are triplets. They're very annoying at times, but seeing as I'm living five hours away from them right now, I do miss them. My parents absolutely did not give me everything I want. I mean I got stuff I wanted, but obviously not everything, which is understandable. Hope I answered everything.**

**And…Hi Seddie4ever! There will be a few big seddie moments (or at lease I think) in coming chapters. Also, depending how long I keep the story going will determine whether or not I get a chance to give Sam and Freddie more children. If for some reason I end this story before I do (which I'm not planning to, just speaking hypothetically), I will definitely include any future kids in a nice epilogue. **

…**.**

"Hey," Sam said, walking into the living room with Jason in one hand and her pearphone in the other. "We have a pretty decent wad of cash in the bank, right?"

"Um, I guess," Freddie nodded. "Of course we _did _have to dip into our savings to pay for the thirty pounds of raw hamburger meat from Sweden that you ordered."

"Tell me those weren't the best hamburgers you ever had, though," Sam said.

"They were good, but I still think paying _that much _for meat is insane," Freddie replied.

"I'll pretend you did _not _just say that."

"Why are you asking how much we have in the bank anyway?" Freddie asked.

"Because," Sam said, sitting down next to him, transferring Jason to his lap. "Look what I just found on the Internet."

She handed him her pearphone.

"What is this, exactly?" Freddie frowned.

"It's a gorilla brain!"

"What?"

"You know that really, really smart gorilla they used to always show on the news," Sam explained. "Kingy? He could do puzzles and solve math problems and a bunch of other things?"

"Um, sure?" Freddie nodded.

"Well he just died like, two weeks ago," Sam continued. "And they're selling his brain in a jar! Look at how big that thing is! Holy chiz, I bet if you shook it, it would jiggle!"

"And you want to buy this?" Freddie asked.

"They just put it up on this auction site a few hours ago," Sam said. "It's a pretty intense bidding war."

"This can't be right," Freddie said, looking at the screen. "It says the bid's up to 53,921 dollars."

"Hmm, it went up five dollars since I last looked at it," Sam said.

"Sam, we can't afford to pay all that money for the brain of a gorilla," Freddie said, handing his wife back his phone.

"Think of it as an investment," Sam said.

"An investment for what?" Freddie asked.

"Um, well, if we get it, I'd promise to…stop using your toothbrush."

"You use my toothbrush?" Freddie exclaimed.

"Calm down, it's not like you've never had my spit in your mouth," Sam said, rolling her eyes.

"Well yeah, but-" Freddie started.

"And if it bothers you so much," Sam said, cutting him off. "Then just let me take enough out of our savings to win the gorilla brain auction and I'll stop."

"Sam, come on, we can't buy a gorilla brain," Freddie sighed. "We need to start saving for college for Jason, plus we have a mortgage, bills, taxes-"

"But we could have a gorilla brain!"

"Baby…" Freddie said.

"Ugh, fine," Sam snapped, getting up in a huff. "But whenever whoever does win that auction successfully clones that gorilla gets rich off of it, I'll bet you'll feel really bad about this."

"No one's going to clone a gorilla, Sam," Freddie said, amused.

"We'll see," Sam said, heading towards the stairs. She turned back to Freddie. "Oh, and just for the record, that _thing _I promised you we'd do tonight after we got Jason down…not gonna happen."

"Wait, what?" Freddie frowned.

"You heard me, Fredgut," Sam said, smirking. And with that she headed up the stairs.

"Well Jason," Freddie sighed as Sam disappeared upstairs. "Looks like I'll be hearing about this for a _long _time. But you know, I've got to say I'm impressed she even asked me before she took out that money. Your mommy normally would've just gone ahead without even talking to me. I'd say she's improving."

Jason, who had previously been playing with the collar on Freddie's shirt, spotted one of his toys laying on the floor by the coffee table, and began to reach his arms out for it.

"You want your toy?" Freddie smiled. He set the infant down on the floor, and Jason happily crawled over to the stuffed hippo. He had only learned to crawl a week ago, but he was already racing all over the house, so Freddie made sure to keep his eyes on him.

"A gorilla brain," he muttered to himself as Jason picked up the toy. "What kind of person would want that? I mean, it's probably going to start to decompose after awhile, unless they've put it in that special solution that-Holy chiz! Jason!"

Jason, who had been sitting up by the coffee table, had suddenly pulled himself up into a standing position, holding onto the ledge of the coffee table for support.

"Oh, man!" Freddie grinned, jumping up. "Jason, you're practically standing on your own! Sam! Hey, Sam!"

"I'm still mad at you, Fredfry!" Sam called back down from upstairs.

"No, Sam, Jason just pulled himself up!" Freddie said, pulling out his pearphone and quickly pulling up the camera. "You have to see this!"

"Are you serious? No way!" Sam yelled. Freddie heard footsteps running upstairs, but a second later, Jason lost his balance and fell onto the floor by his stuffed hippo.

"He seriously pulled himself up?" Sam said, running down the stairs and into the living room. She frowned at the sight of her son sitting on the floor. "Freddie! You nub, you tricked me!" She punched him, hard, on the shoulder.

"Ow! I didn't trick you, Sam!" Freddie exclaimed, massaging his shoulder. "You just missed it. Here, I took a picture." He handed her his pearphone where had managed to capture a picture of Jason holding onto the table just before he fell.

"Oh my God, he actually did it," Sam said. "He pulled himself up all by himself?"

"All by himself," Freddie nodded. "Isn't that awesome? That should mean in a few months he'll be walking!"

"Yeah," Sam sighed, falling back onto the couch. "Awesome."

"What's the matter?" Freddie asked, sitting down next to her.

"I just missed my son pulling himself up for the first time, that's what's the matter!" Sam said.

"Baby, don't worry, he'll do it again," Freddie said, putting a comforting arm around her.

"But it won't be the first time," Sam moaned. "He'll never do it again _for the first time._"

"Aw, Sam, there will be other firsts you'll be there for," Freddie told her. "The first time he walks, the first time he talks…"

"But you'll always be one ahead of me in seeing them, because of this," Sam said.

"Is it a contest?" Freddie chuckled.

"Sort of," Sam smiled. "So until he starts walking, I think it's only fair that you wear a blindfold, so you won't see him walking until he's already done it for me."

"Yeah, like that will happen," Freddie said, rolling his eyes.

Sam put her head on his shoulder. "I still can't believe I missed it."

"Hey, like I said, there will be plenty more firsts," Freddie said, kissing the top of her head. "I promise."

…

"Unbelievable," Sam yawned, walking into the kitchen Saturday morning, heading straight to the coffee maker. "How messed up is it that Carly and I have to go into work on a Saturday?"

"I've gone into work on a Saturday before," Freddie reminded her.

"This is so jank," Sam mumbled, pouring coffee into a thermos. "Work on a Saturday? Isn't that illegal?"

"Plenty of people work on Saturday's, baby," Freddie smiled, giving her a quick kiss. "Besides, it's only for this Saturday. You'll be home by five, and then you and I can spend the rest of our Saturday doing something more enjoyable than work."

"Maybe I can rope Carly into babysitting for us tonight so we can try and go out for a change," Sam said.

"That would be fun," Freddie nodded. "But seriously Sam, you need to get going or you're going to be late."

"Okay, okay, keep your pants on," Sam said. She grabbed her bag from the counter. "There's a bunch of bottles in the fridge for Jason, and I just bought some more jars of baby food, they're in the cabinets."

"I got it, I got it," Freddie said.

"See you later," Sam yawned, leaning up to give Freddie a kiss. "Work on a Saturday…Ridiculous."

After Sam left, Freddie headed upstairs to Jason's room, where the infant was sitting up in his crib, putting his foot in his mouth.

"Hey, buddy," Freddie smiled, taking him in his arms. "Mommy had to run into work today, so it looks like it's just going to be you and me today."

Freddie got Jason dressed and changed and then headed downstairs. He was just about to get a bottle out of the fridge for Jason, when there was a knock at the door.

"Hold on, Jason," Freddie said, setting his son down on the living room floor by a pile of his toys. "I'll be right back."

He headed to the door and opened it to find Gibby and Spencer standing on his front porch.

"Hey, what's up?" he said as he let the two in.

"Um, did you forget what today is?" Spencer frowned. "It's bowling day! We're having that big practice so we can be in top shape when we take on the senior center next week!"

"Yeah, we have to win," Gibby nodded. "That one old lady still hits me with her cane whenever she sees me. Just because I accidently dropped her dentures in the mud…"

"Oh man, I forgot about that," Freddie sighed. "I can't go, Sam had to go into work today, I'm watching Jason."

"What?" Spencer exclaimed. "But this is important!"

"Look, I'm sorry, but I just can't go," Freddie said.

"Great, so we're just supposed to loose against the seniors?" Gibby said. "Come on, Freddie, don't do this to us!"

"Guys, I told you, I'm sorry," Freddie said. "But I can't just take Jason to the bowling ally for the whole afternoon; it's noisy and dirty. Hey, I know, why don't we just practice here?"

"You built a bowling ally in your house?" Gibby said. "Dude, that's awesome!"

"Um, no," Freddie said. "We can use that virtual bowling game Sam gave me for our anniversary last year!"

"Yeah, nice thinking, Freddie," Spencer nodded. "And this way I won't have to worry about finding another screw in my bowling shoes!"

"Cool, I'll go set the game up," Freddie said.

Freddie, Gibby and Spencer quickly got lost in the virtual game. Even after two hours, they were still going strong.

"Alright," Freddie said, carefully adjusting his controller. "If I can make this strike, I'll take Gibby's lead."

"Hey, wow, look," Spencer said. "Jason's standing up!"

"Huh? Oh, yeah," Freddie said, quickly glancing over his shoulder at Jason, who had just pulled himself up using the coffee table. "He just started doing that last week…Okay now, let's line this up…"

Suddenly, there was a loud thump, and Jason started wailing.

"What happened?" Freddie said, jumping in surprise.

"I think he fell," Spencer said.

"Poor guy," Gibby said as Freddie picked up the crying child. "I fell this morning trying to get my belt on…"

"Uh-oh, guys," Freddie said, trying to sooth Jason, who was now crying hysterically. "His lip's really bleeding bad…Quick, someone go get me a towel or something!"

"I'm on it," Gibby said, hurrying into the kitchen.

"He must've hit it on the corner of the coffee table when he fell," Freddie said. "Shhh, it's okay, Jason."

"Freddie," Spencer said seriously. "That looks pretty bad."

"It does?" Freddie frowned, worry in his voice. He began using the collar of his shirt to soak up some of the blood coming from Jason's lip.

"It looks like the lip might have split," Spencer said, leaning over to get a closer look.

"Split?" Freddie repeated, his eyes widening as Gibby ran back into the room with a damp cloth. "What do we do? Is he going to be okay? What do we do?"

"Calm down, calm down," Spencer said. "We just need to take him to the emergency room so they can stitch up his lip."

"The emergency room?" Freddie said weakly.

"It's just a few stitches," Spencer assured him. "Now come on, let's get going. We can take my car."

Nodding, Freddie followed Spencer out of the house.


	194. Chapter 194

**AN-Hey again, Jessica. It's not really anything special, at least to me, having triplets as siblings. They're just my brothers and sister who happen to all be the same age. Hope I answered your question!**

…**..**

"Four stitches," Freddie mumbled to himself as him, Gibby and Spencer walked back into the house. "I can't believe he had to get four stitches!"

"Hey, I got ten stitches that time I fell off the rocking horse," Gibby pointed out. "And nobody freaked out over me."

"Yeah, because you were seventeen when that happened," Freddie snapped, holding a now sleeping Jason in his arms. "What kid already has stitches before he's even a year old?"

"Good point," Gibby nodded. "That's some pretty lousy parenting."

"Dude!" Spencer exclaimed.

"What?" Gibby frowned.

"Guys, look, Sam's going to be home any minute," Freddie sighed as he started up the steps to Jason's room with Spencer and Gibby following him. "And quite frankly, she's going to murder me-"

"Hey, you don't know that, it was an accident," Spencer said.

"Okay, then _you _tell her about this," Freddie said.

"Um, no, I'd rather not," Spencer said quickly.

"Exactly," Freddie said, laying Jason down in his crib.

"Well, maybe Sam won't even notice," Gibby said, looking down at the infant.

"Gibby," Freddie said, shaking his head. "His lips all messed up. Anybody could notice that from a mile away!"

"Do you want me to make you feel better or not?"

"At least he finally went to sleep," Freddie said as the men closed Jason's door behind them and headed back down to the living room. "So I'll have a few hours before Sam finds out."

"Come on, Freddie, you're over reacting, like I said," Spencer said. "Sam won't-"

Just then the front door opened and Sam walked in.

"Well bye," Spencer said at once. "I've got to go."

"Yeah, me too," Gibby nodded. "I've got to re-paint my pants."

"Um, what was that all about?" Sam frowned, throwing her bag on the floor as Spencer and Gibby rushed out of the house.

"Um, you know, they're Gibby and Spencer," Freddie said. "So, er, how was work?"

"Sucky," Sam said. "Saturday's weren't meant for work. Oh, and I tried to get Carly to come over and babysit for us tonight, but she has a date with Andy, so it looks like we're stuck here."

"Oh, well, hey, we can find someone else besides Carly," Freddie said quickly. "Why don't you call Melanie? She needs the practice looking after babies."

"Nah, her and Cody are up at Cody's parent's lake house," Sam said.

"Oh, well, what about your mom and Lewbert?" Freddie said.

"Um, no, not happening," Sam said. "Last time my mom watched Jason I came back to her trying to get him into a onsie that said 'My Grandma's Got Her Groove On'."

"My mom?" Freddie said hopefully.

"I thought she was working," Sam said. "Dude, it's not that big of a deal. We can go out some other time."

"Yeah, right, some other time," Freddie said. "Hey, I know, we can have a romantic dinner right here, because you know you look way too beautiful today to not do anything about it."

"Um, okay," Sam frowned.

"So you just sit down," Freddie said. "And I'll cook us something."

"Hang on, I just want to go see Jason first," Sam said, heading towards the stairs. "I haven't seen him all day and-"

"No!" Freddie exclaimed, jumping in front of her so she couldn't get up the stairs. "I mean…You had such a hard day of work, you should just rest. Jason's fine, just put him down for a nap."

"Alright, but I just want to check on him," Sam said, trying to get past Freddie.

"You see him all the time though," Freddie said. "You know he looks the same."

"What's the matter with you?" Sam frowned, shoving her way past him. "You're acting weird."

"Weird? No, not me," Freddie said, running after Sam as she went upstairs. "Wait, Sam!"

"What?" Sam said just as she was about to open Jason's bedroom door.

"Are you sure you don't want to go out? We can always call a babysitting service and have someone come over."

"You want to leave Jason home with a complete stranger?" Sam said, rolling her eyes as she opened the door. "That's how like, half of those scary movies start."

She walked over to Jason's crib as Freddie braced himself for what was sure to come.

"Hey, Jason," Sam whispered, leaning down to look at her son in his crib. "Are you up? Are you-" Then she paused. "Freddie? What's wrong with his lip?"

"His-His lip?" Freddie said, coming to Sam's side. "I don't see anything wrong with his lip. Nope, looks just fine."

"It's all swollen and red," she said.

"No, I think you're-"

"Holy chiz!" Sam hissed, looking closer at his lip. "Those are stitches!"

"Stitches?" Freddie said in mock shock. "That's not right. Maybe-"

"What. Happened?" Sam said in a scarily soft voice.

"Um, okay, before I tell you," Freddie said, backing away slowly. "Just know that it was a total accident and that I-"

"Freddie!"

"Okay, okay," Freddie conceded. "Jason pulled himself up with the coffee table like he's been doing all week while Spencer and Gibby and I were using that virtual bowling game and, well, he-he sort of fell and I guess he split his lip on the corner."

Sam's eyes widened. "He _split his lip_?"

"But he's fine now!" Freddie said quickly. "We took him to the emergency room and-"

"The emergency room?" Sam repeated. "He had to go to the emergency room!"

"Yes, and he got four stitches, and the doctor said he'll be fine," Freddie said. "We need to bring him back in a few weeks to get the stitches removed, and she gave this ointment to put on his lip, but he'll be fine."

"He will _not _be fine," Sam snapped. "You broke my baby, Fredward!"

"I did not _break _him," Freddie said.

"You're supposed to be the responsible one, you know," Sam said.

"Sam, come on," Freddie said. "Don't you think maybe you're over reacting a little?"

"No I do not," Sam said. "Poor Jason…in the emergency room…he must've been so scared."

"He was fine, I told you," Freddie said. "He stopped crying right after they stitched him up and-"

"Stitched him up?" Sam frowned. "Dude! You make it sound like they were fixing a teddy bear! Look, I need get something to eat…All this yelling is making me more hungry than I already was. Try not break Jason even more."

"I didn't break him!" Freddie called after Sam as she left the room.

….

"That ointment for Jason's lip smells disgusting," Sam said, walking into her and Freddie's bedroom. "_And _it got all over my fingers. I don't know why I'm the one stuck dealing with this gross stuff since I'm not the one who deformed our child."

She looked over at Freddie, who was lying on their bed, staring up at the ceiling.

"Are you even listening to me?" Sam said, crossing her arms. "I'm _trying _to reprimand you letting a seven-month old rip open his lip."

"Huh?" Freddie said, looking over at her.

"What have you even been doing in here all night?" Sam asked, pulling on of Freddie's oversized shirts that she slept in and climbing into the bed next to him.

"You're right," Freddie sighed.

"Um, okay," Sam said. "About what?"

"I _did _break Jason," Freddie mumbled. "I can't believe it…he has _stitches_, Sam!"

"Yeah, I know," Sam nodded. "I saw them."

"And it's all my fault," Freddie said softly.

Sam frowned. She couldn't remember seeing Freddie looking this down in a long time.

"Well, I mean," Sam began. "Maybe it's not-"

"I'm really bad at this whole thing, aren't I?" Freddie said.

"Bad at what?" Sam asked.

"Being a parent."

Sam blinked. "What? Freddie, that's not-"

"Yeah it is," Freddie sighed. "I mean, don't you remember when he was first born, Jason wouldn't even let me hold him without screaming until you came. That should've been a sign."

"Hey, he did that for everyone," Sam pointed out. "And he got over it!"

"And now I go and just let him split his lip open," Freddie continued. "What kind of parent does that? I know I'm supposed to be the responsible one and everything, but none of this stuff happens when you're with Jason. I guess you're just a better parent than I am. Lucky for Jason; at least he's got one parent who knows what she's doing."

Sam sighed. "Baby, come on, you're bing ridiculous-"

"No, I'm not," Freddie said.

Sam rested her head on Freddie's shoulder. "You remember two weeks ago, right after Jason started crawling, when you went to go help Carly and Spencer set up a video chat with their dad and left me here with Jason?"

"Sure," Freddie nodded.

"Well," Sam said. "Jason was playing in the living room, and I was hungry, so I went into the kitchen to make myself a sandwich, and when I came back, Jason was gone."

"You lost him?" Freddie frowned.

"I thought so," Sam said. "I was totally freaking out. I looked all over the living room, in the bathroom…I was just about to call you when I looked inside the hall closet and there he was, playing with a bunch of old shoes."

"You never told me that," Freddie said.

"I am now," Sam shrugged.

"Well, at least he didn't have to go to the hospital," Freddie pointed out. "He was just playing in the closet."

"Dude, do you know how dusty and dirty that closet it?" Sam asked. "He could've gotten sick in there! Plus there's a bunch of things that he could've gotten hurt with in there!"

"But he didn't."

"Look," Sam said slowly. "You're not a bad dad, Freddie. You take such good care of Jason. Plus you still _are_ the responsible one. I mean, you're the one who started that savings account for his college, and is already looking into preschools for him…I'm sorry I made such a big deal about his lip when I got home."

"You were right to make a big deal, though," Freddie said.

"Honestly, Freddie, now that the whole shock of it's over," Sam said. "It really _wasn't _your fault. I mean, you couldn't stop Jason from falling, even if you had your eyes glued to him the whole time. He's been pulling himself up all week and nothing's ever happened. I wouldn't have thought anything of it if I was the one watching him."

"Really?" Freddie asked.

"Really," Sam nodded. "Ella was telling me a few days ago that once babies start crawling and stuff, they're bound to get into more things and get hurt like that. And like you said, Jason's going to be fine."

"Thanks, Sam," Freddie smiled, kissing her temple. "But you know what? First thing tomorrow I'm still going out to the store and buying padding to put on the edge of the coffee table and side tables in the living room."

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea," Sam nodded. "And to think, I laughed at your mom when she told me we should've done that months ago."

…..

**AN-Hey, fun fact. My school's football team, University of Florida, is going to play Miranda Cosgrove's school, University of South Carolina, tomorrow, Oct. 20****th **!** I was really excited when I found out **** As much as I love Miranda, though, I'll still me cheering on my gators! **


	195. Chapter 195

**AN-Hi, so sorry about the long wait. And also, I'm really embarrassed that I thought Miranda went to University of South Carolina. She goes to the **_**other **_**USC, University of Southern California, lol. Oh well…Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**Oh! And has everyone seen that new Seddie pic Dan just released! We still have hope, people!**

…

"All right, Jason," Sam said, setting the infant in his high chair. "Time to eat. Let's see what we have…"

She opened up the cabinet door where her and Freddie kept the jars of baby food. "Looks like you're having mashed up chicken and mashed up spinach…sorry about that, but daddy's the one who makes us buy vegetables. But hey, I promise, if you eat all this, you can have some of this weird apple cobbler baby food. Actually, apple cobbler sounds pretty good right now…I might have some myself."

She tied Jason's bib around his neck and opened one of the jars.

"Hey, Sam, you home?" Carly asked, letting herself into the house.

"In the kitchen," Sam called back, spooning the baby food into Jason's mouth.

"Man, it's getting pretty cold out there," Carly said, walking into the kitchen as she shrugged her jacket off.

"Well it _is _October," Sam reminded her.

"Well, at least this means I can go shopping for some cute new winter clothes," Carly said. "Hey, Jason! Wow, his lip looks a lot better."

"Yeah, Freddie and I went to get his stitches out yesterday," Sam nodded. "He still has a tiny scar, but you can hardly notice unless you look really closely."

"That's good," Carly smiled. "Hey, do you know when Melanie's due date is?"

"Um, I think it was sometime in the beginning," Sam said. "Why?"

"I wanted to start planning her baby shower," Carly said. "I was reading this magazine in the dentist's office yesterday, and I found all these cute ideas we could use when we're planning-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Sam said. "I have to help plan?"

"Um, yeah," Carly nodded. "She's your sister."

"But I hate planning things," Sam moaned.

"Come on, how about I let you pick out the cake and all of the food?" Carly said.

"Ugh, you know my weakness, Shay," Sam sighed. "Fine, I'll help."

"Good," Carly said happily. "So I'm thinking maybe we should start going over a guest list now, and we can narrow it down later this week and then we could-"

"Yoo-hoo," came a voice as the front door of the house opened again. "Anyone home?"

"Crab, that's Jill," Sam whispered. "Carly, why didn't you lock the door behind you?"

"You _never_ lock your door!" Carly defended.

"Well you could've started!" Sam retorted.

"Hey, hey, how are my girlfriends doing?" Jill asked, joining Carly and Sam in the kitchen.

"You did _not _just say that," Sam frowned.

"Um, hi, Jill," Carly said politely. "How are you?"

"Oh I'm swell," Jill said chipperly. "I've just had the best time cleaning out our guest room with Jack. It's amazing how many things you can find when you clean out a room. I found a box of my old high school yearbooks and boy, let me tell you, it sure was a lot of fun looking at pictures of me in the superlatives page. Guess which one I won?"

"Most likely to grow into an annoying-" Sam started, but Carly interrupted.

"Which one?" Carly asked.

"Most likely to be on medication by the time I'm thirty," Jill laughed. "My classmates were a bunch of jokesters, weren't they."

"Oh yeah, they didn't know _what _they were talking about," Sam said sarcastically.

"So, why were you cleaning out your guestroom?" Carly asked, giving Sam a be-nice look.

"Oh, my cousin's coming to stay with Jack and I for a few weeks," Jill replied. "She just got out of Troubled Waters. It's a shame, she's been in there since she was a teenager. Her doctors are finally letting her move out after nearly eight years. But, she's looking forward to spending time with Jack and I, so I'm sure she'll have a blast here."

"Troubled Waters?" Sam said. "So crazy _does _run in your family?"

"So funny," Jill laughed. "Isn't she, Carly?"

"Um, yeah," Carly nodded.

"Well, I just popped by to say hey," Jill said, looking at her watch. "But I have to run. I know, I know, so sad. But I'll stop by some other time and the three of us can give each other manicures, won't that be fun? Well, toodleloo!"

"I wonder what her cousin's like," Carly said as Jill headed out of the house. "Can you imagine being locked in a mental hospital that long? The poor girl really must be excited to get out."

"Yeah, probably," Sam shrugged. "But it's hard to imagine _anybody _being crazier than that whackjob."

….

"Tell me again why we're watching this movie?" Sam said. "It seems stupid so far. The guy's stuck in one of his dreams, big deal."

"Just wait, it gets better," Freddie said. "There's a surprise ending."

"Either way, I'm picking the movie next time," Sam said, picking up Jason, who had been playing with one of his toys on the floor next to the sofa. "You have terrible taste in movies."

She crinkled her nose as she set Jason on her lap.

"Here," she said, handing Jason over to Freddie. "Go change him."

"Why me?" Freddie asked. "If you hate this movie so much, you shouldn't mind getting up to take care of him."

"Because I don't want to," Sam said simply.

"Fine," Freddie sighed, hitting the pause remote on the remote. "But can you at least take out the trash? I think it's so full that there's no room for me to even put Jason's dirty diaper after I change him."

"You know, you're just lucky I'm such a good wife," Sam said, getting to her feet and heading to the kitchen to grab the trash bag. "You should think of that next time you make me watch a lame movie."

"It's not lame!" Freddie defended.

"Yeah, and you're not a nub," Sam said, shaking her head.

She headed out the front door with the trash bag and headed to the front curb where the trashcan sat.

"Sam!"

Sam turned around and Saw Jill walking over to her.

"Great," Sam mumbled.

"Good news," Jill said once she reached Sam. "My cousin got here early! She's inside unpacking with Jack now. You can meet her a whole day early!"

"Yeah, that's _wonderful_ news," Sam said. "But actually, I'm in the middle of a really important thing for work right now, so I can't. In fact, it will probably last… how long's your cousin staying with you?"

"Two weeks," Jill replied.

"Yup, it will probably be going on for two weeks," Sam said. "Darn. Looks like I won't get to meet her. But you have fun hanging out with-"

"Oh my God! No way, no way!"

"Oh, look, there my cousin is now," Jill said, nodding over to a brunette girl that was running over from across the street.

Sam blinked. "She's-she's your cousin?"

"Yeah," Jill nodded.

"This can't be happening," Sam said in disbelief. "Your cousin's really-"

"I can't believe this, Jill," Jill's cousin said, reaching the two, catching her breath. "You live right across the street from one of the iCarly's?"

"Yes indeed," Jill nodded. "Sam, I'd like for you to meet my cousin, Nora Dershlint."

"Oh, we know each other," Nora grinned. "We go _way _back, right Sam?"

"Yeah, back to when you trapped me and my friends in your creepy basement," Sam frowned.

"Well what a small world," Jill smiled. "Well now we _have _to hang out. Sam, you can let that work of yours wait for one day. Why don't Nora and I go grab Jack, and then we can go catch up over some tacos?"

"Oh, yeah, that sounds like oodles of fun," Nora nodded. "And bring Carly and Freddie too! We can take pictures together and I can show them to Maurice the Fourth! He's Maurice's great grandson, by the way. Poor Maurice…he passed away trying to run out of Troubled Waters…And I can tell you guys all about what I've been up to for the past seven years! This is going to be the best day _ever_!"

"It sure is," Jill nodded. "Wait right here, Sam. We'll be right back!"

Sam said nothing as she watched the two women run back to the house. The second they were our of sight, though, she ran back into her house.

"Freddie!" she called out. "Freddie, come on, we have to go!"

"Go where?" Freddie asked, walking into the room with Jason. "We still have over an hour left of the movie!"

"Nora's here," Sam said urgently. "Across the street. She wants to get tacos with us."

Freddie's eyes widened. "What? Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure!" Sam snapped. "Now come on, we have to get out of here now!"

"Drive," Freddie said, tossing Sam her car keys from the kitchen counter. "Let's move!"


	196. Chapter 196

"Whoa, what's up with you guys?" Spencer frowned as Sam and Freddie barged into his apartment.

"She's back," Sam said, setting down Jason's carrier.

"Who's back?" Carly asked getting up from the couch where she had been playing with Bryan.

"Nora," Freddie said.

"Dershilint?" Carly exclaimed.

"Yes, her, she's the only Nora who would freak us out this much, isn't she?" Sam said.

"Wait, _how _do you know she's back?" Spencer asked.

"Carls, you remember the other day how Jill was telling us about her cousin who was going to be staying with them?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, the girl at Troubled Waters," Carly nodded. "But what about-Oh. Wait, she's-"

"She's Nora's cousin," Sam nodded.

"So we have to hide out here for awhile," Freddie said. "I am _not _going to have that lunatic trying to kiss me again!"

"Yeah, sure," Spencer said. "Man, I can't believe Nora's really your neighbor's cousin."

"Seriously, what are the chances of that happening?" Sam said. "That family's just a mess. Worse than mine."

"And that's saying something," Freddie agreed.

"At least Max isn't a puppy anymore," Sam said. "Hopefully he'd scare her off if she tries to come into the house."

"Max is the sweetest dog in the world, he wouldn't hurt a fly," Carly pointed out.

"Well if _someone_ would've let me send him to guard dog school," Sam said, shooting Freddie a glare.

"Sam, sending a dog after Nora is not the answer," Freddie said, rolling his eye.

"So you want to just get harassed by her while she's here?" Sam said.

"I didn't say that, I just mean-"

"Then let me go to the dog pound, find a big enough looking dog and-"

"You can't bring a gigantic dog into the house with a baby living there!" Freddie told her.

"Then you stay here with Jason and I'll-"

"Sam, no, you can't get a guard dog to go after Nora," Carly said.

Sam crossed her arms. "Fine."

"Wow, she listens to you, Carly, but not me," Freddie said, shaking his head.

"Carly's not a nub," Sam mumbled.

"You guys can stay here for the week, if you want," Spencer offered.

"You mean that?" Freddie asked. "Spence, that'd be awesome."

"Yeah, it's no problem, assuming you two don't mind the pullout sofa," Spencer said.

"Hmmm, pullout sofa or dealing with a crazy psychopath," Sam said in mock thought. "I think I'll take the sofa."

"We should probably just run home and get some clothes and things," Freddie said.

Just then Jason let out a cry from his carrier.

"Oh man, he's probably hungry," Sam said, picking her son up. "And we didn't bring him anything…Spence, do you have formula he could drink?"

"No, sorry, ever since Bryan got off the stuff, we haven't gotten any," Spencer replied.

"Can't you just nurse him?" Carly asked.

"Nah, we just weaned him off that," Sam said. "Once he started to get teeth, it really hurt. Crab, he hasn't eaten in a few hours…"

"It looks like we'll have to bring him home with us, grab some formula and bottles and feed him really quick," Freddie said.

"We?" Sam frowned. "No, no, no. How about just you do it?"

"Well, okay," Freddie shrugged. "Just _let _me get attacked by a crazy psychopath whose life goal eight years ago was to kiss me and-"

"Fine, I'll go," Sam snapped. "But we're going to drive by the house first and see if their car is in their driveway. If it is, we'll just go to the store and buy everything."

"Deal," Freddie nodded.

"Good luck," Carly called as the couple headed out.

…..

"All right, I don't think they're home," Freddie said as he slowed the car in front of Jack and Jill's house. "Their lights are off and their car's gone."

"Okay, let's just be quick," Sam said as Freddie pulled into their driveway. "You go get us some clothes and stuff, and I'll feed Jason and grab his diaper bag. We're in and out in five minutes, got it?"

"Got," Freddie said, opening the car door. "Let's go."

But no sooner had the couple gotten out of the car did they hear a loud shriek behind them.

"There you are! I knew you'd be back soon!"

Nora, who had been sitting, hidden, behind a bush in Jack and Jill's front yard, jumped up and began running over. "And Sam! You brought Freddie over! How nice! Wow, he looks just as hot as I remember."

"He lives here, Dershlint," Sam snapped.

"Oh, so you're roommates," Nora nodded. "I had a roommate at Troubled Waters, but for some reason, she left after only one day and went to live with someone else…"

"Actually, we're married," Freddie said, jerking his arm, which she had just began to stroke, out of her grasp.

"What?" Nora stammered.

"Yeah, married," Sam snapped, taking Jason out of his car seat. "So if you know what's good for you, you'd better get away from him."

"Ohh, a baby!" Nora said, suddenly forgetting her anger and running over to Sam. "I _love _babies! Hi, baby, aren't you just a cute little-"

"_Get _away from him," Sam said, narrowing her eyes.

"Look, Nora, you locked us in a _basement_," Freddie said, quickly stepping between Sam and Nora. "Maybe it would just be best if you went back to your cousin's house and left us alone. We really don't want any trouble and-"

"So you guys still don't want to be friends?" Nora frowned, stepping back.

"Why the _heck _would we want to be friends with you?" Sam said. "You're _insane_."

"She just means," Freddie said. "That, well, after you hold people in a basement for forty-eight hours, it's sort of hard to get past that and become friends. Which is why I think you should just go back and-"

"Oh, but we can still be friends," Nora said, her eyes widening. "I promise! In fact, I've got cookies in the oven right now! Friends share cookies, right? Let me just run and get you some!"

"We don't want your cookies!" Sam called after Nora as the girl ran back towards Jack and Jill's house.

"Let's just get our stuff quickly and head back to Spencer's," Freddie said, shaking his head.

"Yeah, okay," Sam sighed. "But you know, if we had a guard dog, this wouldn't be happening right now…"


	197. Chapter 197

"How many batches of cookies are you going to make?" Sam asked Carly, watching as Carly slid yet another tray of chocolate chip cookies into the oven at Spencer's apartment.

"Well, how many did you make?" Carly asked, wiping her hands on her apron.

"What do you mean? Why would I be making cookies?" Sam frowned.

"Um, because for that potluck at work, you and I both got put down for cookies," Carly said. "Remember?"

"Oh, so you're alright just loaning me some of yours?" Sam asked hopefully.

"Sam!"

"What, I forgot!" Sam defended.

"Just buy some, that's what I do whenever I get roped into bringing snacks for Dina's preschool class," Ella said from the sofa.

"Smart thinking," Sam said thoughtfully. "I'll tell Freddie to get me some when he goes out today."

"What am I doing?" Freddie asked, walking downstairs.

"After you go to the movies, can you grab some cookies from the store for this potluck at work I forgot about?" Sam asked.

"I didn't get invited to any potluck," Freddie frowned.

"Well, the writing department's not really a fan of the editing department," Carly said. "So we generally don't invite you guys to things. I've tried talking to them, telling them you guys aren't that bad, but well, I want people to like me."

"So how many other things are there at work that I don't get invited to?" Freddie said, crossing his arms.

"If it makes you feel better, I don't go to most of the things, baby," Sam said, patting his shoulder.

"Really?" Freddie smiled. "Thanks."

"You went to the fudge bake off we had," Carly pointed out. "And the barbeque, and-"

"Carly, remember how I said 'don't bring those up again'?" Sam snapped. She turned back to Freddie. "Well, I don't go to anything that doesn't involve food."

"Hey, Freddie, I thought you were going to the movies with Gibby?" Spencer said, walking out of his bedroom.

"I am, now that I know I don't get invited to anything else," Freddie mumbled, looking at his pearphone. "He just got here; he's on his way up."

"Well, I'm going to give Jason his bath," Sam said, lifting her son out of his playpen by the couch.

"Have fun," Carly said as Sam and Jason headed upstairs. She turned to Freddie. "So what are you and Gibby going to see?"

"We're deciding between either that movie about guy who loses his hand and gets it replaced with a lazar, or the one about the couple who finds out there daughter is a ghost," Freddie replied.

There was a knock at the door.

"Dude, see the one with the ghost daughter," Ella said. "I heard the lazar one's lame, and the special effects suck."

"See, that's what I was telling Gibby," Freddie said as he walked across the room to open the door. "But he still thanks-AH!"

"What?" Gibby frowned, stepping into the room once Freddie opened the door.

"Freddie!" Nora, who had been standing right behind Gibby shrieked, running towards him and throwing her arms around him.

"Whoa, Gibby, why did you bring her here?" Carly exclaimed.

"Carly! Oh my God, oh my God, you look so pretty!" Nora said, letting go of Freddie and running over to her.

"Stay back," Carly said, holding the wooden spoon that she had been using to stir her cookie mix.

"Gibby, why did you bring her here?" Freddie hissed at Gibby.

"Why, you know her?" Gibby frowned. "I just met her at the gas station. She recognized me from iCarly, can you believe that?"

"You _met her before_!" Freddie said, shaking his head. "Don't you remember? That's Nora! That psycho chick who locked us in the basement! We sent you that birthday email and you came and fought with her so you could rescue us! I _told _you she was back in town; that's why Sam and I are staying over here!"

"Sorry, I just thought she was a fan of my work," Gibby said, crossing his arms. "Excuse me for thinking that I had admirers."

"And Spencer!" Nora shrieked, running over to give Spencer a hug.

"Um, please let go, crazy psycho chick," Spencer said, grimacing as Nora threw her arms around his waist.

"Oh, who's this?" Nora said, spotting Ella, sitting on the couch. "Are you a new friend of the iCarly's? I don't know who you are."

"Yeah, let's keep it that way," Ella said.

"Look, Nora, is there a reason you're here?" Carly asked. "Because everyone in this room is still _very _upset with you."

"I know, that's why I'm here," Nora said. "I know that _maybe _you guys got the wrong idea about me when I locked you in my basement and-"

"Oh, no," Freddie said, his voice dripping in sarcasm. "We all just loved the experience of being in your basement against our wills for forty eight hours."

"Oh, you did?" Nora said, breathing a sigh of relief. "Because I thought-"

"He was being sarcastic!" Carly exclaimed.

"Yeah, Nora, I already told you the other day," Freddie said. "I know you want to be friends with us, but I don't think it's a good idea. There's just too much…tension."

"But-But you guys, we can still be best friends," Nora said. She ran back over to Carly. "Please, Carly, you're the nice one. Won't it be fun to go shopping together and do each others hair and-"

"No!" Carly said. "And if you know what's good for you, you'd get out of here before Sam comes back downstairs."

"Hey!"

Right one cue, Sam came downstairs with Jason in her arms.

"What's _she _doing here?" Sam snapped, handing Jason to Freddie.

"Gibby forgot who she was and brought her up here," Carly explained.

"Oh wait, this is _Nora,_" Gibby said in sudden understanding. "Oh yeah, I remember her now. She made me rip my good boxers!"

"How many times do I have to tell you to stay away from us?" Sam said, stepping over to Nora.

"This is about to get _good_," Spencer whispered, sitting down next to Ella on the couch.

"For the last time, we're never going to be your friends," Sam said. "You're nuts. You should've never been let out of that mental hospital! You need to be locked up for the rest of your life! Just go back to your cousin's house, or better yet, go someplace that is no where _near _us, or I'm going to get out my butter sock and do five times the damage Gibby did to you when we were down in that basement."

"Five times?" Gibby frowned. "I was pretty tough back there. _Maybe _you could do twice the damage, possibly three times, but-"

"Gib, I will hit you with brick if you don't shut up," Sam said.

"So-So you're saying you _don't _want to be friends?" Nora frowned.

"Yes, did that finally get through your skull?" Sam said.

Nora let out a shriek and grabbed Carly's wooden spoon from her hand and broke it in half. "Fine! We _won't _be friends! But you iCarlys are going to pay the price! You'll see!"

And with that, she threw the remains of Carly's spoon onto the floor and stomped out of the apartment.

"Well, there was no need for her to take that out on my poor spoon," Carly said.

"At least she finally got the message," Freddie said, giving Sam a kiss. "Nice going, baby. Looks like we're done with her."

"What do you guys think she meant by saying we'll pay a price though?" Spencer asked.

"Oh my God, she's probably going to trash our house!" Freddie said, his eyes widening.

"Well then you guys can call the cops on her," Carly pointed out. "And then she'll get locked in jail, hopefully for awhile."

"Yeah, I guess that's true," Freddie nodded.

"Now then, I need to go buy a new wooden spoon," Carly said. "I can't believe that psycho made me slow down my baking operation!"

…

"I'm never playing Monopoly again!" Spencer pouted as Ella and Freddie began to clean up the game.

"Well maybe if you didn't suck, you would have more fun," Sam pointed out, happily flipping through her pile of fake cash.

"I don't suck, the rest of you just cheat!" Spencer said.

"How did we cheat?" Freddie asked, amused.

"You-rigged my…dice rolling," Spencer said lamely.

"Uh-huh," Freddie said, rolling his eyes as he picked up his laptop. He turned to Sam. "I'll run over to the house to feed Max after I check my email real quick."

"Oh, are you going to see if you won the auction you were in for those _Galaxy Wars _lunchboxes?" Spencer asked.

"No, Sam made me drop out of it," Freddie mumbled.

"Why would you do such a thing, Sam?" Spencer gasped.

"Because if that nub won't let me bid on a gorilla brain, he's not getting his junk either," Sam said.

"Even though these lunchboxes cost about 1/16 the price of that gorilla brain," Freddie said, logging onto his email. "And aren't nearly as gross and-uh-oh."

"What?" Ella asked.

"I have an email," Freddie said. "From _Nora_."

"Well don't open it!" Sam said. "It's probably some virus!"

"No, it doesn't have any attachments, it's a video message," Freddie said.

"Well play it then, let's see what this nutjob wants," Sam sighed.

"Okay," Freddie said, pressing the play button.

"Good evening, iCarlys," Nora said on the video. "I know today you said some…hurtful things. But I've decided to give you one more chance to be my friends."

"Oy," Sam said. "What do we have to do to get through to her? Tattoo 'We don't like you' on her arm?"

"Some kids tried to do that to me in summer camp one year," Spencer said. "Wasn't my best time."

"And this time," the video continued. "I suggest you think about your decision wisely. Because if I don't like what I hear back…you'll never see this little guy here again." She bent down out of the frame and came back up holding a black lab.

Sam and Freddie gasped. "Holy chiz!" Sam exclaimed. "She has Max!"


	198. Chapter 198

"That's it," Sam said, jumping up. "That chick's gone too far!"

"Yeah, what kind of person steals someone's _dog_?" Freddie said. "You realize to get Max, she would've have had to _break into our house_?"

"Well here's your perfect opportunity to call the cops on her," Carly pointed out. "If you guys press charges on her, she'll go to jail and she'll be out of all our lives forever."

"Yeah, but if we call the cops, who knows what she'll do to Max," Sam said.

"Oh crab, that's right," Freddie said. "I wouldn't put anything past her."

"So what are you guys going to do?" Spencer asked.

"We're going to go find her and beat her so hard that she has no choice _but _to give me my dog back," Sam snapped.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Carly said. "Sam, we've been over this. You're a _mother _now. You can't just go around beating people up anymore. You can get into serious trouble."

"Yeah, do you really want to have Jason visiting you in prison?" Freddie asked.

"No," Sam mumbled. "But we have to get Max back somehow!"

"We will, just stay calm," Carly said. "Man…I can't believe Nora would stoop this low. Kidnapping a sweet little dog? That's just cruel!"

"Yeah, you would've thought that mental hospital would've straightened her out," Freddie said.

"Wonder if she was as psycho to the people in Troubled Waters as she is to you guys," Ella said.

"She _did _say that the room mate she had at the beginning of the stay switched out on her," Sam said.

"Well you can't blame her," Carly said. "I mean if _I _had to share a room with Nora, no matter how crazy I already was, I'd go even more insane! You know, maybe that's Nora's problem. She didn't have any real friends in high school and she couldn't even meet anybody in a mental hospital."

"Yeah, you know, maybe if she could find just one person who wasn't totally freaked out by her…psychoness," Freddie said. "I'd bet she'd at least leave us alone."

"What are you talking about? She has Jack and Jill!" Sam pointed out.

"Yeah, but they're family," Freddie said. "That doesn't really count."

"I can't believe you guys are sitting here making excuses for Nora stealing Max!" Sam exclaimed. "Who cares if she has no friends?"

"We're not making excuses," Freddie said. "Believe me, I'm furious at Nora for everything she's done. I'm just saying that if she had someone in her life, maybe she'd be less psycho, and we'd never have to deal with her again."

"So you want us to find some poor soul for Nora to be with?" Sam frowned.

"Well that'd be nice," Carly said. "Because otherwise, that chick's never going to rest until she forces us to be her BFF's. But I really don't think we'd be able to find anyone psycho enough to take her off our hands."

"So we're just stuck with her?" Freddie said. "I don't think I can handle that."

"Hey!" Spencer said suddenly. "I know someone perfect to hang around Nora! Someone just as evil and twisted and psycho as she is!"

"Who?" Sam asked excitedly.

"You'll see," Spencer said, running to the apartment door. "Come on, we have a dog to save!"

….

"Alright, well, she should be in there alone," Sam said into her phone as her and Freddie stared at Jack and Jill's house from their car parked at the end of their street.

"You sure?" Carly said on the other line.

"Yup, Jack and Jill both have their cars gone," Sam nodded.

"You ready with him, Spence?" Freddie asked into his phone.

"Yeah, we're ready, let's just get this over with," Spencer said on the other line from his own car parked right behind Sam and Freddie's. "Tell Carly to get this show on the road!"

"Carly's heading to the door now," Sam said, hanging up her own phone. "Let's just hope this works…"

….

Carly walked up the front walkway of Jack and Jill's house and rang the doorbell.

"Who's there?" Nora demanded from inside.

"Um, it's Carly," Carly replied.

"Carly Shay, I've been expecting you," Nora said, opening the door. "What can I do for you?"

"Look, Sam and Freddie want their dog back," Sam said.

"If they didn't want to loose their dog, they should've been friends with me!" Nora said, crossing her arms.

"Nora, I know you really want to be friends with all of us," Carly said. "And…I admit, maybe we were a bit…_harsh _with you before-"

"I'll say," Nora said.

"_Anyway_," Carly continued, biting her tongue. "Like we've been telling you; it just can't work out between us."

"Well then tell Sam and Freddie that they won't be getting their dog back anytime soon!" Nora said, starting to slam the door shut in Carly's face.

"Wait!" Carly said.

Nora held the door open. "Yes?"

"Maybe you can't be friends with Sam, Freddie and me," Carly said. "But everyone, even you, Nora, deserves to have _somebody _to be friends with in their lives. So…how about I make you a deal? You give Sam and Freddie their dog back-"

"Why would I do-" Nora started.

"-And we'll introduce you to a friend," Carly finished.

Nora blinked. "You-You will?"

"_If _you agree to give Max back," Carly said firmly. "So, do we have a deal?"

Nora contemplated this. "Okay…I'll give the dog back. _But _I want to meet this friend first."

"Fair enough," Carly said. "And just so we're clear. Once you have this friend in your life, there's going to be no reason for you to harass Sam, Freddie or me, right?"

"No, I suppose not," Nora sighed.

"Good," Carly said brightly. She pulled out her phone. "Okay, Spence," she said, holding the phone up to her ear. "Bring him up."

"Him?" Nora repeated, perking up. "You brought me a _boy_?"

"Sure did," Carly nodded. "He used to live in Spencer's apartment building, but he's getting ready to move to Oklahoma. He-He's not really a fan of us, so you two should be able to bond over that."

"Here we go," Spencer said, walking up the walk way with a short man. "Nora, meet Chuck Chambers. The epitome of evil."

"You told me that you were taking me to an all you-can-eat buffet, you skunkbuckett," Chuck snapped, glaring at Spencer.

"Yeah, well, I lied," Spencer said. "And look, I brought you to something better! A girl! You can't have had contact with too many of those."

"But she's…weird looking," Chuck frowned.

"So are you!" Carly said. "Do you really think you can do any better?"

Chuck didn't reply.

"So…why don't you two go out to dinner or something and talk about how much you hate iCarly," Carly said.

Chuck looked at Nora. "You hate iCarly?"

"Well, they _refuse _to be my friends, so yeah," Nora nodded. "I used to be their number one fan, but that wasn't good enough for them! Wait, why do _you _hate iCarly?"

"Because this goon over here," Chuck replied, nodding over at Spencer. "Ruined my life! He got me sent to math camp!"

"Aw, see, true friendship," Carly said. "And who knows…maybe you guys can make this into something more."

"Um, do you maybe want to get coffee?" Chuck asked.

"Um, yeah!" Nora said excitedly.

"Ahem," Carly said. "I believe we had a deal? Where's Max?"

"Oh, right," Nora said. She ran back into the house. A moment later she came back out with the black lab, who immediately ran over to Carly.

"Thank you," Carly said, petting Max. "Now remember, Nora. We don't want to see any more of you? And now that you have Chuck, you really don't have any reason to bother us."

"Yeah, so stay away, both of you!" Spencer said, glaring at Chuck.

"Wow, I can't believe that worked," Carly said as her and Spencer walked away, leaving Chuck and Nora.

"Yeah, but maybe it wasn't a good idea to pair off two people that passionately hate iCarly," Spencer said.

"Eh, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it," Carly said.

"So, did it work?" Sam asked, jumping out of the car that was still parked at the end of the street. "It did! You got Max back! Come here, boy!"

Max ran over to Sam and eagerly started licking her face.

"Awesome! So did Nora agree to leave us alone now that she has Chuck?" Freddie asked.

"Yup," Carly grinned.

"What a great day," Spencer said. "You guys got rid of Nora, I got rid of my arch rival-"

"I thought he stopped bothering you awhile ago," Sam said.

"No! Just last week he threw ten dozen water balloons at me! Only they weren't filled with water, they were filled with-"

"Okay!" Freddie said quickly, cutting him off. "Why don't we all celebrate at the Groovy Smoothie? You think Ella's okay watching Jason for another hour?"

"Yeah, she'll be fine," Spencer nodded.

"Cool," Sam said. "Now let's go celebrate our new Nora-less lives!"

….

**AN-Well…Here we are. iCarly is officially over. I personally thought that iGoodbye was very funny. They brought back a lot of old jokes and I laughed a lot throughout it. I also thought the bit at the end, where all the characters remembered back to when iCarly first began was very touching and sweet. Definitely a great closing. And of course, finally seeing Carly's dad was great. **

**However, with all that said…in terms of shipping, I'm still VERY confused, and I'm sure a lot of people are too. First of all, I do NOT believe that Creddie was end game, despite what creddiers seem to think. Yeah, they kissed, but clearly nothing else was going to happen in that relationship. I think it's fair to say that Carly and Freddie parted as friends. I mean, if there was really something going on between them, I think their final goodbye would've been more than a hug before Carly got into the elevator. But I don't understand what happened between Sam and Freddie? All us Seddiers were just totally left in the dark about what happens to those too! Sam never said she DIDN'T want to get back together with Freddie, and Freddie never said he didn't want to get back with her either! The whole thing just left the fans totally clueless! **

**Plus I was also confused about the fact that they kept saying that it wasn't goodbye. Unless they plan on doing a big reunion episode…but whatever. As I said, despite the shipping, I really liked that end to the show. And we still have Sam and Cat to come. I'm hoping we can see Freddie on that, even if it is just for a few episodes. **


	199. Chapter 199

"Hey, Sam, good news," Freddie said, walking into Spencer and Ella's apartment. "When I was just over at the house getting the mail, I ran into Jack. And guess what he told me?"

"That shirt makes you look like a fifty-year old farmer?" Sam said, looking up from her laptop.

"What? No!" Freddie exclaimed. "Wait, does it?"

"Just tell me what Jack said," Sam said.

"He said Nora just left this morning," Freddie told her. "She's moving to Oklahoma with Chuck!"

"Holy chiz, that's awesome!" Sam grinned, jumping up. "So she's really gone?"

"Uh-huh," Freddie nodded. "Apparently they hit it off so well the other day, that they decided they couldn't stand to be apart."

"That's…creepy," Sam said. "But who cares? We can go back to our house! We'll only have Jack and Jill to deal with!"  
"Wow, you two seem like you're in a good mood," Spencer said, coming into the living room.

"Yeah, because Nora and Chuck moved to Oklahoma," Freddie said. "So it looks like we'll be getting out of your hair. Sam and I will start getting our things together."

"_I'm _being forced to go baby shopping with Carly and Melanie," Sam told her husband. "So you're stuck doing that on your own."

"Hey, does Melanie know the sex of the baby yet?" Spencer asked.

"Her and Cody were deciding for the past few months whether they wanted to know or not," Sam explained. "And they finally decided to find out at her appointment today, so I guess she'll tell us today. She's meeting Carly and me here any minute."

"So _I _have to move all our stuff back?" Freddie said.

"Oh for the love of chiz, it's _one_ suitcase, you nub," Sam said, rolling her eyes. "Use those muscles of yours for once!"

"What about Freddie's muscles?" Carly asked, letting herself into the apartment.

"Sam's just finding ways to be lazy, as usual," Freddie replied.

"Ah," Carly nodded. "Well, anyway, is Melanie here? I'm wearing my shopping shoes, so let's get this show on the road!"

Right on cue, the elevator doors slid open and Melanie walked in.

"Hey, ready to shop?" Carly asked.

"Of course," Melanie smiled.

"Hey, so what did the doctor tell you?" Sam asked. "Did you find out the gender?"

"Oh my God, you found that out today?" Carly exclaimed.

"Yeah, we did," Melanie nodded.

"So what is it?" Freddie asked. "Are you having a boy or a girl?"

"A girl," Melanie grinned.

Carly let out an excited squeal. "Congratulations! You know what this means? We can shop for those tiny little baby dresses today!"

"Oh lovely," Sam said, cringing. She turned to her sister. "So, looks like you won't be needing all of Jason's old baby clothes now."

"You can still have the gender neutral ones if you want, though," Freddie said.

"And if you want, we still have Dina's stuff too," Spencer told her.

"Yeah, that'd be great you guys, thanks," Melanie said.

"Well if Mel's getting all this free stuff, I don't see why we need to go shopping still,  
Sam said. "So how about we go get lunch instead?"

"Nice try," Carly said.

"Yeah, I've been looking forward to this shopping trip all week," Melanie said.

"Great," Sam sighed. "Looks like I just lost the rest of my day…" She turned to Freddie. "Do you want me to bring Jason with us, or are you good watching him?"

"Yeah, I can take him," Freddie assured her.

"Just make sure you don't lose track of him again and have him cut his lip open," Spencer said.

Sam and Freddie both glared at him.

"Too soon?" Spencer asked sheepishly.

…

"Finally," Freddie said as Sam let herself into their house. "It's almost eleven! Doesn't the mall close at ten?"

"Carly and Melanie saw a baby boutique on the way home, and we just _had _to stop there," Sam said, collapsing onto the couch next to Freddie. "Man, is it good to be home."

"Shopping was that bad?" Freddie asked, giving her a quick kiss.

"It wasn't _that _bad," Sam admitted. "Tiring and long, yes, but not terrible. I found a few things for Jason, though. Where is he, by the way?"

"In his crib," Freddie replied. "He's probably going to be hungry soon. I tried feeding him a couple of hours ago, but he wouldn't eat anything, so I just figured-"

Just then, a cry emitted from the baby monitor sitting on the coffee table.

"I'll get him," Sam said, getting to her feet. "Grab a bottle from the fridge will you, Frederly?"

Sam headed upstairs into Jason's bedroom where the infant was sitting up in her crib, whimpering.

"Hey, Jason," Sam said, picking up her son. "You hungry? I am too. Your Aunt Melanie and Aunt Carly made mommy shop _all day long_."

"Here," Freddie said, coming up behind her, handing her a bottle.

"Thanks," Sam replied, sitting down in the rocking chair by Jason's changing table.

"Oh, my mom called while you were out," Freddie said, leaning against Jason's crib. "She wanted to know what we were planning on doing for Jason's birthday. You know, since it's only a few weeks away."

Sam didn't reply.

"Sam? You okay?" Freddie asked.

"His birthday's really in just a few weeks?" Sam asked.

"Well, yeah," Freddie nodded. "Why? What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Sam mumbled.

"Sam," Freddie said knowingly. "You may be able to pull that 'World Class Liar' stuff on other people…Come on, tell me what's up."

"He can't be a year old already," Sam sighed.

"Well, Sam," Freddie said, a bit amused. "He has to get older. That's how this works, you know. Besides, he's turning _one _not eighteen."

"Yeah, but that's one year closer to him growing up completely and leaving us," Sam said. "Are you going to like that, Fredbag?"

"No, of course not," Freddie said. "But Sam, that's still a _long _ways down the road."

Sam looked down at Jason, who was still drinking his bottle. "Why can't he just stay little?"

Freddie grinned. "You really have no idea how much you sound like my mom, do you?"

Sam glared at him. "Watch yourself, Fredhead."

Freddie laughed. "I mean, my mom refused to let me to turn one until my _second _birthday."

"You really should know better than to compare your wife to your mom," Sam said.

"Come on, you know that I don't think you're as crazy as my mom," Freddie told her.

"Thank you," Sam said, satisfied.

"Usually," Freddie added.

"That's it," Sam said, getting to her feet. "Just wait until I put Jason down, you nub…"


	200. Chapter 200

"Hey," Carly said brightly, letting herself into Sam and Freddie's house, carrying a large bag.

"What's up, Carls?" Sam asked, looking up from the video game she was playing on the sofa.

"What are you playing?" Carly asked.

"_Zombie Mob III_," Sam replied.

"She's been playing it for almost six hours straight," Freddie said.

"Ah," Carly nodded. "Well, I just came by to see I could borrow some wrapping paper so I could start wrapping Jason's birthday presents for tomorrow-"

"Ugh!" Sam moaned.

"What?" Carly frowned.

"Um, Sam's decided she'd like to ignore the fact that Jason's turning one," Freddie said, rolling his eyes. "Because she doesn't want him to stop being a little baby."

"Aw, that's sweet," Carly smiled. "Didn't your mom do something like that when you were Jason's age?"

"Okay, will everyone drop that comparison?" Sam snapped.

"Sorry," Carly said. "But can I still borrow some wrapping paper? Even if Jason's not allowed to turn one, I can still give him presents, can't I?"

"Yeah, the paper's in the hall closet," Sam said.

"Cool, thanks," Carly said.

"So," Freddie said as Carly headed upstairs. "What do you plan on telling everyone tomorrow? That Jason's just going to turn one in a few more years? Hey, maybe we can have his graduation and first birthday party together! Or we could-Ow!"

"Should've shut up, Fredbag," Sam said simply as Freddie rubbed his now sore shoulder.

"Okay, where's Jason?" Carly asked, coming back downstairs.

"In his crib," Sam replied.

"Good; he can't see these until tomorrow," Carly said, dumping out her large bag to reveal several toys.

"Jeesh, Carls, and Freddie says _I _spoil the kid," Sam said.

"Hey, you guys, did you get this email?" Freddie asked, looking down at his pearphone.

"What email?" Sam asked, looking over at her husband's phone.

"It's from the guy in charge of Webicon," Freddie said.

"Hey, I got it too," Carly said, pulling out her pearphone. "You probably have one in your inbox too, Sam."

"Well what's it say?" Sam asked.

"Oh my God," Carly said, reading through the email. "They want us to come to Webicon this year?"

"Are you serious?" Sam frowned. "Why?"

"Hmm, maybe because of _iCarly_?" Freddie said sarcastically. "Ow! What is this? Punch your husband day?"

"You keep asking for it," Sam said, smiling as Freddie rubbed his shoulder again. She turned to Carly. "But we haven't done iCarly in, what, five years about? Why would they want us to come again this year?"

"According to the email, they're doing a sort of reunion of old web shows, online games, that sort of stuff," Freddie explained.

"Yeah, it looks like besides us, those Exercise Rocks people will be there, the guy who made that website with the videos of him eating all those nickels-"

"Oh man, I loved that guy!" Sam laughed.

"And get this," Carly continued. "Webicon's going to be in New York this year! That's like, the shopping capital of the world! You realize how many department stores they have there? We _have _to go!"

"Yeah, it seems pretty cool," Freddie agreed.

"Do we _have _to?" Sam moaned. "I mean, it's just going to turn into another giant fan war like last time."

"Oh come on, we haven't done the web show in years," Carly told her. "I'm sure the fans have calmed down by now. Besides, it's not like they really have anything to fight about anymore. You _married _Freddie. I think it's safe to say Seddie won."

"Eh, I guess that's true," Sam shrugged. "And is Webicon going to pay for us to get to New York?"

"Yup, they're flying us out first class and paying for our hotel room," Freddie told her. "It'll be like a free vacation."

"New York _is _supposed to have really good pizza…" Sam said thoughtfully. "Okay fine, I'm in. It's an excuse to miss work, at least."

"That's the spirit," Carly grinned.


	201. Chapter 201

"Mom," Freddie sighed, sipping his coffee. "Not that I'm not sure that Sam will _definitely _appreciate you buying Jason that new outfit-"

"Isn't it adorable?" Marissa interrupted him, looking proudly down at Jason, who was wearing a new baby-sized corduroy suit.

"Yes mom," Freddie quickly lied. "Absolutely precious. But, um, Sam probably had something picked out for him to wear today."

"Well my darling little grandson deserves to look dashing on his special day," Marissa cooed, tickling Jason's little chin. "Now here, hold him for me for a second, Freddie, while I run and use the little girls' room."

"Sorry, Jason," Freddie whispered as his mother left the room. "I had to go through a fair share of these outfits too. Maybe when you get older, I'll tell you about the time she made me wear a powder blue tuxedo to my first day of kindergarten…never stood a chance after that."

"Hey," Sam yawned, walking into kitchen. She stopped in her tracks when she caught sight of Jason's attire. "_What _is my kid wearing?"

"My mom put it on him. It's part of his birthday present," Freddie explained.

"Well get it off him!" Sam said. "If he _has _to turn one, he's not going to do it looking like a total nub!"

"Fine," Freddie said. "But _you're _explaining this to my mother."

Sam rolled her eyes as Freddie headed upstairs with Jason.

"All right, Freddikins, it's time for me to put my casseroles in the oven," Marissa said, re-entering the kitchen. "I brought a tofu one and a mushroom-asparagus one with a nice glaze of-oh. Good morning, Samantha."

"Morning," Sam mumbled.

"Freddie told me you two were planning on ordering pizzas for our little circle of friends today," Marissa said, taking the tinfoil off of one of the dishes on the counter. "But I thought everyone would be happier with a nice healthy meal instead."

Sam bit her tongue to keep from making a comment about how she was sure everyone would _really _feel about her meals.

"Um…yeah, okay," Sam said. "Well, I'm going to go find Freddie now…"

She hurried upstairs to Jason's room, where Freddie was pulling a new, less ugly-looking outfit, over Jason's head.

"Dude, why'd we have to invite your mom?" Sam asked.

"Because she would literally come over here and destroy us all if we didn't," Freddie said. "Hey, I actually wanted to talk to you about her."

"We're finally going to call the government and tell them she's a Russian spy?" Sam asked excitedly.

"No!" Freddie exclaimed. "I mean, are we going to ask her to watch Jason for us while we're in New York?"

"Absolutely not," Sam said.

"Why not?"

"Because every time she watches Jason for more than an hour, she always rubs this weird anti-tick lotion all over the poor kid," Sam said. "Imagine what she'd do if we left him with her for an entire weekend."

"Okay," Freddie said. "So what are we going to do? Leave him with your mom?"

Sam gave Freddie a look.

"Yeah, bad idea," Freddie said. "Well, then who else is there? What about Spencer and Ella?"

"Nah, Ella's sister's coming into town and she's staying with them," Sam said. "Trust me. They can't handle that chick _and _another kid in the house."

"How about Melanie?" Freddie asked.

"Her and Cody are visiting Cody's sister in Olympia," Sam said. "Man…everybody just _had _to pick this weekend to be busy."

"We could always take Jason with us," Freddie said.

"Yeah, we could…" Sam said thoughtfully. "Didn't Webicon have some little daycare thing for all the nerds to leave their kids at last time?"

"Well, not that many of those people actually _had_ kids, but yeah," Freddie nodded. "And hey! While we're there, I can take Jason to the War of Warlords expo!"

"Oh my God," Sam said, shaking her head.

"It will be so cool," Freddie continued, not hearing Sam's comment. "And I can even dress him up as a little warrior elf! I need to start working on his _stume _now."

…..

"Open our present next!" Spencer said, handing Sam a large box.

"Jeez, that thing's bigger than Jason is," Melanie said.

"Yeah, what the heck did you put in there?" Carly asked.

"You'll see in a minute," Spencer said.

"Okay, Jason, you want to try opening this one?" Sam asked. "Here, just tare the paper like this…"

"Try and get him to do it neatly," Freddie said, pointing a video camera at his son. "That way we can save it."

"Just ignore daddy," Sam said. "You rip that paper off as messily as you want."

Jason, who seemed to take pure joy in the act of tearing off wrapping paper, had the present unwrapped in a matter of seconds. Sam lifted the lid off the box and took out a giant stuffed lion.

"Aw, it's adorable," Carly grinned.

"Yeah, and Jason seems to love it," Sam nodded, watching as her son took the lion in his arms.

"Can you say thank you to your uncle Spencer?" Freddie smiled at Jason.

"Wait, Spencer's his _uncle_?" Gibby frowned. "That-That makes Spencer your brother! And then Carly would be your sister! When did _this _happen?"

"No, we don't mean uncle like that," Freddie said, rolling his eyes. "I mean, we tell Jason you're his uncle Gibby and your not my or Sam's brother."

"Thank God," Sam muttered under her breath.

"And listen, I even made the voice chip myself," Spencer said, squeezing the lion's paw.

"Roar! I'm a lion! Roar!" came Spencer's voice through the lion. "I live in Africa with all the other cool Africa animals!"

"Nice," Freddie laughed.

"Okay, can we eat cake now?" Sam asked. "I'm starving."

"Yeah, even after those…very filling casseroles, I still feel like I could eat a horse," Carly nodded. "Come on, Sam. I'll help you get the cake."

The two girls headed into the kitchen, leaving Jason to play with his new lion as everyone watched him.

"So," Carly said, grabbing the cake from the fridge while Sam got plates from one of the cabinets. "Are you still in denial about Jason turning one?"

"Nah," Sam sighed. "I mean, I guess him being one isn't _that _bad. He's still little, isn't he?"

"You just didn't want to be compared to Mrs. Benson anymore, didn't you?" Carly grinned knowingly.

"That…might've had something to do with it," Sam admitted it.


	202. Chapter 202

"Are you guys packed yet?" Carly asked, walking into Sam and Freddie's house. "We need to be at the airport in an hour."

"Just need a few more minutes, Carls," Freddie said, stuffing some diapers into a diaper bag for Jason.

"Okay," Carly nodded. "Gibby's going to meet us at the airport, so once you and Sam are ready, we can head right over."

"Hey, have you seen my camera anywhere, Fredguts?" Sam asked, dragging a suitcase into the room.

"I think it's in the garage," Freddie replied. "From when you were taking pictures of me when I closed the door on my jacket sleeve and couldn't get it out for an hour."

"Oh, yeah," Sam said, running into the garage.

"I wish we had more time in New York," Carly said. "There's so much I want to do there. Shopping, sight seeing…maybe we could all go up there some other time or something."

"Maybe," Freddie agreed.

"Alright, I'm ready," Sam said, returning with her camera.

"So am I," Freddie said, zipping up the diaper bag. "I'll take the bags to the car, you go get Jason."

"Aw, his first trip," Carly smiled. "And to the greatest city on earth, too."

"He won't even remember it," Sam said, picking up Jason from his playpen.

"Too bad," Carly said. "But anyway, when we get to New York, you want to come shopping with me?"

"Sure, for what?" Sam asked.

"I need to find a present for Andy," Carly replied. "It's our one-year anniversary in a few weeks and I want to get him something nice. I was thinking tomorrow after Webicon we could go and look."

"Cool. And we can try to find those three-foot hot dogs I've heard about!" Sam said.

"Three feet of meat?" Carly cringed.

"Not really a fan of how you said that," Sam said. "You should be jumping for joy just thinking about it!"

"You can jump for joy for the both of us," Carly laughed.

…

"I'm telling you, that mime back there was trying to kill me," Gibby said as the four stepped out of their cab in front of the hotel where they were staying.

"Gibby, for the fifteenth time, no he wasn't," Carly said, rolling her eyes. "All he was doing was that trick where he pretends to put you in a box."

"Yeah? And what if I couldn't get out of it?" Gibby retorted.

"Can we just check in?" Sam asked. "I want to see what kind of food they have here."

"Yeah, and I need a nap, since I was nearly killed," Gibby said, getting his suitcase.

"You weren't almost-! Oh, never mind," Carly sighed.

After quickly checking in at the front desk, Carly, Sam, Freddie and Gibby headed up to the eleventh floor of the hotel to their room.

"This looks like a fancy place," Freddie commented as Carly unlocked the door to the room.

"Yeah, I wonder what their soap's like," Gibby said.

"Okay, seriously, _what _is wrong with you?" Sam said, shaking her head.

"Oh, this room's so nice," Carly said, stepping inside.

"Nice view, too," Freddie said, setting his and Sam's suitcase down on one of the two beds.

"You like this place, Jason?" Sam asked, setting down his carrier and picking him up. "This is your first hotel room. Cool, huh?"

"So, are you and me sharing this second bed?" Gibby asked Carly.

"Um, no," Carly frowned. "That sofa over there pulls out into a third bed. One of us can sleep on that."

"Oh. So I get the bed then?"

"Me? Why do you automatically get the bed?" Carly asked.

"My back's been pretty sensitive these last few days," Gibby said.

"Why don't you two just flip for it?" Freddie asked.

"Yes, that's exactly what we'll do," Carly said, rummaging through her pocket for a quarter. "We'll decide this fairly. Alright, Gib. Heads or tails?"

"Hmm," Gibby said thoughtfully. "I _do _like tails, but-"

"Okay then, I'm heads," Carly said, flipping the coin.

"Hey! I wasn't ready!" Gibby protested.

"It's not like you're playing the lotto here," Carly said, catching the coin as it landed in her hand. "Alright, and it looks like it's-no! Tails!"

"Ha, I win!" Gibby said happily.

"Well, since you weren't ready, do you want to do it again?" Carly asked.

"Nah, I'm good," Gibby said, lying down on the bed. "Oh yeah, this is a comfy bed."

"Man," Carly sighed, sitting down on the pullout sofa. "Now I'm stuck with the stupid bed."

…..

"Good morning, iCarlys," a cheerful young woman greeted the four at the entrance of Webicon the next morning. "I'll be your Webicon guide today. We're glad you could make it.

"Well it's great that people still want to see us, even after the show ended," Carly replied.

"Of course people still want to see you; that web show of yours was amazing," the guide said.

"Hey, there's a daycare here, right?" Freddie asked, shifting Jason in his arms.

"Yes there is," the guide nodded. "Right this way."

She led them to a large, colorful room where about five other children were.

"Wow, this place is awesome!" Gibby said, looking around. "Hey, are those Jumbo Blocks? I _love _Jumbo Blocks!"

"Good, we'll get you some for Christmas," Carly said.

"Will you really?" Gibby asked, excitedly.

"Okay, Jason," Freddie said, setting his son down by a pile of stuffed animals. "Have fun. Your mom and I will be back in a few hours, okay?"

"Bye, Jason," Sam said, kissing the top of his head.

"Hey, where did you buy these blocks?" Gibby asked the daycare attendant.

"Let's go," Carly said, grabbing his arm.

"We have the conference room all set up now," the guide told the four as they left the daycare. "And in about an hour, we'll begin letting the fans in."

"Cool chiz," Sam said.

"Although, there is something I should warn you about," the guide said.

"What?" Carly asked.

"It looks like many of the fans that are lined up to see you are _very _into iCarly."

"What's so bad about that?" Freddie asked.

"Yeah, a lot of people are into to iCarly," Gibby said. "The show was a lot of fun."

"Yes, but based on what we've seen already in line, it seems like most of them are _very_ dedicated to the pairings on the show."

"Oh no," Carly said. "The Creddies and Seddies are here?"

The guide nodded.

"Hey, how come I don't get a pairing?" Gibby asked.

"You want to be mobbed by a bunch of insane fans?" Freddie frowned.

"I'd appreciate the gesture, yes," Gibby said.

"See, _this _is why I didn't want to come," Sam whispered to Carly.

"Guys, listen, we handled these fans back in Washington," Carly said. "We can do it again in New York."


	203. Chapter 203

"Man…look at those freaks," Sam said, taking a peek from behind the curtain to see the iCarly fans streaming into the conference room.

"Sam, don't call our fans freaks," Carly said. "It's pretty cool, actually, that they're still this dedicated to the show years after it ended."

"Really? Because there's one guy out there who has your picture tattooed to his neck," Sam said.

"Oh…well that's…okay. That's freakish," Carly admitted. "But like I said; they're our fans. No matter how…freakish."

"I just hope that this doesn't turn out like last time," Freddie sighed. "The last thing we want is a giant fan war again…can't the Seddiers and Creddiers get along?"

"You know what," Gibby said. "I think you guys should invent pairings with me in them. You know…me and Carly and me and Sam."

"No!" Freddie exclaimed. "You're not making up an imaginary pairing with you and Sam!"

"Why not?" Gibby asked.

"Because she's my wife!"

"Guys, I know these fans might be…intense," Carly said. "And they didn't really listen to us last time when we told them that it wasn't a good idea to get so into the idea of us dating one another, but maybe if we go out there and explain how we're all in happy relationships, they'll accept it a move on with their lives."

"There's a girl out there with a giant poster of our heads attached to an even larger light-up heart," Freddie frowned, looking through a gap in the curtain.

"Okay, maybe they _won't _be moving on with their lives," Carly said. "Well, at least the Seddies will be happy. You know, now I'm actually glad I didn't bring Andy along with us. I mean, you remember what they did to Adam last time?"

"Poor guy never was able to hold a fork right again," Sam said.

"You guys? We're ready to start in two minutes," their guide said, poking her head behind the curtain.

"Um, okay. Thanks," Carly said. She turned to the others. "Well, hopefully this will all work out. We can relive our iCarly days with some fans, have a few laughs...it could be a lot of fun."

"Yeah, you're right," Freddie nodded.

"Alright, iCarly fans!" They heard their guide say loudly into a microphone on the other side of the curtain. "Prepare to see the stars of the most popular web show of all time…iCarly!"

Cheers erupted from the audience as Carly, Sam, Freddie and Gibby made their way onto the stage.

"I love you, iCarly!" one fan from the front shouted.

"Gibby, you're the best!" another fan shouted.

"Um, wow!" Carly said, picking up the microphone on the table where the four all took their seats. "It's so great to see all of you here!"

"Yeah, even though iCarly ended, we still consider it a large part of our lives," Freddie nodded.

"Show was a lot of fun," Gibby said.

"So," Carly continued. "Why don't we start off with some questions, and then we can-"

At once, dozens of hands rose in the air.

"Um…you," Sam said, pointing to a fan in the fourth row. "Guy with the sweat stains."

"Well, since iCarly ended," the fan said, standing up. "What have you been doing work wise?"

Carly and Sam exchanged looks. That was actually a pretty normal question. Maybe this wasn't going to be so bad after all.

"Well, me and Carly write scripts for some of the shows on Klasky Splat," Sam replied. "And Freddie works with the computer stuff there."

"Yeah," Carly nodded. "And Gibby…" she frowned and turned to Gibby. "What _do _you do?"

"I've been told not to release that information," Gibby said.

"Um…okay then," Carly said. "Are there any other questions? Let's see...you, in the back with the pink hat."

"She acknowledged me!" the girl squealed happily.

"Er, yeah," Carly said. "So do you have a question?"

"Yes I do," she said. "Are you guys still friends?"

"Sure we are," Carly answered. "Sam, Freddie and I work at the same place, and we hang out with Gibby all the time."

"But are you guys _more_ than friends?" a girl wearing a yellow Creddie shirt asked, jumping up on her seat. "Carly? Freddie? Have you two advanced onto a romantic relationship yet?"

"Yeah! Creddie!" half the room cheered.

"No way!" a girl wearing a purple Seddie shirt said, jumping up onto her own seat. "Sam and Freddie are the ones who are meant to be together!"

"Seddie!" the other half of the room cheered.

"Here we go," Carly sighed.

"You know," Sam whispered, looking on at the scene in front of them. "I forgot how funny this was…"

"Funny?" Freddie frowned. "Sam, they're going crazy!"

"Yeah, I know!" Sam laughed.

"Hmm, maybe I'm glad I _don't _have a pairing," Gibby said.

"Um, everyone?" Carly said into the microphone. "Everyone?"

But no one appeared to hear her, as the two groups of fans continued to argue with one another.

Carly looked over at Sam. "Sam…"

"Ugh, fine," Sam said, rolling her eyes as she took the microphone from Carly. She cleared her throat. "Shut up!" she yelled loudly.

The fans stopped at once.

"Thank you," Carly said. "Now listen. Arguing about whether Sam or me get together with Freddie…that's crazy. You guys all love iCarly. There's no need for you to fight like this. When we all decided to come back to Webicon this year, we were so excited to see all the fans _together. _Not divided over something like this. Now, what do you say we all calm down and give each other a hug and we can answer some more, non-dating related questions?"

The conference room was silent for a moment, but then a fan screamed, "She must be dating Freddie! Their elbows are touching right now!"

"What-No!" Freddie said, quickly moving his elbow.

"Nice going, Fredguts," Sam said. "Couldn't watch where you were putting your elbow?"

"You guys! I am not dating Freddie!" Carly said loudly.

"Yes you are!" a group of Creddiers yelled back.

"No," Carly said. "I'm-Oh, you know what? I'm not dealing with this. Listen up, people!"  
The crowd fell silent.

"Me and Freddie are not in any sort of romantic relationship," Carly said. "And we never will be, because…" she waited a moment, building up the suspense. "Freddie and _Sam _are married."

The side of the conference room with the Seddie fans instantly exploded with cheers, while the side with the Creddie fans filled with gasps and cries.

"Wow, thanks, Carls," Sam mumbled as the Seddie fans began jumping around, screaming out personal questions to the couple. "They're never going to leave us alone now!"

"Hey, you did this to me the first time we came here," Carly said, sitting back down in her seat. "At least what I said was the truth."

"And besides, I thought you said this was funny," Freddie smirked.

"Just don't mention that you two have a baby," Carly said. "Otherwise these people will really go nuts."

"But Freddie!" one of the Creddiers cried. "You and Carly are destined to be together! Look! I have screen shots from your last iCarly webcast years ago where you're handing Carly a prop and your fingers touched!"

"Yeah, and what about the right now? You're sitting right next to her!" another fan said loudly.

"He's sitting next to Sam, too!" a Seddie fan pointed out. "Seddie for the win!"

"No! Creddie all the way!"

"Carly, is it difficult being friends with Sam knowing she stole your one true love?" a fan asked.

"Sam? Is it hard hanging around Carly knowing she tried to steal Freddie away from you?" another fan asked.

"Okay, this is getting crazy," Sam said. She turned to Freddie. "Do something."

"What? Why me?" Freddie frowned. "I can't control large crowds!"

"Well I'm sick of being the one to quiet them down all the time!" Sam said.

"Yeah, and we all know that I can't," Carly said. "Maybe we can just-"

"Hey!" Gibby said loudly, causing everyone to jump a little.

"Yeah, see?" Gibby said, turning to Carly, Sam and Freddie. "I'm pretty useful for a guy who doesn't even get a pairing."

"Um, yeah…thank you, Gib," Freddie said, taking the microphone. "Well, um, look. Carly, Sam and I have been really close friends for years. But, well, I-I just can't come to look at Carly as anything _more_ than that. She's like my sister, and I love her _like a sister_. But that's as far as our relationship will ever go. And Sam…well, we're married. I love her."

"Aw," the group of Seddie fans said.

"Yeah, and trust me, I'm very happy that they're together," Carly said. "Sam didn't steal Freddie away from me."

"And Carly never tried to steal Freddie from me," Sam said. "Me and Carly are best friends. Heck she pretty much planned out the entire wedding for Freddie and me."

"Yeah, and she takes care of their baby all the time, too," Gibby added.

"Gibby!" Sam and Freddie hissed as the crowd stirred up again.

"A baby! Holy flapjacks, there's a baby now!" a Seddie fan cheered.

"Gibby, didn't you hear me say don't mention Jason to them?" Carly snapped.

"Oh…that must've been when I was busy biting my tongue," Gibby said.

"Let's see this baby!" the fans roared.

"Yeah," a group of fans nodded. "I bet they named it Seddie!"

"Um, actually, you-you can't see him," Freddie said quickly.

"Yeah, we left him back in Seattle with Spencer," Sam nodded.

"What? No you didn't," Gibby said. "Remember, we dropped Jason off at the daycare center on the ground floor right before we came in here."

"Gibby!"

"To the daycare center!" the Seddie fans cheered.

"Um, we'd better run," Carly frowned. "Now."

…

"Oh man, look at that mob of super fans!" Freddie frowned as him and the others reached the ground floor. The fans had gathered outside the daycare center, and the only thing holding them back from storming inside was at least a dozen security officers.

"Okay, Sam, you and Freddie go get Jason," Carly said. "Gibby and I will distract the fans."

"Got it," Sam nodded as her and Freddie quickly turned and ran inside the daycare center.

"Um, hey guys," Carly said brightly, cautiously approaching the fans. "It looks like we're going to be wrapping up here a little early. _But_, how would you guys like to see _pictures_ of Sam and Freddie's son? I have a ton on my pearphone. See, here's one of little Jason putting his foot in his mouth; he gets that from Sam. And here's another one of him drinking his bottle. Oh, and here he is playing with a stuffed animal."

"Um, Carly, I think Sam and Freddie just left," Gibby said.

"Well okay then," Carly said quickly putting her phone away. "See you guys! Have fun at the rest of Webicon!"

Carly and Gibby hurried outside where Sam and Freddie were waiting with Jason.

"Man, Gibby, you're lucky we got out of their," Sam said, glaring at the man.

"Why? What did I do?" Gibby frowned.

"Um, you almost got our one-year old son mobbed by crazy fans!" Freddie said.

"So…Carly said as the four began walking back towards their hotel. "I'm guessing no Webicon for us next year?"


	204. Chapter 204

"Hey, how was Webicon?" Spencer asked as Carly, Sam, Freddie and Gibby walked towards him at the airport.

"You remember last time we went how the fans were all crazy about Freddie getting together with either Sam or me?" Carly asked.

"Yeah," Spencer nodded.

"Well, it was pretty much the same as that," Carly sighed, walking towards the baggage carousel to get her luggage.

"But, why is there even anything left for your fans to be arguing about?" Spencer frowned. "Sam and Freddie are married."

"Yeah, but apparently I'm still in love with Carly because when I was sitting next to her in the conference room, our elbows were touching," Freddie said, rolling his eyes as he passed Jason to Sam so he could pick up his and Sam's suitcase.

"And then the Seddies found out that Freddie and I have a kid, and nearly stormed the daycare to see Jason," Sam said.

"What? Why would you tell those people that?" Spencer exclaimed.

"_We_ didn't," Freddie said, glaring at Gibby.

"You know, maybe those fans wouldn't have been so out of control if they had more pairings to work with," Gibby said. "Just putting that out there."

"Dude, you realize you're _married_, right?" Carly said, shaking her head.

"Yeah, I know," Gibby nodded. "So?"

"I-whatever," Carly said. "Look, thanks for picking us up, Spence, but do you think we could get going? Andy made reservations at my favorite restaurant tonight at seven and I need to go home and shower."

"Yeah, let's go," Spencer nodded.

"Hey, look! That guy over there is selling clackers!" Gibby said as the group began to head out of the airport.

"What the heck are clackers?" Sam asked.

"Only the hottest toy in The Netherlands," Gibby said. "Duh."

"You are _so _lucky I'm holding a baby right now," Sam snapped. "No one 'duhs' Mama."

"I'm gonna go buy some," Gibby said.

"Gibby, there's a huge line," Freddie said.

"You guys go on; I'll take a cab home," Gibby said.

"Um, okay then," Spencer said. "Hey! You know what? Buy me a pair, okay?"

"What are you going to do with a pair of clackers?" Carly laughed as Spencer handed Gibby some money.

"Clack!" Spencer said.

…..

"Freddie, I'm bored," Sam said, setting Jason down on the floor next to some of his toys. She sat her self down next to Freddie on the couch.

"We've been home for an hour and you're already bored?" Freddie asked, amused.

"Yeah. And since _someone_ erased all my episodes of _Pranks Gone Wild_, you need to entertain me," Sam said.

"Well we could start wrapping Christmas presents, figuring out who's going to be in charge of putting the lights on the house, what we're-"

"_That's _your idea of entertaining me?" Sam frowned.

"You want to watch the big pool tournament on channel eight?" Freddie suggested.

"No," Sam said, grabbing the remote from her husband's hand. "I'll find something decent and worth watching myself, since you're being particularly lame today."

"Hey, pool's not lame!" Freddie defended as Sam began flipping through the channels. "It's a complex game with geometric properties and is a great example of the many laws of physics at work."

"Do you _listen _to yourself when you talk?" Sam said.

"I want to watch pool, Sam," Freddie said, trying to take back the remote.

"Too bad, nub!"

"Look, the first round's probably almost over; just let me watch it for-Whoa, Sam! Look at Jason!"

"What?" Sam asked quickly turning to look at her son. "Holy chiz, Freddie! He's standing!"

Sure enough, Jason was standing in the middle of the room, not holding onto any furniture for support like he usually did.

"Get your phone out; record this!" Sam said, instantly forgetting about the T.V.

"I'm on it," Freddie said, quickly pulling out his pearphone.

"Are you going to walk, Jason?" Sam asked, holding out her arms for him. "Come on, sweetie; walk to mommy."

"Oh man, I think he's going to do it," Freddie said, grinning.

"Come on, Jason," Sam said. "Just a few steps…Look, Freddie! He's doing it! He's doing it!"

Jason had begun toddling towards Sam's outstretched arms. After he took about three steps, though, he lost his balance and fell down.

"Aw, Jason, look at you!" Freddie chuckled, picking him up. "You walked, didn't you?"

"Yeah he did!" Sam said. "And I didn't miss this!"

"Hey, you guys," Gibby said, letting himself into the house. "What's so exciting here?"

"Jason just walked for the first time," Freddie replied.

"I thought he _has _been walking," Gibby pointed out.

"No, he's been pulling himself up with the furniture and everything, but he hasn't walked on his own yet," Sam said. "And _why _is your nose bleeding?"

"Oh, see after I bought my clackers, I was playing with them while I waited for a cab," Gibby explained. "And this dude came up to me and said he could clack better than me, so we had a clacking showdown."

"And let me guess, you hit yourself in the face," Freddie said.

"Yeah," Gibby nodded. "But I outclacked that jerk!"

"Congratulations," Sam said rolling her eyes. "But why'd you come _here_? Drip blood in your own house."

"Nah, Tasha hates blood," Gibby said. "So I figured I'd better come over here and clean myself up before I go home."

"Come on, I'll get you some ice," Freddie said as Sam took Jason from him.

"Aw, Jason, I can't believe you did that today," Sam smiled as Freddie and Gibby headed into the kitchen. "You walked; just like a big boy! Man, you're really growing up, aren't you?" Then she frowned as she looked down at the baby, happily playing with the collar of her shirt. "Actually, on second thought…slow down, kid."


	205. Chapter 205

"Alright, I'm officially done Christmas shopping for everyone," Carly said, letting herself into the Benson house and heading straight to the couch, where she collapsed next to Sam. "I think some lady tried to chop my hair off, but I'm finished."

"Nice," Sam said.

"You finish your shopping?" Carly asked.

"Freddie did," Sam nodded. "You know I make him do it."

"Right, that _is _one of the perks of being married," Carly laughed. "You get to give joint presents."

"Hey, Carly," Freddie said, walking into the living room with an armload of presents. "Man, you look exhausted."

"Christmas shopping," Carly said simply.

"Ah, I can relate," Freddie said as he started piling the presents under the tree. "Since _somebody_ makes me do all the shopping."

"Hey, I tell you _what_ to buy," Sam said. "Oh, and remember to get Jason's stocking out of the box in the attic."

"Presents!" Dina suddenly exclaimed, running into the house with Spencer and Bryan behind her.

"Dina, no! I said _I _got to look at the presents first!" Spencer said, running after her.

"Wow," Carly said, shaking her head as she watched Spencer eagerly start shaking presents under the tree. "How are you allowed to be considered an adult?"

"Ha, ha," Spencer snapped.

"Guess what?" Dina said, walking over to Sam, Carly and Freddie. "We're gonna go see Santa!"

"Oh, your dad's taking you to the mall?" Freddie asked.

"Yeah! I'm gonna ask Santa to bring me a remote control boat!" Bryan said happily.

"And I'm asking for clay dough!" the four-year old said. "So I can make a _big _snowman out of it!"

"Sounds fun," Carly smiled.

"Yeah, I stopped by here to see if you wanted to take Jason with us," Spencer said. "You know, for his first trip to see Santa?"

"Hey, that sounds fun," Sam said. "Let me just go see if he's up from his nap, and then Freddie and I-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Freddie said. "We're going to see Santa at the mall? We're going to see a _mall Santa_?"

"Wow, can't believe you put that together," Sam said, rolling her eyes.

"I think I'll sit this out," Freddie said. "I don't do mall Santas."

"What?" Spencer laughed. "How come?"

"I don't like them; they're creepy," Freddie said.

"So you hate Santa Clause?" Sam frowned.

Dina, Bryan and Spencer gasped.

"No, I do not hate Santa!" Freddie said quickly. "I just don't like mall Santa's, okay?"

"But they're Santa's helpers," Dina said. "They work for him!"

"Oh, I'm sensing a big story behind this," Sam said. "Hey, Dina, Bryan; Max is out in the yard. Why don't you go play with him?"

"Okay!" The two kids exclaimed, running outside.

"So," Sam said, turning back to her husband. "Why are you so freaked out by a fat guy in a red suit?"

"Yeah, didn't your mom take you to see mall Santas until you were like, fifteen?" Carly pointed out.  
"Fourteen!" Freddie defended.

"Dude, that's so lame," Spencer laughed.

"Hey, _you _waited up to see Santa until you were seventeen," Carly reminded him.

"Okay, look, I'll tell you the story behind this all," Freddie sighed. "See, the last time my mom took me to see him at the mall, when I was _fourteen, _not fifteen…something happened."

"I can already tell I'm going to love this story," Sam said, grinning.

"We waited in line for an hour," Freddie explained. "And when my mom and I finally got to the front of the line to see…_Santa Clause_, my mom made me sit on his lap like I do every year. I should've known something was up; Santa didn't look so good, but my mom made me sit there and tell him what I wanted anyway. And just as I was telling him that I really wanted some special keyboard cleaner, Santa-Santa-"

"What?" Sam asked. "What'd he do?"

"He…puked," Freddie finished. "All over me."

Sam burst out laughing. "Oh my God; this is the best thing I've ever heard!"

"He really puked on you?" Carly asked, trying to hold back a laugh.

"Yes," Freddie muttered, shooting Sam a glare. "Apparently he had gotten some bad stir-fry from a cart in the food court. And right after my mom drove me down to this special clinic and they gave me this insanely invasive sanitizing shower."

"So that's why you hate mall Santas?" Spencer asked. "Because one puked on you?"

"Hey, if some guy puked on you, you'd be pretty scared too," Freddie said. "And that's why I will not be joining you guys on your trip to the mall. I will stay right here where Santa can't puke on me."

"Dude, come on," Sam, who had finally stopped laughing, said. "That was years ago; get over it!"

"I will not _get over it_," Freddie said.

"Baby," Sam sighed. "Are you seriously going to stay home?"

"Uh-huh," Freddie said firmly.

"Okay," Sam shrugged. "If you want to let some lame old fear keep you from seeing your son's first Santa Clause visit, fine. We'll take plenty of pictures for you."

"I-I-Oh fine!" Freddie conceded. "I'll go. You happy?"

"Very," Sam said, giving him a short kiss. "And I mean, it's not like _you're _going to be sitting on Santa's lap. You're just going to watch Jason. You're not going to get puked on."

….

"Never again!" Freddie said as him, Sam and Carly returned to the house about two hours later. "Never again, am I going to see a mall Santa!"

"Wow, what are the odds of you getting puked on _twice_ when you go to see Santa?" Carly said, taking off her coat.

"Hey, at least this time it wasn't Santa who tossed his cookies on you," Sam pointed out.

"No, having the eight-year old kid waiting in line behind us do it this time was just _so _much better!" Freddie snapped.

"Okay, I promise, I'll never make you do that again," Sam sighed, setting Jason down in his playpen.

"Thank you," Freddie said.

"Well, I think I'm gonna go home," Carly said. "Take a nice long bath and try to forget the image of that boy throwing-up all over Freddie…"

"So," Sam said as Carly headed out the door. "I guess maybe forcing you to come wasn't the _best_ thing in the world."

"Well, I'm not gonna say the trip was _completely _terrible," Freddie said. "I mean, we _did _get some nice pictures of Jason sitting on Santas lap. I bet my mom would like a few of those. And it _was_ probably a lot of fun for Jason, even if he won't remember it."

"Yeah, it was nice," Sam agreed. "But seriously, dude, go up and shower; you still smell like puke."


	206. Chapter 206

"You know, baby, I think these bacon-scented, heated slippers are the best Christmas present you could've given me," Sam said, lying down on the couple's bed next to Freddie. "Where the heck did you even find them?"

"Not gonna tell you," Freddie smiled.

"Why not?" Sam asked.

"Because if you find out where I get this stuff, you'll go there and buy everything," Freddie said. "And then what am I supposed to do for gifts?"

"Oh, trust me, I'm gonna find this place," Sam said. "If they make more things like these slippers, I'm gonna be the happiest chick in the world."

"You know, you've been wearing those pretty much since you unwrapped them last week," Freddie said. "Are you _ever_ going to take them off?"

"Nope," Sam said happily.

"I guess I should just be happy you don't wear them to work," Freddie sighed.

"For now," Sam said, yawning. "Hey, what time is it?"

"Nearly eleven," Freddie said, setting down the book he was reading. "I think I'm gonna get some sleep."

"Same," Sam said, climbing underneath the covers. "Night."

"Night," Freddie replied, giving her a kiss.

But just as Sam was about to turn off the lamp on her bedside table, her pearphone began ringing.

"Who's calling?" Freddie asked.

"My mom," Sam said, looking at the screen. "She's probably stuck in one of her bikinis again." She answered the phone. "What, mom?"

"Hey Sammy, guess what?" Pam Puckett replied.

"What?"

"I'm at the hospital!"

"The hospital?" Sam frowned. "Why?"

"Because your sister just went into labor!"

"Seriously?" Sam said.

"Yeah! I'm about to be a grandma times two!" Pam said excitedly.

"I'll be there as soon as I can," Sam said.

"Okay, and hey, bring me some butter, will you? I can't get this bikini off…"

"What's going on?" Freddie asked as Sam hung up her phone and got out of bed.

"Melanie's having her baby," Sam replied, grabbing a pear of jeans.

"Really? That's great!" Freddie said.

"Yeah," Sam said. "I'm gonna head over there now. You stay with Jason."

"Okay, wish Melanie good luck for me," Freddie said

…

"Hey," Sam said, spotting her mom in the waiting room of the hospital. "I thought you'd be in with Melanie."

"They kicked me out," Pam said. "Just like they did for you when you were ready to push Jason out."

"What?" Sam exclaimed. "Are you kidding me? She's already ready to _have _the baby? How long has she been here?"

"When Cody called me, they were just getting to the hospital, so probably less than an hour," Pam said. "And did you bring the butter? This bikini's starting to squeeze me in places it shouldn't."

"Yeah, here," Sam said, handing her mom a stick of butter. "And _thank you _for wearing clothes over the bikini for a change. But how could Melanie already be dilated ten centimeters after less than an hour? It took me twenty-three! _Man _she lucked out!"

"Hey, guys, you can come in now," Cody said, entering the waiting room. "Come see her!"

"She just had a kid in an hour," Sam said, rolling her eyes. "Unbelievable."

Pam and Sam followed Cody into Melanie's hospital room.

"Hey, how you doing, kid?" Pam asked, walking over to Melanie's hospital bed, where Melanie was sitting holding a small, pink bundle.

"Good," Melanie smiled. "But Sam, I don't know how you went through that for twenty hours. I could barely handle it for one."

"Twenty-three, actually," Sam corrected. "But forget about that now. How's my niece?"

"She's perfect," Melanie grinned.

"And now I've got a grandson _and _a granddaughter," Pam said, looking down at the little baby. "Now my sister can't keep rubbing her _two _grandkids in my face!"

"I called everyone on my way over here," Sam said, ignoring her mother. "But I guess Spencer and Ella must already be asleep, and Carly's in Olympia with Andy for their anniversary. She'll be here first thing tomorrow, though, she said."

"That's fine," Melanie said. "Hey, do you guys want to hold her?"

"Yeah!" Sam said. She gently took the infant from her twin. "Aw, she's so tiny!"

"Any ideas for names?" Pam asked.

"Yeah," Melanie nodded, smiling over at Cody. "We're naming her Nicole."

"Nicole…I like that," Sam said, passing her niece carefully to her mom.

"I still can't believe I'm a mom now," Melanie said as Sam sat down in the chair next to the bed.

"Yeah, it feels weird at first," Sam nodded. "But trust me, you'll get used to it."

…


	207. Chapter 207

**AN-Hey, Jessica, sorry about the wait in responding to you. Yes, that bit with the clackers a few chapters ago **_**was**_** inspired by Drake and Josh. Nice catch **

…**.**

"I can't believe Freddie made _me_ give you a bath," Sam mumbled as she tried to put Max's collar back on him as the dog wriggled around. "Come on, Max, just stay still!"

"Hi," Carly said, walking into the house.

The dog barked and ran over to Carly to start licking her.

"Thanks, Carly," Sam said, tossing the collar onto the coffee table in defeat.

"I just got back from visiting Melanie," Carly said, patting Max on the head. "Little Nicole is so cute! I bought her some tiny dresses in Olympia."

"Wow, between you and Melanie, that poor kid's not even going to have a chance," Sam said. "She'll be dressed like a daffodil from day one."

"Well I didn't get to buy pretty little dresses for Jason when _he _was that little," Carly said.

"Yeah, what a shame," Sam said, picking up her son from his playpen. "So how was your anniversary last night?"

"_So _amazing," Carly said, following Sam into the kitchen, where she put Jason into his high chair. "Andy took me to this nice little bistro, and then we went to this big open field and just stared up at the stars for the rest of the night. He even named one after me, isn't that sweet? He got a certificate and everything."

"Nice," Sam grinned, looking through the cabinets for a jar of baby food.

"You know what I realized last night too?" Carly said. "You know how all the iCarly fans blended your name and Freddie's name together? Into Seddie?"

"Sure," Sam nodded.

"Well, if you put my name and Andy's name together, you get Candy!" Carly exclaimed. "How perfect is that? It's like we were meant to be together or something."

"Yeah, adorable…in an overly sweet kind of way," Sam said. "Man…where's the baby food! All I can find is carrots, and I'm not feeding my poor kid only carrots for lunch."

"You want me to run to the store for you and get a few jars?" Carly offered.

"Nah, I _know _we have some; I just bought some jars yesterday," Sam said, still rummaging through the cabinets. "But I gave them to Frednub to put away, and he's trying to do this new organizational system, so I have no clue-"

"Food!"

"What?" Sam frowned, turning to Carly.

"I didn't say anything," Carly said.

"Food!"

Both girls turned towards Jason. "Food!" the infant said again.

"Oh my God!" Carly exclaimed. "He talked! Was that his first word?"

"Yeah!" Sam said excitedly, running over to the high chair to pick up Jason. "He said his first word! And it was food! Aw, Jason, I'm so proud of you!"

"Food!" Jason said again.

"Wow, he takes after you," Carly laughed. "We have to call Freddie and tell him this."

"Wait, no!" Sam said. "Don't call him!"

"Why not?" Carly frowned. "You don't think he wants to know his son just started talking?"

"Yeah, of course he does," Sam said. "But it's just…I don't want him to be upset that he missed it. I mean, when I missed Jason first pulling himself up, I was really upset. And this is _way _more major than that."

"So what? You're just not going to tell him?" Carly asked.

"No…" Sam said. "I'll wait till Freddie gets home, and when Jason says it again, I'll just, you know, act like it was the first time. What he doesn't know won't hurt him."

"Well, I _guess_ that's okay," Carly said.

"Food!" Jason said, pulling at his mom's shirt.

"I think he's hungry," Carly chuckled.

"You know what, Jason?" Sam said, setting him back down in his high chair. "I'm gonna let you have some ice cream. 'Food'…what a proud day."

…..

"Okay, Gibby," Freddie said, later that day. "Let's see if the baby moves as well as it looks."

"Three hours of building trains," Gibby said, looking at their creation with pride. "Can you _have _a better day?"

"Nope," Freddie said. He picked up Jason, who had been playing with some of his toys on the floor. "Okay, buddy. You ready to see one of daddy's trains in action? You'll see they're not as lame as mommy says they are."

"Can I push the button this time?" Gibby asked, picking up the remote control.

"Sure, fine," Freddie said.

"Sweet!" Gibby said. He pushed the button and the model train gave a loud whistle and began to slowly move.

"Wow," Freddie said. "I can't believe Sam would rather go look at sharks with Wendy than stay here and witness this."

"Chicks," Gibby said, shaking his head.

"Train!" Jason said loudly.

"Whoa, did-did you just hear that?" Freddie said, his eyes widening. "Jason talked! That was his first word!"

"Aw man," Gibby moaned.

"Huh?" Freddie frowned.  
"I was sort of hoping his first word would be Gibby," Gibby said.

"This is incredible," Freddie said, ignoring Gibby's comment. "Jason's talking…and his first word was trains!"

"Man, I bet Sam will be happy," Gibby said.

"Oh…Sam," Freddie frowned. "Listen, Gibby. Don't tell Sam about this, okay?"

"Why not?"

"Because," Gibby sighed. "I don't want her to be sad about missing Jason's first word. I mean, she was heartbroken when he pulled himself up for the first time and she wasn't there. This would just about kill her."

"Well then what are you going to do?" Gibby asked.

"Well, when she gets home, maybe Jason will say it again," Freddie said. "And I'll just act like it's his first time. What she doesn't know won't hurt her."

"Smart," Gibby nodded. "So, can we keep playing with the train?"

"Shoosh yeah we can," Freddie nodded. He picked up his conductor's hat from the coffee table and put it on Jason's head. "And you, my son, get to be the conductor. Man, I bet this is the best day of your life, Jason."


	208. Chapter 208

"How was the shark exhibit?" Freddie asked as Sam walked into the house, throwing her bag and jacket on the floor.

"Awesome, we got to watch them dump the fish guts into the tanks for feeding time," Sam replied. She frowned as she spotted the model trains scattered about the living room. "You played trains all day?"

"Yes I did," Freddie said. "And it was a day well spent."

"I married a total dork," Sam sighed, sitting down on the couch.

"You're just now realizing that?" Freddie asked, rolling his eyes.

"No, but at times like this, it really hits me," Sam said. She looked down at Jason, who was sitting by one of the model trains. "Hey, Jason. Daddy made you play with boring old trains all day?"

"He had fun," Freddie said, picking up his son and sitting down next to Sam. "I even let him wear my special conductor's hat."

"I'm sure he just _loved_ that," Sam said. "Hey, you wanna order a pizza? I'm starving."

"Way ahead of you," Freddie said. "There's some in the kitchen; I got extra meat just like you like."

"Aw, baby, thanks," Sam smiled. "Now go get it for me."

"Should've seen that coming," Freddie sighed, setting Jason on Sam's lap as he got to his feet.

Sam put her feet up on the coffee table. Just then Max came padding into the room and jumped up on the couch next to her.

"Hey, Max," Sam said, scratching the lab behind his ears. "Did you have to suffer during Freddie's lame train day too?"

"You know, Sam, if trains were really so lame, would they have been voted the best form of classic transportation in _Old Wheels Weekly_ three years in a row?" Freddie pointed out, coming back into the room with the pizza.

"Just give Mama her pizza," Sam said, grabbing the box from her husband.

"Anyway," Freddie said, sitting back down. "I went through some of Jason's old baby clothes, you know, while I was letting the special paint on my 1899 Trudgemaster dry, and I put together a box of neutral baby clothes we can give Melanie for Nicole."

"Cool," Sam said. "I'll bring them over to her tomorrow."

She shifted Jason, who was trying to reach over to Max, on her lap.

"Oh, and my mom wants to come over tomorrow and take some pictures of Jason to show the ladies in her Disinfectors of America club," Freddie said. "So try and make sure he's wearing that outfit she gave him for Christmas and-"

"Dog!"

Sam and Freddie both looked down at Jason.

"Did he just say-" Freddie asked, trying his best to act as shocked as he did when Jason had spoken earlier that day.

"Yeah!" Sam nodded, trying to remember how she acted when Jason had talked in front of her and Carly during lunch. "His first word!"

"Yeah," Freddie smiled. "Well, that's really…something."  
"Yup," Sam said. "He's talking now…Big milestone here."

Freddie frowned. "Um…Sam, why aren't you more excited? I mean, you acted a lot more excited when Jason first started walking."

"I _am_ excited, Fredward!" Sam snapped. "Why _aren't _you more excited? You should be recording this on your pearphone or something!"

"I'm insanely excited right now," Freddie said.

"Well, so am I," Sam said. "I'm just…Okay, Freddie, listen," she sighed. "I'm not acting totally crazy right now because, now don't get mad, but…Jason already talked for me."

Freddie blinked. "W-What?"

"Earlier today, when Carly was over," Sam explained. "He said 'food'. I didn't want to tell you because I didn't want you to get upset about missing his first word."

Freddie stared at Sam for a moment, and then started laughing.

"What?" Sam frowned.

"When I was with Jason, building trains," Freddie explained. "He talked for me too. He said 'train'."

"Are you serious?" Sam grinned.

"Yeah, and I didn't want to tell _you _because I thought _you'd _be upset about missing his first word," Freddie said.

"Wow, this is a pretty ironic situation then," Sam said.

"Yeah, I guess it is," Freddie chuckled. "Wow…you realize in less than twenty-four hours, our son has said three words?"

"He's so smart," Sam said, kissing the top of Jason's head. "Just like his daddy."

"_And _his mom," Freddie said.


	209. Chapter 209

"Hey, Sam," Melanie said, walking into the Benson house with Nicole in her arms.

"Hey," Sam said, looking up from her pearbook. "Aw, you brought Nicole!"

"Yup," Melanie nodded. "I figured for her three-week birthday I'd take her here."

"Come here, Jason, you want to see your cousin?" she picked up her son from his playpen and brought him over to Melanie and her daughter. "See, that's Nicole. Can you say 'baby'?"

Jason just simply stared at his cousin in response.

"I still can't believe he's talking," Melanie said, sitting down on the couch.

"Me neither," Sam said. "This morning he said 'cow' when Freddie was reading to him. I mean, the story was about a magical bird, but hey, close enough."

"Sam," Freddie said, walking into his house. "Sam, we-Oh, hey, Melanie. How's Nicole?"

"She's good," Melanie smiled.

"What's up, nub?" Sam asked.

"We need to repaint the garage," Freddie said. "The paint must've chipped or something during all that rain last week."

"Well you'd better get on that then," Sam said, sitting herself down on the couch.

"Come on, at least help me with one coat," Freddie said.

"We'll see…"

"Anyway, I need to go to City Hall and pick up the permits for us to paint," Freddie continued.

"We need permits to paint our garage?" Sam frowned.

"Yeah, in certain neighborhoods," Melanie nodded. "They just don't want anybody painting their house polka-dot or something."

"But this is America! I should be able to do whatever I want to my house!" Sam said indignantly.

"Please, it's hard enough getting you to paint the garage a solid color," Freddie said, rolling his eyes. "You think you'd want to put in the extra effort to make it polka dot?"

"Eh, good point," Sam shrugged.

"I'll go down there later this week and get everything taken care of," Freddie said.

"Cool, and I'll go make myself some soup," Sam said, getting to her feet.

…..

"No mom, I'm not going with you and Lewbert to some ointment expo," Sam said, filing her toenails as she sat on the kitchen counter. "I gag enough seeing Lewbert, I'm not about to go to a place where there's a thousand warty men walking around!"

Freddie walked into the house with a large envelope.

"I got to go," Sam said. "I'll see you-No! I'm not loaning you money to buy a new mini skirt for the expo! Bye, mom."

She hung up the phone.

"Sounded like a great conversation," Freddie said, giving his wife a kiss.

"Eh, it's just my mom being her usual self," Sam said. "What's in the envelope?"

"The permits for us to start painting the garage," Freddie said, opening the envelope. "I just need to fill out a few things and then we can-Hey! These are divorce papers!"

"What?" Sam frowned.

Freddie showed her the documents that were in the envelope. "See? It says authorization of the divorce of Fredward Benson to Samantha Benson!"

"Huh," Sam nodded. "So do _I _get the house then?"

"Sam!"

"Dude, relax," Sam laughed. "They probably just messed up at City Hall. Whoever was working with you probably printed our names on this document instead of the painting permit. Just go back down there tomorrow and fix it."

"Yeah, okay," Freddie nodded. "Still, some mistake, huh?"

"Yup," Sam said, jumping off the counter top and putting her arms around Freddie's neck. "So I get to stay then?"

"Of course," Freddie chuckled, leaning down to give her a kiss, which Sam immediately deepened.

"You know," she said once she pulled away. "I _just _put Jason down for a nap…He should be asleep for at _least _another half-hour…You want to go upstairs?"

"Sam, it's two in the afternoon," Freddie said.

"Your point?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow as she gave her husband another kiss.

"I don't have one," Freddie said, grinning, taking her hand and leading her upstairs.

…

"Sam, did you finish reading over the scripts for work tomorrow?" Carly asked, walking into the Benson's house later that day.

"Yeah," Sam nodded, sliding a chicken into the oven. "I can't believe I had to do work at home…what is this, high school?"

"Come on, it wasn't that bad," Carly said. "Hey, where's Freddie?"

"With Cody," Sam explained. "He wanted to give Melanie a break from Nicole for a little bit, so he told her to go to the movies and dinner with some friends, but then he pretty much had a mental breakdown watching her by himself, so I made Freddie go over there and help him. He should be back in a few minutes though."  
Right on cue, Freddie stormed into the house, soaking wet. "Sam!"

"Why are you all wet?" Sam frowned.

"I'm _drenched _because _someone_ took my car out yesterday and used up my entire tank of gas!" Freddie snapped. "The car died on me on the side of the road in the middle of this mini-hurricane and I had to hitch a ride from a truck driver to get to a gas station so I could call the towing company because my phone shorted out from getting wet in the rain!"

"Well you should've looked at your gas level before you left the house!" Sam retorted. "It's not _my _fault you _assumed_ your tank was full!"

"I filled it up three days ago; why wouldn't I assume it was full!"

"Well maybe _you _shouldn't assume things!"

"And maybe _you _shouldn't borrow my car to drive all the way to Canada just to get fancy bacon!"

"Um, guys," Carly said cautiously.

"What?" Sam muttered, glaring at Freddie.

"I don't mean to get between this little…couple's dispute," she said. "But I _really _need to just grab the scripts. I promised my granddad I'd be able to video chat with him in twenty minutes."

"They're sitting on the desk in the office," Sam said.

"Thanks," Carly said, hurrying out of the kitchen.

Freddie sighed. "Look…sorry to go off on you, Sam. You know I just get irritable when I get wet."

"I know," Sam said. "And…sorry I used up all your gas. I should've filled the tank up after I got back from Canada yesterday."

"Thanks," Freddie smiled, giving her a kiss.

"I'll go get you a towel," Sam said.

…

"Alright, scripts, scripts…" Carly said, turning on the light in the Benson's office. She went over to the desk, which was covered in papers. "Let's see…Ah, here they are!" She picked up the T.V. scripts her and Sam had been working on. She was just about to head out when something else on the desk caught her eye.

"Divorce papers?" Carly frowned, picking up the documents. "Authorization of the divorce of Fredward Benson to Samantha Benson?" She gasped. "Oh my God! Sam and Freddie are getting a divorce!"


	210. Chapter 210

"A divorce?" Spencer frowned. "That can't be right."

"It is!" Carly said, pacing back and forth in Spencer and Ella's living room.

"Carly, you're going to wear a whole in that rug, you know," Ella said.

"Can you really do that just by walking back and forth on it?" Gibby asked. "Wow…fascinating."

"Gibby!" Carly exclaimed.

"Look, Carly, just tell me again exactly what you saw," Spencer said.

"For the tenth time, I went into their office to get something for work, and the papers were sitting right there," Carly said. "The divorce papers for Freddie and Samantha Benson!"

"Well maybe you read the papers wrong," Ella suggested.

"No, I reread it about a dozen times," Carly said. "It definitely said 'Authorization for the divorce of Fredward Benson to Samantha Benson'."

"But-But they can't get a divorce," Spencer said. "They're Sam and Freddie!"

"I know," Carly said miserably. "I can't believe it either."

"They never seem to have any issues when we're around them though," Ella pointed out. "You think maybe they were just faking it for us or something?"

"Could be," Carly said. "I mean, sure they argued, but they've _always _argued! It's never anything serious. Oh man, they were even fighting when I was over there today!"

"About what?" Spencer asked.

"Sam used up all the gas in Freddie's car or something, and Freddie had to hitchhike in the rain," Carly said.

"Well has Sam said anything about things not being great between them to you?" Ella asked.

"No, but it's Sam," Carly said. "She doesn't like talking about these things. She'd rather just keep everything to herself." She turned to Gibby. "What about Freddie? Has he said anything about his marriage being rocky to you?"

"No, I don't think so," Gibby said.

"Maybe Freddie's mom finally got to them," Ella said. "She _does_ hate Sam, doesn't she?"

"I don't think she _hates _Sam anymore," Carly said. "Especially not since Jason was born. Holy chiz, Jason! That poor little boy is going to have to grow up moving back and forth between his parents!"

"Slow down, they haven't gotten divorced _yet_," Spencer said. "There's still time for things to work out. Maybe they're just going through a rough patch or something."

"Maybe," Carly sighed. "The thing is, though, they're both too stubborn _to _work things out. I used to think that's what made them so perfect for each other, but I guess I was wrong."

"Hey, what's gonna happen to Max during this whole thing?" Gibby asked.  
"Max?" Carly repeated. "I tell you that two of your best friends are getting a divorce, and you're concerned about their _dog_?"

"Hey, I care about them too," Gibby defended. "But you said they'd have to share Jason if they break up, so I just want to know who gets to keep Max, because I'm really starting to get tight with him, and if he needs a home…"

"Okay, here's what I'm thinking we do," Carly said, ignoring Gibby. "We-"

"Carly," Spencer said, seriously. "I don't think we should meddle in this."

"What?" Carly frowned. "Why not?"

"Because this is Sam and Freddie's decision, not ours," Ella said.

"But-So you're saying you don't care if they get divorced?" Carly snapped.

"Of course we care," Spencer said. "I'd be devastated if they did; they make each other so happy, even with the problems they're apparently having. But we can't force them to stay together just for us."

"And Sam and Freddie haven't even told us about this yet," Ella said. "Obviously when they choose to come to us about this, we can tell them that maybe they should rethink things, but it's like Spencer said. Ultimately, what they're going to do is up to them."

"I-But it'll be so…sad," Carly said.

"I know," Spencer said, putting a comforting arm around his little sister. "It will be rough on everyone."

"I think I need to go get one of T-Bo's mood raiser smoothies," Carly sighed. "I'll see you guys tomorrow, I guess."

"Bye, Carls," Ella said, offering a weak smile.

Carly headed out of the loft. As she closed the door behind her, the gears in her meddling mind were already turning. There was _no way _she was going to sit by and let her best friends marriage fall apart. She was going to fix it if it was the last thing she did.

…..

"Hey, Sam," Carly said later that day, letting herself into the Benson house. "How's it going?"

"Well, I'm pretty sure I just ate a good five pounds of ham, so I'd say pretty good," Sam said, looking up from her magazine.

"So…where's Freddie?" Carly asked.

"I dunno, out," Sam shrugged, flipping the page in her magazine.

"You mean you don't even know where he is?" Carly frowned.

"Um, no," Sam said. "Why should I keep tabs on his nubby butt every minute of the day?"

Carly sighed. Maybe this was going to be harder than she thought.

"Well, can you call him?" Carly asked. "I'd really like-"

"Hey, hey," Freddie said, walking into the house with a bag of fried chicken. He tossed the bag to Sam.

"Hey, this is white meat!" Sam said, opening up the bag.

"Just eat it, it's chicken," Freddie said, rolling his eyes.

"You just can't do anything right, can you?" Sam said, biting into her chicken.

"Um, guys, listen," Carly said, turning off the T.V. Sam had on and picking up Jason. "I know you two may be having some…issues, right now. But maybe it's just because of the stress of raising a child and you haven't really gotten a lot of time together. So here's what I'm gonna do. I'm going to take Jason to my place and watch him for you for the whole day so you two can, you know, sort some things out, okay? Okay." And with that, she grabbed Jason's diaper bag and headed out.

"Um, what just happened?" Sam asked her husband.

"No idea," Freddie said. "But, look at it this way…We now have the entire day to ourselves. You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Yes I am," Sam grinned, scooting closer to him. Freddie put his arms around her as Sam grabbed the remote. "An all day marathon of the Nature Channel!"

….

"Jason, _how _can you be so much work when you're so little?" Carly asked as she walked up to Sam and Freddie's front door with him six hours later. "You successfully got syrup in my hair, nearly knocked over all my lamps and rearranged all my shoes in my closet! I had them in a perfect system!"

"Cow!" Jason said happily, pulling Carly's hair.

"Hey! I am not!" Carly said indignantly. "Let's just get you inside…hopefully your mommy and daddy talked, and everything's fine now."

She opened the door of the house only to find Sam sitting on the couch texting someone on her pearphone and Freddie sitting right in front of the T.V., playing a video game.

"Um, hi," Carly said, setting Jason down. "What are you guys doing?"

"Playing _Battle Robots IX_," Freddie said.

"Texting Wendy about this hilarious video I just watched on Splashface," Sam replied.

"Wait, wait, wait," Carly said. "Did you two even talk at all while I was watching your son, who, by the way, just called me a cow?"

"Eh, that's his favorite word, he calls his blanket a cow too," Sam said.

"Oh," Carly said. "But still, did you two talk or not?"

"Um, sure, I guess," Freddie frowned, pausing his game. "I mean, I talked to Sam when I told her to play for me for a minute while I ran to the bathroom, even though she just made my character jump off a cliff!"

"Dude, there was no way you were winning that level," Sam said. "I did your character a favor."

"You guys!" Carly exclaimed, unplugging Freddie's videogame and grabbing Sam's phone. "How do you expect to solve anything if you two won't even communicate with each other!"

"Hey, I was just about to beat this game!" Freddie cried.

"And give me back my phone!" Sam said.

"You two," Carly said, grabbing both their wrists and dragging them towards their basement. "Are going to talk and work this whole thing out if it kills me! You were meant to be each other, and I'm not going to just stand by while I watch you two ruin what you have!"

"Carly, what are you-?" Sam started, but Carly didn't listen to her.

"Now," she said. "I'll stay out here and keep an eye on Jason, so don't worry about him. Actually, yes, _do _worry about him, and what your choices may mean for _him_!"

She slammed the basement door shut and locked it.

"Hey!" Sam said, turning the handle. "Carly! Why are you being so weird? Why'd you lock us in here?"

"I will unlock you when you two have communicated!" Carly said. "Communication is the key to a successful marriage, you know!"

"Man, what is up with _her_ today?" Freddie frowned, looking at Sam.

"I don't even know," Sam said. "What are we even supposed to do down here?"

"We have that pool table," Freddie said. "Want to play?"

"Might as well," Sam shrugged. "But no lectures on the physics of pool this time!"


	211. Chapter 211

"Jason, come on, I know I'm not your mom, but _please_, fall asleep," Carly begged the baby, winding up the _Galaxy Wars _mobile above his crib for above the crib for the tenth time in the last hour. "I'm _trying _to save your mommy and daddy's relationship, you know, so a little cooperation here wouldn't kill you."

But Jason continued to fuss.

"Okay, there has to be _some _trick to getting you to sleep," Carly sighed. "Let's see...Oh yeah! Sam says you like to have your stuffed pig with you when you sleep, I forgot all about that, here you go sweetie." She placed Jason's worn stuffed pig in his crib, and instantly, he stopped crying.

"Cow!" he said happily.

"That really _is _your favorite word, isn't it," Carly smiled. "Now goodnight, Jason. I'm gonna go see if your parents made any progress."

She turned off the light in his room and headed downstairs to the basement door. She unlocked it and went down.

"Okay, you two," Carly said. "Have you guys made any-You guys!"

"What?" Sam frowned, lining up the cue ball for a shot. "Are you finally letting us out; we've been down here for three hours!"

"Yeah, seriously, what is up with you," Freddie asked.

"Have you two been playing pool this entire time?" Carly asked. "That wasn't what you were supposed to do!"  
"Well what else are we gonna do down here at twelve o'clock at midnight?" Sam yawned.

"How about you were supposed to talk things out?" Carly said.

"What things?" Freddie asked sleepily as Sam sunk the eight ball in the corner pocket of the pool table.

"Mama wins!" Sam said, throwing her pool stick up in victory.

"What?" Freddie said, spinning around. "Sam, no way! You cheated! The cue ball was supposed to be all the way back there, you moved it!"

"No I didn't!" Sam snapped. "I beat your butt fair and square!"

"Please, you don't even know the concept of pool," Freddie said.

"I don't need to know the exact angle and velocity of the ball, nub," Sam said, rolling her eyes. "You shoot the dang ball into the pocket, it's not rocket science!"

"Guys!" Carly shouted, breaking up the argument. She looked at her watch and sighed. "Okay, look. I'm beyond exhausted right now from watching Jason all day. But I _will _be back tomorrow, and we _will _be getting somewhere this time. Try and get some sleep, and please, no more fighting, okay?"

"Get somewhere with what?" Sam frowned. "Carly, what's up with you today, are you going through a mid-life crisis twenty years early or something?"

"Yeah, first you come over and watch Jason all day without us even asking, and then you lock us in our own basement?" Freddie frowned. "What's up with that?"

"I'm just, you know, trying to be a friend here," Carly said, careful not to mention that she saw the divorce papers. "Now, goodnight. I'll see you two tomorrow."

"Um, should we be concerned about her?" Freddie asked, turning to Sam as Carly headed out.

"I don't know," Sam said. "All I know is that I'm way too tired for all this. Come on, let's get to bed."

"Yeah," Freddie nodded. "Maybe this is all just some bizarre dream."

…..

"Sam, did you make coffee?" Freddie yawned, coming downstairs, setting Jason down in his playpen. "Sam? Sam!"

"Huh?" Sam asked, jerking awake. She had been fast asleep on the couch.

"You went back to sleep down here?" Freddie frowned. "I thought you said you were gonna make breakfast!"

"I was," Sam said, kicking off the blanket she had been curled up in. "But then I figured I could get some more sleep and have _you _cook breakfast instead."

"Cute," Freddie grinned, giving her a kiss. "I guess I'll get started on the bacon then."

"Thank you, baby," Sam said.

As Freddie retreated into the kitchen, Carly walked into the house.  
"Morning," she said brightly. "Are you all ready to-Oh, Sam," Carly said, spotting her best friend picking up the pillow and blanket from the couch. "You slept on the couch?"

"Um, yeah," Sam nodded.

"Oh, come here," Carly said, pulling her into a hug. "It's okay. We're gonna get everything fixed, I promise."

"You're still on this?" Sam frowned. "For real, _what-_"

"Oh, hey Carly," Freddie said, poking his head out of the kitchen. "You want some bacon?"

"Freddie, forget the bacon, come in here," Carly said.

"So you're going to be weird again today too, huh?" Freddie said, joining the women in the kitchen.

"Now, I thought about this a lot last night," Carly said, ignoring Freddie's comment. "And I figured that maybe the reason we were so unsuccessful yesterday was because you weren't really in a calm, relaxing environment that would encourage communication. So, I decided that I would treat you two to a day at Seattle's Couple Retreat Center!" She handed them a brochure. "See? You guys can enjoy hot tubs, massages, room service, top-notch food, _and _this place is one of the most peaceful places around, so you two should be able to talk easier."

"Wait, Carly, this place looks crazy expensive," Freddie said. "We can't let you treat us to this."

"Hey, this is my gift to you," Carly said, picking up Jason. "Now, I've just had three cups of coffee, so I should be able to keep up with Jason today. You two just go enjoy yourselves and try to really appreciate each other."

"Um, did I forget our anniversary or something?" Sam frowned as Carly left with their son yet again. "Is this why she's doing this?"

"No, our anniversary's not for another four months," Freddie said. "I have no idea why she's doing this."

"Well, we're not gonna just waste this," Sam said. "Let's go! It says here that this place has seven different types of chocolate cake!"

…

"As much as I don't get what's going on with Carly, I've got to say," Freddie said as they walked back into their house later that night. "This was the most relaxing day of my life."

"Yeah, how awesome was it to swim in a heated pool in the middle of February?" Sam said.

"I did like seeing you in that bikini," Freddie grinned.

"I know you did," Sam laughed. "Hey, Carly told us she'd drop Jason off, right?"

"Yeah," Freddie said.

Right on cue, Carly walked in with Jason.

"Hey, Jason," Sam smiled, picking up her son. "Man, I haven't seen you too much these last few days, have I? You miss mommy?"

"So, how was the couple's retreat?" Carly asked.

"Amazing," Freddie said. "Thanks for getting that for us, Carly.

"Oh, it was no problem at all," Carly said. "And did you too, you know, patch a few things up?"

"Alright, Carls, this is getting too weird," Sam said, handing Jason to Freddie.

"Weird?" Carly asked, trying to look innocent. "What's weird?"

"You!" Freddie said. "I'm gonna go put Jason to bed, but when I get back, will you _please_ explain to us what's been going on these last two days?"

"You guys, I'm not being weird," Carly said as Freddie headed upstairs.

"Yes you are!" Sam said. "And why do you keep saying that Freddie and I need to communicate and patch things up and all that chiz?"

"Because, I-it's just," Carly sighed. "Okay, look. I know you and Freddie probably didn't want anyone to know about it yet-"

"Know about what?" Sam asked.

"I know you and Freddie are thinking about getting a divorce, Sam," Carly sighed.

Sam frowned. "Huh?"

"It's just, you two are my best friends and I always thought you were so happy in your marriage," Carly continued. "And I know, deep down, you two still care about each other. That's why I've been going crazy trying to help you solve whatever issues you two are having that made you make this decision! I mean, you guys not only have to think about yourselves, but about Jason, too!"

"What's going on?" Freddie asked, returning to the living room.

"Um, Carly thinks we're getting divorced," Sam said.

"What?" Freddie exclaimed. "Why would you think that? We're not getting divorced!"

"You guys, hiding the problem's not going to help," Carly said. "I'm not judging you, I just want to help you. I mean, maybe you could do marriage counseling or something. I hear that's pretty helpful. Or-"

"Carly, we're not hiding any problem," Sam said. "We're serious. We're not getting a divorce."

"You guys," Carly said gently. "I found the papers."  
"What?" Freddie frowned. "What are you-Oh…I see what happened."

"What?" Carly said.

"Wow, I can't believe you actually thought we were getting a divorce!" Sam laughed.

"That is _hilarious_," Freddie agreed, chuckling.

"I-Hey!" Carly said. "Stop laughing!"

"Sorry, Carls," Sam said. "But this is all too funny!"

"Um, okay, sort of getting confused here," Carly said.

"Those divorce papers you saw on our desk were a mistake," Freddie explained.

"A mistake?" Carly repeated.

"Yeah," Sam nodded. "Freddie went down to city hall to get the permits for us to paint our garage and whoever was working with him must've screwed up and printed our names on divorce papers instead of the permit."

"I didn't realize until after I got home and opened them," Freddie said. "I brought them back yesterday."

"I-So you two _aren't _getting a divorce?" Carly asked.

"No," Sam said as Freddie put his arm around her.

"We're perfectly happy being married," Freddie smiled.

"Oh," Carly said lamely. "Well then, I'll just be going. This is all very…awkward."

"Eh, it's cool," Sam said. "But hey, if it means anything, you were a good friend throughout this whole fake divorce."

"Yeah, good to know we can count on you to be there," Freddie said.

"Thanks, but I still feel pretty stupid," Carly said. "I think I need to just go home and soak in my tub…after I clean up the mess your darling son made, that is."

"Well," Freddie said as Carly shut the door behind herself. "At least we figured out why she was acting so weird."

"Yeah, too bad we didn't know that was why earlier," Sam said. "You realize she probably would've sent us on our second honeymoon if we could've kept this going long enough!"

"Sam," Freddie said, rolling his eyes. "Don't you think it's wrong to fake a divorce just to get your best friend to pay for a second honeymoon?"

"Maybe," Sam sighed. "You and your stupid morals, Benson."


	212. Chapter 212

**AN-Happy iKiss 4 year anniversary!**

…**..**

"Hey, Carls," Sam said, walking into her best friend's apartment. "You ready to go to the movies?"

"Yeah, in a minute," Carly said, running a brush through her hair. "And listen, Sam. I'm really sorry about the whole 'divorce' thing the other day. I just freaked out at thought of you and Freddie would be getting one, and I should've just come to you about it rather than acting all crazy."

"Hey, we got a day of babysitting out of you," Sam said. "_And _you got us that couple's retreat thing, which we'll pay you back for, by the way."

"Nah, consider it an early anniversary present," Carly said, grabbing her bag. "Oh hey, after the movies, can you come to the mall with me? I have a date with Andy tonight and I need a new dress."

"Why? You don't still buy new dresses for every date, do you?" Sam asked.

"No," Carly replied. "But he's taking me to a fancy pants opera tonight and I don't have any fancy pants opera dresses."

"Fine," Sam said. "We'll go make Carly all purty for her opera. You know, I sort of actually always wanted to go to an opera."

"You? Really?" Carly frowned. "That doesn't really seem like your thing."

"There's fat ladies running around screaming at the top of their lungs," Sam said. "How funny is that? It's like my Aunt Wanda's farm!"

"Sam, it's supposed to be cultured and sophisticated," Carly said. "I've been hinting to Andy for weeks that I wanted to do something like this and he finally picked up on it. So do you and Freddie have plans tonight?"

"Crazy's coming over for dinner," Sam mumbled. "Which means I get to listen to her nonstop criticisms of me for two whole hours."

"Sorry," Carly said. "She really _is _your stereotypical mother-in-law though, isn't she?"

"Try ten times worse," Sam said. "You know the other day I came home to find her going through Freddie's drawer, inspecting his underwear? Apparently the detergent we use is ruining her precious Fredward's boxers, and I should switch to this weird organic brand. And then I told her that _Freddie's_ usually the one who does the laundry, and she pretty much flipped out on me."

"Wow, I think I'd go insane by now," Carly said, picking up her car keys. "Alright, Benson, let's go see _My Perfect Dress_."

"You mean _Agent Assassins III, _right?" Sam said.

"Um, sure," Carly nodded.

….

"Samantha, do you know how many needless grams of fat and sodium are in the coating of fried chicken?" Marissa asked, grimacing, as she scraped off the skin of the chicken Sam had prepared.

"Yeah…I don't really care about that," Sam said, pouring barbecue sauce onto her own piece of chicken.

"Sam," Freddie sighed, feeding Jason.

"If you would just let me take you to one of my healthy cooking classes, you would see the joy in preparing nutritious foods!" Marissa said.

"Mom, come on, it's not like we eat fried chicken all the time," Freddie said. "Believe it or not, Sam has cut back to only twice a week."

"And my poor Fredikins," she continued, ignoring her son's comment. "He grew up on a strict diet of only healthy fats, proteins and limited carbohydrates, and look at what a handsome young man he turned out to be. If you want Jason to grow up and beautiful as his father, you'd better rethink his diet."

"Hey, Jason's diet is fine," Sam snapped.

"Well, I can see I'll be getting nowhere with _her_," Marissa said, crossing her arms.

"I have a name, crazy," Sam said, rolling her eyes.

"Okay!" Freddie said. "I think we're all done eating here. Why don't we go into the living room for a nice, friendly game of checkers?"  
"Your mom's the worst!" Sam hissed at Freddie as Marissa pulled out her special dish washing soap.

"Baby, I know she's being…aggravating," Freddie whispered. "But please, just try and be nice. For me?"

"You should've taken me to the opera tonight," Sam mumbled.

"What? Just so you could watch fat ladies scream?" Freddie said, rolling his eyes.

"Samantha, come here now," Marissa said, pulling on a pair of rubber gloves. "It's time you learned the proper way to wash dishes."

Sam's fist clenched.

"Sam, I swear, if you just do this, I will take you to the next opera that comes to Seattle," Freddie said quickly.

"Fine," Sam mumbled. "But you better make sure the ladies are extra-fat."

…..

"How can this kid have so much energy?" Sam yawned later that night, gently bouncing Jason in her arms as she paced around his room. "He's been up since seven this morning, and it's almost midnight now!"

"I don't know," Freddie yawned, getting up from the rocking chair. "Well, looks like you have everything under control here-"

"Leave this room, Frednub, and you're dead," Sam snapped.

"Fine, here, let me have a try," Freddie said, taking his son from Sam. "Come on, Jason, you want to go to sleep, don't you? Sleep is fun! So much fun!"

"No!" Jason said.

"Yeah, good job teaching him that word, Sam," Freddie said.

"Here, just put him in his crib and we'll try the mobile again," Sam said, winding up Jason's _Galaxy Wars _mobile, wincing as she heard the theme begin to play.

"There you go, Jason, just try and dream of proton cruisers and droids," Freddie said, placing the infant in his crib. "Look, Sam! He's closing his eyes!"

"Yes, congratulations, you've warped his mind," Sam said. "Now _I'm _going to bed."

"Me too," Freddie nodded. "I'm supposed to meet Gibby and Spencer at the bowling alley tomorrow morning, so I need my rest."

"Yeah, wouldn't want to be tired when you get a gutter ball," Sam said.

"Hey, I'll have you know I'm our team's leading strike-getter!"

"Whatever, baby," Sam said, crawling into bed as she turned off the light.

"No confidence in my athletic ability," Freddie mumbled, his head falling onto his pillow."

The couple was just beginning to drift off to sleep, when suddenly, they heard Max begin to bark downstairs and the sound of their front door opening.

"Huh? What was that?" Freddie asked sleepily.

"I don't know," Sam said, rubbing her eyes as she sat up.

"Sam! Freddie!"

"Is that-?" Freddie frowned.

"Sam! Freddie! You guys!" Carly exclaimed, bursting into her best friend's bedroom, jumping onto their bed like a child. "Guess what? Guess what? Guess what?"

"Um, you've finally lost enough brain cells from that fancy conditioner you use to make you crack?" Sam suggested.

"Yeah, Carly, it's midnight," Freddie yawned. "And shh! Don't wake up Jason!"

"Sorry," Carly said quickly. "But look! Look!"

She held her hand under Sam's nose.

"What? Did you get a new manicure?" Sam asked. "Because, Carly, no offense, but at this hour, I really don't care about-Whoa, holy chiz, is that an engagement ring?"

"Shoosh yeah!" Carly grinned. "I'm getting married! Finally!"

"Wow, that's great, Carly," Freddie said. "So Andy finally proposed, huh?"

"Yeah, he did, right after the opera let out," Carly said. "He led me up onstage onto one of those balcony's they used during the play and proposed there. It was so romantic."

"Wait, where _is_ Andy?" Sam asked.

Carly's eyes widened. "Oh my God, Andy! I left him at the opera house!"

"Nice, Carls," Sam chuckled.

"I'd better go get him," Carly said, scrambling off the bed. "But tomorrow, Sam, we need to start planning _everything_! You're my maid of honor, obviously, so we need to start getting this whole shinday together! I'll meet you here in the morning, okay? Okay. Bye, guys!"

Freddie laughed as Carly rushed out of the room.

"What?" Sam frowned.

"You're her maid of honor," Freddie smiled.

"Oh my God," Sam said, shaking her head. "I'm going to be insane before this wedding even happens, aren't I?"


	213. Chapter 213

**AN-Hey, sorry about not updating for awhile. I just went back to school and my schedule's a bit hectic. I will still try and update at least once or twice a week. Seddie Oneshots got updated so frequently just because I already have so many chapters for that already written.**

…**.**

Freddie yawned as he walked downstairs, wearing nothing but his boxers and an old T-shirt.

"Morning, Freddie," Carly said brightly, handing him a mug of coffee.

"Carly!" Freddie exclaimed. "I'm in my _underwear_!"

"Oh grow up," Carly said, rolling her eyes. "Is Sam up yet?"

"Yeah, she's dressing Jason," Freddie said. "I came down here to make some breakfast quickly, but now I can't do that because you'll see me in my underwear!" He turned and headed back upstairs.

"Um, why do I not smell waffles?" Sam, who was carrying Jason, asked as she passed her husband at the top of the stairs. "I was promised waffles."

"I have to go get dressed," Freddie replied.

"Get dressed after you cook, I'm starving," Sam moaned.

"Carly's downstairs already," Freddie said. "And I may be mistaken, but I think she had a big binder labeled 'My Wedding' with her."

"Oh God," Sam sighed. "See, why couldn't _she _elope, instead of Gibby?"

"You know Carly would probably shave her head before giving up a big fancy wedding," Freddie smiled. "Just remember. She's your best friend, okay baby?"

"Yeah, you're right," Sam nodded. "But hey, I'm still expecting waffles!"

"Baby, believe me. I'd never be stupid enough as to not give you food after I promised," Freddie smiled, giving his wife a kiss.

"Smart man," Sam smirked. She headed downstairs.

"Did you even sleep at all last night?" she asked Carly, grabbing a bottle for Jason out of the fridge.

"How could I? I was so excited!" Carly said. "Now are you ready for some wedding planning?"

Holding back a groan, Sam nodded. "Yeah, sure."

"Perfect," Carly said happily, setting a large binder on the table.

"Oh man, that's your Wedding Album you've been working on since college, isn't it?" Sam asked.

"The very same," Carly said. "Now, obviously any planning we do is going to have to be based on the budget of what Andy and I can afford. I did the math last night. Adding up what my dad agreed to pay, plus what Andy and I each have up, and what Andy's parents will donate, we're looking like around…this for the wedding."

Sam looked down at the total and nearly spit out her coffee. "Carly! That's got to be at least double what mine and Freddie's wedding cost! With that, you can afford to hire someone to plan this whole thing _for _you."

"No way, I want to do the planning," Carly said. "And besides, it's not double what yours cost. Remember, your Uncle Carmine "knew a guy" at the church and got that whole placed rented for free."

"Oh yeah," Sam said.

"Anyway, the first thing we need to do is pick a date for this wedding," Carly said, beginning to flip through the pages of her binder.

"Um, don't you think maybe you should be talking to someone _else_ about that?" Sam frowned.

"Like who?" Carly asked.

"Maybe, oh, I don't know, Andy? The _groom_?"

"Oh," Carly laughed. "Don't worry. Andy just had a few deliveries to make and then he's going to join us. I mean, what kind of person would go and pick a date for her wedding without even asking her groom?"

"You _did _leave him at the opera house last night," Sam pointed out.

"Sam! Don't talk about that!" Carly hissed.

"Don't talk about what?" Freddie asked, returning to kitchen, now wearing a pair of jeans.

"How Carly left her new fiancé at the opera house last night," Sam grinned.

"Okay, how about we never bring that up again, okay? Okay," Carly said. "Now then, once we pick a date, we need to go over the guest list and pick what invitations to send out. That should take about…two weeks."

"Two weeks?" Sam repeated. "Who are you inviting? All of Seattle?"

"This stuff takes time," Carly defended.

"We had our invitations ready to send out in about two days," Freddie pointed out.

"Yes, because Sam refused to let me show her all the options she had for invitation formats," Carly said, rolling her eyes.

There was a knock at the door.

"Oh, that's probably Andy," Carly said. "I'll go let him in."

"How big is this binder?" Sam said, picking up the book as Carly ran off to get her fiancé. "Holy chiz! There's over 300 pages in here!"

"Well, you have fun planning," Freddie said, turning on the waffle iron. "After breakfast, I think I'll leave you two to work on this while I go meet Gibby."

"What? No way, Fredbutt. You stay!" Sam said.

"Okay guys, now we can get some serious planning done," Carly said, walking back into the kitchen, hand-in-hand with Andy.

"Hey, Andy," Sam said. "Congratulations."

"Yeah, you must be pretty excited," Freddie nodded.

"Of course," Andy smiled. "I get to marry my dream girl."

"Aw," Carly smiled. "See how awesome he is? Anyway, hon, we need to pick a date and go over the guest list and get invitations out. So let's go over this calendar and see if we can find a date that's good for us. I'm thinking we try to get a date in October. That will give us about seven months to get everything ready. It'll be challenging, but if everyone just sticks to a schedule, I know we can do this."

"October's good for me," Andy nodded.

"You should have your wedding on Halloween!" Sam said. "Dude, that would be the best wedding ever! You could decorate the place all scary and-"

"Um, that's an…interesting idea," Carly said. "But I think Andy and I would sort of like a more traditional wedding. Right honey?"

"Absolutely," Andy said at once.

"Nice reflexes," Freddie mumbled to Andy.

"Thanks," Andy mumbled back.

"Fine, but don't say I didn't contribute ideas," Sam said.

"How about we put a tentative date on the fifteenth?" Carly said to Andy. "That'll give us time to check our calendars so we can try and free up the date. Sound good?"

"Sounds perfect, babe," Andy smiled.

"Aw, see, isn't this fun?" Carly laughed. "Oh! I should go get my pearpad from my car so we can do more organized planning. Be right back!"

"So, Andy," Sam said as her best friend ran out the door. "Are you ready for seven months of insanity?"

"Yeah," Freddie nodded. "Because you realize that Carly's whole world now revolves around planning this wedding, right?"

"Oh come on, Carly's not _that _insane," Andy said. "She's just excited."

"Oh Andy," Sam said, chuckling as she shook her head. "Poor naive Andy. Do you not _see_ your fiancé's huge wedding binder here?"

"But on the bright side," Freddie said to Andy. "You won't be dealing with all this too much. Carly will probably just have you help her with the guest list and the wedding bands and the big things like that. _Sam _here will be the one roped into going place mat shopping and-"

"You _really _want this hot coffee spilled onto your lap, don't you?" Sam said, glaring at Freddie.

"Okay, got my pearpad!" Carly said happily, returning to the kitchen. "Oh, and Andy? Would it be okay if just me and Sam went to the store to look at invitation backgrounds? No offense, sweetie, but I don't think men really have, well, the best taste when it comes to that sort of thing. Why don't you just stay here and watch T.V. with Freddie or something?"

"Oh," Andy said, looking at Freddie, who was wearing an I-Told-You-So look. "Um, sure. That's fine."

"I'll show the final backgrounds you decide on, so it won't be like you don't have _any _say," Carly told him.

"Hey, whatever makes you happy," Andy smiled.

"Aw, isn't he perfect?" Carly laughed, kissing her soon-to-be groom. "Okay, well Sam, we'd better get going. The invitation store opens in ten minutes."

"Can we at least stop and get a smoothie first?" Sam asked hopefully.

"There's no time!" Carly said. "The store closes early today, so we'll only have six hours to look around! We need every minute we can get!"

Sam sighed and then, after shooting Freddie another death glare, followed Carly out the door.


	214. Chapter 214

"We're back," Carly announced as her and Sam walked back into the Benson house.

"Finally," Sam said, collapsing onto the couch next to Freddie and Andy. "What are you two watching?"

"No clue," Freddie said, his eyes still glued to the television. "But there's this one guy who just realized that his twin brother is actually also his cousin's accomplice in the big plot to take over his sponge company."

"Soap operas, really?" Sam said, rolling her eyes.

"Were you guys out shopping for invitations this whole time?" Andy asked, looking at his watch. "Its been eight hours."

"Yeah, can we at least see the type you picked?" Freddie asked.

"No," Sam said. "Because we didn't even pick one yet, did we Carly?"

"I narrowed it down somewhat," Carly said. "But I still have the whole other half of the store to get through tomorrow. We would've stayed later, but the owner was starting to close up, so we'll just go back over tomorrow."

"That sounds fun," Freddie said, grinning at Sam.

"Anyway, Andy, Spencer wanted us to have dinner at his place," Carly said. "You know, so he can give you his whole 'big brother' speech."

"Really?" Andy frowned. "I never really pegged him for the intimidating type."

"Hey, I got that speech before I married Sam," Freddie said. "You'd be surprised how…scary Spencer can be."

"Oh, don't listen to him, you'll be fine," Carly said. "But we'd better get going or we'll be late. Bye, you two. Sam, you and I can head back to the store tomorrow after work, okay?"

"Oh I'm looking forward to it," Sam said, her voice dripping in sarcasm.

"So you really spent eight hours looking at different wedding invitations?" Freddie asked as Andy and Carly left.

"Yup," Sam said, putting her feet on her husband's lap. "Eight long, boring hours. And she wouldn't even take a lunch break; I'm starving right now!"

"Want me to make you a sandwich then?" Freddie asked.

"If you don't, I might just have 'accidently' scratch one of your _Galaxy Wars_ DVD's," Sam said.

"And I'm heading to the fridge," Freddie said, hopping up.

"You know," Sam said, following him into the kitchen. "When I was with Carly today, it sort of got me thinking."

"About what?" Freddie asked, grabbing some ham from the fridge.

"Our wedding," Sam said.

"What about it?"

"I dunno, just how I sort of got how excited Carly was about hers," Sam said. "That's why I wasn't _too _annoyed about spending my day looking at a gazillion different invitations. It _is _a pretty big deal."

"Our wedding _was_ amazing," Freddie said, smiling. "More than amazing, actually. That day, and the day Jason was born were the best days of my life."

"Yeah, the food was pretty good at our reception, wasn't it?" Sam said, taking the sandwich Freddie gave her.

"Ha, ha," Freddie smirked.

"And you were pretty good too," Sam grinned, giving Freddie a kiss.

"Well thanks," Freddie chuckled. "Just hang in there with Carls. Like I told you, she's your best friend."

"I know that, and you know that no matter how crazy she's going to drive me with all this wedding planning stuff, I'll help her out," Sam said.

"I know you will, baby," Freddie said. "Because you're a good friend."

…..

Later that night, Sam laid on her and Freddie's bed, flipping through a photo album.

"I just put Jason down," Freddie said, walking into the room. "Hey, is that our wedding album?"

"Yeah," Sam said, flipping a page. "With all this wedding stuff going on, I thought I'd look through it."

"Mind if I join?" Freddie asked, settling down next to her.

"If you must," Sam said. "Hey, here's us at the alter."

"You looked beautiful that day, Freddie said, putting his arm around her.

"So I don't look good all the time?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You know what I meant," Freddie said, rolling his eyes. "Oh look, there's one of our cake. Man, that thing was huge."

"Well duh, Mama wasn't going to have a wedding without a huge cake," Sam said. She turned the page. "Here's us dancing for the first time as husband and wife."

"I had to take ballroom dancing classes for that," Freddie said, laughing at the memory.  
"I didn't know you did that," Sam said.

"Baby, I'd have tripped over my own two feet if I didn't take those classes," Freddie said. "I wanted our first dance to be perfect."

"It was," Sam said softly. She rested her head on Freddie's shoulder. "I hope Carly's wedding winds up being just as good as ours."

"Me too, she really deserves it," Freddie agreed.

Sam and Freddie continued to flip through their wedding album for the remainder of the night. The two, having lost track of time, wound up falling asleep with it open across their laps, open to the page of their first kiss after they had been pronounced husband and wife.


	215. Chapter 215

**AN-Sorry about not updating for awhile; I've been insanely busy with school! **

…**.**

"Sam, did you really drink the last of the milk and then put the carton back in the fridge?" Freddie asked, annoyed, as the last few drops of milk fell onto his dry cereal.

"Oh yeah, when I got home from flower shopping with Carly last night, I was hungry so I had a brownie and milk," Sam said, taking a bite of her bacon.

"Well how am I supposed to eat my cereal without any milk?" Freddie asked.

"Go to the store then," Sam said. "Oh, and while your there, buy me some more steaks?"

"How about since _you _finished the milk, _you _go get it from the store," Freddie said, tossing Sam her car keys.

"It's barely ten in the morning!" Sam exclaimed. "You know I hate leaving the house that early on Saturday's!"

"I always run out and go on errands for you," Freddie pointed out.

Sam sighed. "Fine," she moaned, putting down her bacon. "I'll go get you your milk. But I'm buying whole! Not your gross soy milk chiz."

Freddie rolled his eyes as Sam grabbed her bag and headed out the front door. Jason, who had been sitting in his high chair, began to squirm.

"You all done with your breakfast, buddy?" Freddie asked, picking Jason up. "Well since daddy has to wait until mommy gets back with his milk before he can eat, what do you say you and I have some fun together with those new blocks Uncle Spencer got for you yesterday?"

Freddie carried Jason out to the living room where a large pile of blocks sat. Freddie set Jason down and began stacking blocks, having so much fun on his own that he didn't even notice that his son didn't seem to have any interest in the activity, and was instead trying to put his foot in his mouth.

"Man, Jason, this castle is really coming along nicely, isn't it?" Freddie asked after nearly an hour. "See, wasn't this fun?"

Just then the front door opened and Carly walked in.

"Hey," she said. "Wow, did you build that castle, Jason?"

"Foot!" Jason replied happily, showing Carly his drool-covered foot.

"Ah, so this was more of your daddy's game, huh?" Carly said, smiling knowingly.

"Hey, my mom didn't let me have blocks when I was a kid," Freddie defended. "She was too afraid that they would fall over and crush me. I had to make up for lost time!"

"Uh-huh," Carly laughed. "Where's Sam? I wanted to start going over the bridesmaid dresses with her."

"She went to go get milk," Freddie explained, looking at his watch. "But that was over an hour ago…I wonder what's taking her so long."

"They're probably giving out free samples of deli meat," Carly said, picking up Jason and sitting his down on her lap.

"Probably," Freddie nodded. "But I'm hungry still! I need that milk for my cereal!"

"Wow, someone's high maintenance," Carly said. "Anyway, my granddad just sent me and Andy this gift certificate for that fancy pants seafood restaurant that just opened up near the art gallery. Do you and Sam want to come out with us tonight? Our treat?"

"Yeah, sounds good," Freddie said, pulling out his pearphone. "Let me just see if my mom can babysit and-"

But before Freddie could even dial anything into his phone, it began to ring.

"Hello?" Freddie said, answering.

"Hello, is this Fredward Benson?" the voice on the other line asked.

"Yes," Freddie replied.

"I'm calling from Seattle Medical Hospital," the voice continued. "Your wife, Samantha Benson, has just been admitted, and-"

"What?" Freddie exclaimed. "Why? What happened?"

"There was a car accident," the voice told him, and Freddie felt his hands go numb. "You were listed at the top of her emergency contact-"

"I'll be right there," Freddie said at once.

"What's going on?" Carly asked, frowning.

"Sam got into a car accident," Freddie said shakily, getting to his feet. "I-I need to go to the-the hospital."

"Oh my God!" Carly said, her eyes widening. "Is she okay?"

"I don't know," Freddie said, his mouth feeling very dry. "Keys…Where are my keys?"

"On the counter," Carly said. "I'll stay here with Jason, just…just call me once you know if she's okay."

"Y-Yeah," Freddie said weakly. He quickly grabbed his keys and rushed out to his car.


	216. Chapter 216

Freddie rushed into the hospital and ran right up to the front desk, where a nurse was typing on a computer.

"I need to know what room my wife is in," Freddie said urgently, trying to catch his breath. "I just got a call and-"

"I need a name," the nurse said, not looking up from her computer.

"Samantha Benson," Freddie replied quickly. "Just let me know the room number so I can go see her and-"

"I think she's still in surgery," the nurse said, taking a sip of her bottle of Peppy Cola.

"S-Surgery?" Freddie repeated. "Surgery for what? Is she okay? When will she be out?"

"Whenever the doctor's are done with her," the nurse replied.

"Listen!" Freddie said, beginning to get aggravated with this unhelpful nurse. "This is my wife we're talking about here. I'd really appreciate it if-"

"Hang on, hang on," the nurse said, looking on her computer screen. "It says she just got out of surgery now. She's up in room 239."

"Thank you," Freddie said, already heading towards the elevators. Once he reached the second floor, he bolted out of the elevator and began looking for Sam's room. He finally spotted it at the end of the hall, and without hesitation, Freddie pushed the door open.

Sam way laying on the hospital bed wearing a white gown, eating a cup of Jell-O.

"Oh, hey nub," Sam said looking up from her snack. "I was wondering how long-Freddie!"

Freddie had pulled her into a bone-crushing hug. "Sam, are you okay? I was so worried about you! They just called and said that you were in an accident. I got over here as soon as I can."  
"Relax, I'm fine," Sam said as Freddie finally pulled away, giving her a kiss on the lips first, though.

"You're not fine!" Freddie exclaimed, looking over his wife, spotting a cast on her arm and leg. "What the heck happened?"

"Well when I was pullout out of the shopping center, some idiot ran his stop sign and slammed into me," Sam said. "But believe me, baby. I'm okay."

"You have a broken arm, though," Freddie said softly. "And leg…And you had to get surgery."

"Dude, what I had barely qualified as surgery," Sam said, rolling her eyes. She pulled up the bottom of her gown, revealing a thick scar on her leg that didn't have a cast on it. "I just had to get this sewn up. There was glass in it from my windshield."

"Oh man…" Freddie moaned, sitting down on the edge of Sam's bed. "Sam, when you come home tonight, I'm going to make sure you're as comfortable as-"

"I'm not going to be coming home tonight," Sam said. "The doctors are making me stay overnight."

"Over-Over night?" Freddie stammered. "Why? I thought you said that-"

"I have a concussion," Sam explained. "Which is annoying because the stupid doctors won't let me sleep for another few hours!"

"A concussion?" Freddie repeated. "Sam, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault."

"Um, were _you _the one who drove his car into me?" Sam asked.

"I made you go to the store!" Freddie exclaimed. "All because I wanted milk for my dang cereal! If I would've just eaten it dry, or gone to get some more myself you wouldn't be here right now!"

"Freddie, it wasn't your fault," Sam said. "It was just some freak accident."

"But you could've gotten hurt so much worse than you already are," Freddie said weakly.

"But I didn't," Sam said.

"But you could've-"

"But I _didn't_," Sam said again, firmly. "Look, Freddie, don't freak about this, okay?"

Freddie nodded slowly.

"Good," Sam said. "Now can you go find my doctor? If I'm going to be stuck here all night, I want to at least be able to sleep."

"Okay," Freddie said, getting to his feet. He gave Sam another quick kiss and then headed out of the room.

….

**AN-239…Anyone? Anyone?**


	217. Chapter 217

**AN- Hey, shoutout to Nia West, you rock!**

**Ketbelle-hello back **

**And here is everyone who got the locker 239 reference!**

**Sherbetsticks**

**minor012**

**XMizzTuraX**

**Cbb**

**HarmonyProductions**

**Nia West**

**purpleseddielove**

**Dynamaster**

**twnklingsediestr**

**Jingga**

**seddielovesham**

**anon**

**seddiejathan1020**

**garikay**

**Cuteshobe**

**Nicolerose1999**

"Freddie," Sam said as she walked up the driveway towards her and Freddie's front door. "I can walk."

"There's a step," Freddie said, still trying to help his wife maneuver to the door. "I just don't want you to trip and hurt yourself more."

"I think I can handle walking the six feet to the door on my own," Sam said, rolling her eyes.

Still though, Freddie took her keys from her and opened the front door for her.

"Sam!" Carly said excitedly, hugging her best friend as she walked through the doorway.

"Hey, Carls," Sam smiled. "Hi Jason!" she picked up her son from Carly's arms, using only her arm that was not in a cast. "Did you miss mommy?"

"Yeah, he did," Carly nodded. "But sit down, Sam! You shouldn't be standing with that leg!"

"Yeah, baby, here," Freddie said, guiding her to the couch. He grabbed some cushions and placed them on the coffee table and helped her prop her leg up on them. "I'll go get you some food. How's a ham sandwich sound?"

"Um, wonderful, like it always does," Sam said.

"Okay, I'll be back in a sec," Freddie said, giving her a quick kiss on the lips.

"Wow," Carly said as Freddie headed into the kitchen. "Freddie waiting on you hand in foot…you must be loving this. Just please don't take advantage of it _too _much, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," Sam said. "But…Carly, he's starting to make me worry."

"Huh?" Carly frowned. "Why?"

"Because he thinks this whole thing was his fault," Sam said. "Because he told me to get milk from the store."

"Oh," Carly nodded. "So he's feeling guilty?"

"Super guilty," Sam said. "I told him that he was being stupid, but I still thinks he feels responsible for me winding up in the hospital."

"Well, maybe he's just trying to be a good husband," Carly reasoned. "Just talk to him."

"I just said I did!" Sam said.

"Well then talk _more_," Carly said.

"Ugh, I hate talking about chiz like that," Sam said. "That's more the nub's department. He deals with the emotions and feelings and 'responsible' parts of the relationship, and I bring the fun parts."

"Do I need to give you my 'marriage is a partnership' speech again?" Carly asked.

"No, save that junk for Andy," Sam cringed.

…..

"At least I get the next two days off from work," Sam said as she pulled back the covers of her and Freddie's bed. "So you'd better not make noise waking up tomorrow, Fredguts."

"Don't worry, I won't," Freddie told her, walking out of their bathroom, running a towel through his wet hair. "Do you want me to run down and get you some more pain medicine before you go to sleep?"

"No, I'm good," Sam replied, yawning as she got under the covers. "Just tired."

"Now you're _sure _your head doesn't hurt anymore?" Freddie asked, getting into the bed next to her. "Because it's dangerous for people with concussions to go to sleep sometimes. Maybe we should call the doctor and just double check that-"

"Dude, I don't have a concussion anymore, the doctor cleared me before we left the hospital, remember?" Sam said.

"I know," Freddie said, giving her a kiss. "I'm just worried about-"

"Freddie, I'm fine," Sam said. "You don't need to be stressing out like this."

"Yes, I do," Freddie said. "I'm never going to forgive myself for this, Sam, and I'm going to make it up to you."

"But you didn't even-" Sam began, but she was interrupted by Jason crying in his room.

"I got him," Freddie said quickly, getting up. "You just get some sleep."

Sam watched Freddie hurry out of the room. She slumped against her pillows. She had never felt so terrible about having someone willingly waiting on her hand and foot in her life.


	218. Chapter 218

"Hey," Carly smiled, siting down with her lunch next to Freddie at the studio's cafeteria.

"Hey, hold on," Freddie said, putting his pearphone to his ear. "I just wanna call and check on Sam."

"Again?" Carly frowned. "Freddie, how many times does this make?"

"Well, this time shouldn't count because she didn't pick up," Freddie said, hanging up his phone. "But with the other times…seventeen."

"Seventeen?" Carly repeated. "We've only been at work for four hours!"

"I know, I just wanna make sure she's doing okay," Freddie said, running a nervous hand through his hair. "Oh man, why didn't she answer? Do you think I have time to run home and-"  
"Freddie!" Carly exclaimed. "Sam's fine!"

"Then why didn't she answer?" Freddie demanded.

"Because maybe she's in the bathroom," Carly suggested. "Or taking a nap, or doing something with Jason."

"Carly, I can't help being worried, okay?" Freddie said.

"I know that," Carly said gently. "And I'm not telling you _not _to worry about her. It just seems like you're taking it to a bit of an extreme, and I think it's because you feel guilty about this whole thing."

"Well how am I supposed to feel, Carly?" Freddie snapped. "It was my fault she got into that accident in the first place! Sure, it wasn't the worst situation, but it could've been? What if something worse had happened to her all because I made her go to the stupid store?"

"Freddie, I know that scares you, but you have to realize that this was _not _your fault," Carly said. "Things happen. Sam doesn't blame you for the accident."

"But I just-"

"Look, if it was Andy who got into an accident, I'm not gonna lie, I'd probably be acting the same way," Carly said. "But you know what? You and Sam would be the ones trying to convince me I was acting crazy, wouldn't you?"

Freddie didn't reply.

"I know you love Sam more than anything," Carly continued. "And this whole thing probably shook you up, but you've got to get past it, okay? Just promise me you'll talk to Sam when you get home, okay?"

Freddie sighed. "Yeah, okay. I'll talk to her."

…..

"Are you kidding me?" Sam said, looking at her pearphone. "This is going to be the eighteenth time the nub's called over here!"

"He's just worried about you," Melanie pointed out.

"He's being stupid," Sam mumbled.

"Oh come on, he's being a good husband," Melanie said. "Sure, he might be going a bit overboard-"

"A bit?" Sam said, raising an eyebrow. "He's being so overprotective right now I'm surprised he hasn't morphed into his mom."

"Alright, well, just don't be too hard on him," Melanie said.

"I know," Sam mumbled. "Carly says I'm supposed to talk to him about how he's been acting since the accident, but I'm trying to put that off for as long as possible. You know I don't do that feelings nonsense."

"Give it a try, for Freddie," Melanie said.

Sam groaned. "Fine. I'll talk to him when he gets home, okay?"

"Good," Melanie smiled.

…

Later that evening, Sam was sitting in the kitchen, feeding Jason in his high chair. She heard the front door open and Freddie walked in.

"Hi," he said, giving her and Jason a kiss. "What were you up to all day?"

"Just played with Jason," Sam said. "And now I'm trying to feed him his dinner, but for _some _reason the kid doesn't seem to keen on mashed up chicken and peas. When can we start giving him real food again?"

"Doctor said a few more months," Freddie replied.

"Oh," Sam said, nodding. "Um, hey, after we put Jason down tonight, do you, um, you know, wanna talk?"

"Yeah," Freddie said. "That's probably a good idea…"

Freddie gave Jason his bath and Sam tucked him into bed. She walked into her and Freddie's bedroom, where Freddie was sitting on their bed.

"Hey," she said softly, sitting down next to him. "Listen, I-"

"I'm sorry I've been being so overprotective these last few days," Freddie said.

Sam smiled. "Yeah, well, I guess it's genetic, I mean, look at your mom."  
Freddie gave a small chuckle. "It's just, Sam, you're everything to me. You're my life, and if something happened to you, I-I don't know what I would do."

Sam moved closer to him and put her arm around him. "I don't know what I'd do with out you either," she whispered.

"And when I got that phone call from the hospital," Freddie continued. "My brain just instantly started playing the very worst cast scenarios in my head. What if-what if I would never see you again? What if I would have to raise Jason on my own?"

Sam could see that Freddie had tears in his eyes, but she chose not to comment on it.

"But Freddie," she said gently. "I'm-"

"I know, you're fine, thank goodness," Freddie said.

"Then stop dwelling on the what ifs!" Sam told him. "And stop thinking this whole thing was your fault."

"But if I hadn't-"

"Freddie, I got hit coming out of the _grocery _store," Sam said. "You know I practically live there! Odds are, if you hadn't asked me to get the milk there, I would've found an excuse to go there anyway and pick up more bacon or some of that new triple chocolate sugar glazed cereal!"

Freddie didn't say anything.

Sam sighed. "Hey, you remember when you went on that business trip to New York? Before we got married?"

Freddie nodded. "Yeah? So?"

"So, you remember how your plane went off the radar for a little bit, right?" Sam said. "And we all freaked out because we thought something happened to your plane, but it turned out to be some weird tech glitch or something?"

"Oh yeah," Freddie said slowly. "Carly-Carly said how freaked out and worried you were about that."

"I was a mess," Sam said, smiling weakly. "Carly didn't know what was running through my mind. Do you know how afraid I was that I would never see you again? Baby, I get what you were feeling, believe me I do. Did you notice that for like, a week after that, I barely ever left your side?"

"Then how'd you get past it?" Freddie asked.

"I dunno," Sam shrugged. "I guess I just kept telling myself that as much as I, you know, loved you, I couldn't keep shadowing you. I mean, I was starting to feel like I was acting like you mom." She gave a short shudder, and Freddie actually laughed.

"Anyway," Sam continued. "I finally got it through to myself that I couldn't keep going on being afraid of you getting hurt every minute. It was too much. And you need to realize that too, baby."

Freddie was quiet for a minute.

"But you know there's no way I'll ever stop worrying about you, right?" he finally said.

Sam grinned, putting her arms around his neck. "I wouldn't expect anything less from a nub like you."

"But I guess I can work on not going overboard," Freddie smiled.

"Good," Sam said, kissing him. Freddie kissed her back.

"Thanks, Sam," he whispered in her ear. "I know you're not to fond of these big emotional talks."

"Yeah, yeah," Sam said. "So could we, you know, _not _talk now to make up for it?"

Freddie laughed as he kissed her again. "I think we can do something along those lines."


	219. Chapter 219

"So," Carly said as her and Sam lounged on the Benson's couch, flipping through bridal magazines. "Everything good with you and Freddie now?"

"Yup," Sam nodded, popping a few chips into her mouth as she quickly turned the pages in her flower catalogue, trying not to think about how much she did not want to spend her afternoon picking out flowers. "We talked and everything's fine now."

"See," Carly said. "Talking really is good for relationships. So where's Freddie now anyway?"

"Him and Spencer went to some movie," Sam replied. "Hey, wanna go to a movie too? I could drop Jason off at my mom's and-"

"Sure, right after we finish picking out the flowers," Carly said.

"Well by that time whatever movie we want to see will be out on DVD," Sam mumbled.

"I really like these lilies," Carly said, not hearing Sam. "Or maybe these lilacs. Or maybe tulips would be nice, but I'm not really sure how appropriate those are for a wedding. Or maybe-"

"Carly, please," Sam said. "I'm begging you. Can we take a break from looking at flowers? Just for an hour?"

"Yeah, okay," Carly smiled.

"Thank you," Sam sighed in relief.

"Let's finish going over some other wedding stuff," Carly said, pulling out her wedding binder, and Sam had to struggle to hold back a groan.

"Now then," Carly continued, opening the binder up. "Dina's going to be my flower girl, obviously, but I still don't know what I'm gonna do about the ring bearer…"

"Why? What's up with that?" Sam asked.

"Well, I was thinking it would be cute for Jason to do it," Carly said. "But I also want Bryan to be it too."

"Jason can't walk all the way down the aisle without out falling at least a few times, Carls," Sam said.

"Yeah, but the wedding's in October," Carly reminded her. "Jason will be fine walking by then. Hey! I could make them co-ring bearers! That would be so cute! You okay with that, Sam?"

"Hey, whatever floats your boat," Sam said.

"Cool, well that's taken care of," Carly said. "Andy's brother is going to be his best man, and some of his old high school buddies are going to be his groomsmen."

"What about your bridesmaids?" Sam asked.

"Well, since Andy's only having two groomsmen, I'm only having two bridesmaids," Carly said. "So that's obviously going to be Ella and Melanie. And then we have you as my Maid of Honor. Oh, by the way, what are you doing tomorrow?"

"Um, nothing," Sam said.

"Good, because you're gonna come dress shopping with me," Carly said excitedly. "This is what I've been looking forward to most! I can't wait!"

"Okay, but can we at least try to find a dress shop that lets you take food in it?" Sam asked. "Knowing you, you'll be in there for the whole day and I can't go that long without eating."

…

Later that evening, Freddie returned home from the movies.

"Wow," he said, looking at the coffee table, which was covered in wedding magazines. "Either Carly was here or you've suddenly become _very _interested in centerpieces."

"I spent the entire day picking out flowers with Carly," Sam said, giving him a quick kiss. "And she actually made some progress…So where were you all day? I thought you were only going to see a movie?"

"I did," Freddie said. "But then I had to go pick something up…"

"What?" Sam frowned.

"Well, I've been thinking," Freddie said. "Since that accident-"

"Are you kidding me?" Sam moaned. "I thought you got past that!"

"I did, I did," Freddie said quickly. "This isn't an overly-protected thought…it's more of a 'responsible' one. I was just thinking, Sam, I mean, we have a son now. If, God forbid, something happened to you, I'd still be around to take care of Jason, and if something happened to me, you'd still be here for him, but what if…what if something happened to both of us? What would happen to him?"

"I-well, I'm sure Spencer and Ella would take care of him," Sam said. "Or Carly. Or-"

"I've been reading a lot of things on the Internet where unless everything is already planned out, it can be really difficult to get everything settled if something like that happens to us. Which is why I picked this up for us." He handed Sam a small stack of papers.

"What's this?" Sam asked.

"It's-It's a will," Freddie said slowly.

"A will?" Sam frowned. "Freddie; we're not even thirty yet! These are for old people!"

"No, they're not," Freddie said. "The lady who I got them from said they're recommended for all married couples."

"I'm not doing this," Sam said simply, handing the forms back to Freddie. "It's morbid! And that's coming from me!"

"Sam, it's not morbid! It's called being prepared for the future!" Freddie reasoned.

"Whatever, I'm not doing it," Sam said.

"But-"

"Can we change the subject?" Sam asked shortly.

"Alright," Freddie said, recognizing defeat. "We won't talk about it anymore."


	220. Chapter 220

"Morning," Freddie said as he walked into the kitchen to the smell of bacon cooking. It wasn't often that Sam would awaken before him, but it looked as if she had been up for hours.

"Morning," Sam said. "I made breakfast. You want some juice?"

"Um, sure," Freddie nodded. He knew by the way Sam was acting that she clearly didn't want to discuss their conversation from the previous night, and he knew better than to bring it up.

"Hey, Jason," Freddie said, smiling at his son in his high chair.

"Da!" Jason said happily as he ate his baby cereal.

"You're good to watch Jason today, right?" Sam asked as she handed Freddie his juice. "Because I'm supposed to go dress shopping with Carly, remember?"

"Yeah, we're gonna have some fun today, aren't we Jason?" Freddie said, rustling the infant's hair.

"Okay, well, I'm running late," Sam said, placing a few pieces of bacon into a plastic baggie. "And Carly will chew my head off if I take any time off her dress shopping schedule, so I'd better get going. I'll be home around dinnertime. Bye!"

"Bye," Freddie said as she gave him a quick kiss and ran out the door.

….

"I still can't decide if I want strapless or not," Carly said, staring intently at two dresses in the fourth bridal shop the girls had been in that day. "The wedding's in October, so I'll be especially pale then…unless I try to do one of those spray tans things, but then I risk that messing up. Sam? What do you think? Sam?"

"Huh? Oh, that one," Sam said, pointing to a dress on the opposite side of the store.

"Sam, I ruled out that dress half-an-hour ago, remember?" Carly frowned. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Sam nodded. "Freddie's just being stupid…but it's no big deal. What were saying about the dresses?"

"What's up with you and Freddie?" Carly asked. "I thought he stopped beating himself up over your accident."

"He did," Sam sighed. "But you know what he wanted us to do last night?"

"Do I _want _to hear this?" Carly asked, cringing slightly.

"He wanted us to write our _will_!" Sam exclaimed. "I mean how crazy is that?"

She expected her best friend to immediately side with her and begin going off about how paranoid Freddie was being, but Carly didn't say anything.

"Um, you do know what a will is, right?" Sam asked.

"Yeah," Carly nodded. "Is that really what you're freaking out about?"

"What?" Sam sputtered. "You're not weirded out by this?"

"Well, Sam, you two _do _have a baby," Carly said. "Don't you think it's sort of a good idea to have _some _documentation of what you two want to happen to him if anything were to happen?"

"Nothing's going to happen," Sam said. "We're both young! By the time anything _might _happen, Jason will be all grown up! This is just Freddie's still being paranoid about the accident. I mean, my mom never had a will, and she had _two _kids! And everything worked out fine there!"

"Sam," Carly sighed, sitting down in one of the large armchairs by the dressing rooms. "I was never supposed to tell you this unless I had to, but I think it's a good idea for you to hear…"

Sam frowned. "What?"

"Well, do you remember when we were twelve, and you were over at the apartment hanging out?"

"Um, that was almost everyday when I was twelve," Sam pointed out.

"Well, your mom was supposed to pick you up around dinner time," Carly said. "But at nine o'clock, she still wasn't there, and when you would try calling her, she didn't pick up her cellphone."

"Yeah?" Sam shrugged. "So what? I still don't get what this has to do with anything."

"Well, you remember that Spencer just sort of shrugged it off and told you to just sleepover?"

Sam nodded.

"But then your mom didn't come back the next day," Carly continued. "Or the next day. Or the day after that? And she still didn't call or contact anyone for almost a week?"

"Oh yeah," Sam said. "I just crashed over at your place the whole time. It was the longest we had been together at that point."

"I know," Carly said. "And I remember having so much fun with it because, I mean, why wouldn't I? My best friend had practically moved into my house! But one day when you had detention and I went home from school without you, I came back and saw Spencer sitting on the couch, sort of worried, which was really weird, because he's Spencer. So I asked him what was up and he said he was starting to get a little concerned about the fact that your mom hadn't called you or anything for so long. He thought….he thought something had happened."

"But nothing did happen," Sam reminded her. "It turned out that my mom stuck in Canada because she traded her passport for a new thong bikini."

"But we didn't know that," Carly said. "So Spencer asked me if you had any other family that might know something, and I told him that pretty much all your relatives were in jail at the time."

"Some of them were on parole," Sam mumbled.

"Well, anyway, that night your mom _did _come back," Carly said. "But, well, Spencer was still a little worried about you. I think he realized that your mom was really the only person you could count on as a caretaker, and he was really starting to think of you as a little sister to him…so he called some social worker."

"What?" Sam exclaimed.

"He just wanted to know that if something ever _did _happen to your mom," Carly said quickly. "If he would be able to take you in with me."

"He really did that?" Sam asked softly.

"Yeah," Carly nodded. "But see, the social worker said that since your mom had no record of what she wanted to happen to you in case of something like that, he wouldn't be able to. Not without out a bunch of court hearings and fancy legal junk."

"But Spencer would've of been a great guardian!" Sam exclaimed. "What did they say would happen to me if I couldn't go with him."

"Um…they said they'd try and find your dad," Carly said softly. "And if they couldn't do that, they'd try and put you with a relative who didn't have any criminal record. And if they couldn't find a willing relative, then, um, they said-they said something about foster care."

Sam didn't say anything.

"But obviously Spencer wouldn't let that happen," Carly said quickly. "He had some old friends from law school who actually finished it, and he would've been able to get around that if he needed to. But the point is…"

Sam sighed. "So the nub wasn't just being overprotective, huh?"

Carly smiled. "He wants to look out for his family. And you do too."

"Yeah," Sam mumbled.

"It's something you would have to do eventually anyway," Carly told her best friend. "You might as well do it now."

Sam showed a small smile. "I guess Freddie _does _hate to procrastinate."

"There you go," Carly grinned. "Now anyway, back to this dress crisis…Seriously. Do I go sleeveless or sleeves here?"


	221. Chapter 221

"Hey," Freddie said as Sam dragged her feet back into the house. "I was just about to call you to see where you were. You've been out shopping for-"

"Nine hours," Sam said, collapsing onto the couch next to him. "I know."

"And let me guess," Freddie said, smiling as he put his arm around her. "Carly made no progress in finding her perfect dress?"

"Yup," Sam nodded. "You realize how many shades of white there are? She claims cream white and egg shell white are two totally different things."

"Are they?" Freddie asked.

"I don't know," Sam yawned, resting her head on his shoulder. "After five hours, I had to use all my concentration just to keep myself awake."

"Well, you can relax now, baby," Freddie told her. "I put Jason to sleep and I have some dinner in the kitchen I can warm you up."

"Thanks," Sam smiled, tilting her head up to kiss her husband.

"Anything for you," Freddie said, running his fingers through her hair. "And listen, Sam…About that whole thing with the will and everything last night…I'm sorry. If-If you really don't feel comfortable doing it, I don't want to force you to. We don't have to think about it right now if you don't-"

"Do you still have the papers?" Sam asked quietly.

"Um, yeah, they're in my office," Freddie nodded.

"Go get them," Sam said.

"Really?" Freddie asked, raising an eyebrow. "You changed your mind?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah. As much as I'd _love_ to not think about any of that stuff…I guess we do have to. For Jason, at least."

"Okay," Freddie said. "What made you change your mind though?"

Sam shrugged. "I guess I just thought about things…"

Freddie gave her a quick kiss. "We'll do it, and then we won't have to think about it anymore, okay? I'll run upstairs and grab the papers."

Sam didn't say anything.

"Hey," Freddie said, gently putting his hand on her shoulder. "Thank you."

…

"Okay," Freddie said four hours later, paperclipping some papers together. "That takes care of all our property and assets."

"I don't even know what assets are," Sam mumbled, struggling to keep her eyes open. After spending all day dress shopping with Carly and now spending the rest of her evening doing this, she knew she wouldn't be waking up until well after noon tomorrow.

"They're basically just-"

"I wasn't asking for an explanation, Frednub," Sam said, yawning. "So we're all done then?"

"Well except for the most important thing," Freddie said. "We need to figure out who would become Jason's guardian."

"Oh," Sam said softly, suddenly feeling a bit more awake.

"You okay?" Freddie asked.

Sam nodded. "Let's just finish this so I can finally stop thinking about it…So who is it? Who gets Jason?"

"Well," Freddie said slowly. "I think a good option would be my mom-"

"Nope," Sam said simply. "Not happening."

"Why not? You didn't even think about it!" Freddie said.

"I don't have to think about it!" Sam said. "She's a nut case!"

"You don't think she'd take good care of Jason?" Freddie asked.

"I think she'd turn him into a total geek," Sam said. "Look how you turned out!"

"You married me still, didn't I?" Freddie pointed out.

"I just…she can be a _last _resort," Sam said. "As in, if everybody else in the world is suddenly wiped out by zombies."

"Well then who do you want to take care of him? _Your_ mom?" Freddie asked, rolling his eyes.

"Hey! What's wrong with my mom?" Sam said, crossing her arms.

"Do we _really _want to have that argument?" Freddie asked.

"No," Sam mumbled. "But then who is there? Spencer and Ella?"

"That could work…" Freddie said slowly. "But they've already got Dina and Bryan. You think they would be able to handle taking in another kid?"

"Probably not," Sam agreed.

"We could always ask Melanie," Freddie said. "That way Jason would be with family still."

"No way," Sam said at once.

"Why? What's wrong with Melanie?" Freddie asked. "Sure, she has Nicole, but maybe-"

"I don't want Jason to be raised by someone who looks just like me, okay?" Sam said. "Then it will _really _be like I'm being replaced."

"Sam," Freddie said gently. "You're not going to be replaced…Jason will never have another mother. Nothing's ever going to change that."

"I know," Sam said. "But just…I don't want it. It would be too weird."

Sam expected Freddie to try and argue, but instead he nodded.

"So who else then?" Freddie asked.

"What about Carly?" Sam asked.

"Carly…" Freddie said thoughtfully. "She could be a good guardian…But don't you think she's a little inexperienced?"

"She's our best friend," Sam pointed out. "Who else would care about Jason as much as we do? Plus she'd have Andy to help her."

"That's true…" Freddie said. "And Jason _does _love it when she babysits for him. You know what? I think she could do. I think she'd do a great job raising Jason if she had to. But we _do _have to ask her first."

"I know," Sam said. "We can do it tomorrow."

"Cool," Freddie said. "We can go out for brunch tomorrow and bring it up then."

"Brunch?" Sam cringed.

"What's wrong with brunch?" Freddie asked.

"Nothing," Sam shrugged. "But unless you want brunch at five in the evening, because that's about the time I plan on getting up tomorrow..."

She fell down on the couples bed, nearly knocking over the papers that Freddie had so neatly piled on their bed as they had gone through them.

Freddie chuckled. "Good night baby."

"Night, Frednub," Sam mumbled.


	222. Chapter 222

"Hey Carls," Freddie greeted Carly as he opened the front door for her.

"Hey," Carly smiled back. "Thanks for cooking for me and Andy; we haven't had home cooked food in forever since we've been so busy with wedding planning."

"Well, we actually ordered chicken from Cluck-Cluck Barn," Freddie said. "So it's not exactly home cooked."

"Eh, close enough," Carly shrugged. "And by the way, Andy's going to be a few minutes late. He's helping a friend of his with some car trouble."

"Oh, that's fine," Freddie shrugged. "Sam and I actually wanted to sort of talk to you about something first."

"What?" Carly frowned.

"Hang on, Sam! Carly's here!" Freddie called into the other room.

"Coming!" Sam called back. She came into the room with Jason in her arms. "Hey kid, what's up?"

"Well now I'm sort of curious what you guys are going to talk to me about," Carly said slowly. "Please don't tell me this has anything to do with either of you changing your meal orders for the wedding reception, because I _just _sent those to the caterer and I'm not sure if I'll have time to change them and-"

"No Carly, not that," Freddie assured her.

"But now that you bring that up, would it be possible for me to maybe get _two _plates of that steak?" Sam asked.

"Sam," Freddie sighed. "Not the time."

"Well then what do you guys want to talk about?" Carly asked, sitting down on the couch.

"Well, Sam and I were talking last night," Freddie said as Sam placed Jason in his playpen. "About the whole 'will' thing."

"Uh-huh," Carly nodded.

"And we finished it," Sam said. "Except for this one thing…"

"Basically, we need to find someone to be Jason's guardian if anything were to, you know, happen to Sam and me," Freddie finished for her. "And well, Carly, you're our best friend. There's really no one else who we could trust to take care of our son, which is why we wanted to ask you."

"Me?" Carly repeated. "You-You guys really want _me _to be Jason's guardian?"

"Yeah," Sam nodded. "We do. It would really mean a lot to us, Carls."

"Obviously you need to think about this a little-" Freddie began.

"No I don't," Carly said at once. "You guys, of _course _I'd be Jason's guardian if I needed to!"

"Well don't you want to ask Andy about this first?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, you two are getting married, this would affect him too," Freddie agreed.

"Andy loves Jason, and you guys," Carly said. "I know my fiancé. He'd totally support this decision."

"Still, we'd feel better if you talked to him about this before we make this official," Freddie said. "Just bring it up to him later tonight and tell us later, okay?"

"Alright," Carly agreed.

…..

The next evening, Sam and Freddie were enjoying a quiet night after work.

"Dude! Stop changing the channel!" Sam snapped as she snatched the remote back from Freddie.

"Sam, you've seen this movie a dozen times!" Freddie retorted. "You can only watch _Kung Fu Ninja's from Mars_ so many times before it gets boring."

"Kung Fu Ninja's are _never _boring," Sam said, narrowing her eyes. "Besides, Jason's never seen it." She smiled down at Jason, who was sitting on her lap.

"Exactly, I don't think it's appropriate for a baby to watch a movie about two guys beating up-"

"There's nothing wrong with this movie, nub," Sam said, rolling her eyes. "Besides, if he can't watch this, he's not watching _Galaxy Wars _anymore either."

"But that's completely-" Freddie started, but he was cut off as Carly walked into the house, along with Andy.

"Hey, you two," Carly said. "You realize we could hear you before we even pulled into your driveway."

"Freddie's trying to cut into my ninja time," Sam explained.

"Wow, and I thought he knew better by this point," Carly chuckled.

"You guys hungry? There's some leftovers still in the kitchen," Freddie said.

"Thanks, but we actually are just on our way to our reservations at Pini's," Andy said.

"Yeah, we just wanted to stop by really quick," Carly said. "I talked to Andy today. You know, about what you asked me last night."

"You did?" Sam said, clicking the television off.

"She did," Andy nodded. "And we just wanted to stop by and tell you that we'd be _honored_ to be Jason's guardians if we needed to, which I hope we never have to be. But if we do, God forbid, we promise that we'll raise Jason the best we can."

"Wow, you guys, that means a lot to us," Freddie said.

"Hey, you two are practically family to me," Carly said.

"Thanks, Carls," Sam said, hugging her best friend.

"Your welcome," Carly smiled. "Anyway, we just wanted to stop by and tell you this in person. We really do need to get going if we want to make our reservation."

"Yeah, go ahead," Freddie said. "And thanks so much again. As much as I hope it never happens, I feel a lot better knowing that if something _does _happen, Jason will be in good hands."

…


	223. Chapter 223

"Ow!"

"Gibby! Stay still!" Carly said as she continued to pin Gibby's tuxedo pants. "It won't hurt so much that way!"

"Why do you have to pin up my pants anyway?" Gibby frowned.  
"Because they're dragging on the floor!" Carly said. "I'm not going to have you wear baggy pants at my wedding."

"I didn't do this to you at _my _wedding," Gibby mumbled.

"You eloped!"

"Exactly!"

"Oh man, oh man," Freddie said, bursting through the front door oh his house. "Oh man."

"What's wrong?" Carly frowned.

"Where's Sam?" Freddie asked. "

"She had to go run out and buy diapers," Gibby replied. "Why?"

"I did something bad," Freddie said, running his fingers through his hair nervously as he began to pace back and forth. "_Real _bad."

"What?" Carly asked.

"Well I had just gotten back from the Pear Store, and had pulled into the drive way," Freddie explained. "When all of the sudden…I was ambushed!"

"By coyotes?" Gibby asked.

"Worse!"

"Worse than coyotes?" Carly said. "Wow, this must be big."

"It was Jack and Jill," Freddie said, sitting down on the couch, putting his head in his hands. "Oh…if I only I had made a run for the house just a little bit quicker!"

"I haven't seen Jack and Jill in awhile," Gibby commented.

"Yeah, because they've been away on this couple's cruise," Freddie said. "Which, by the way, I just got _very _specific details about."

"Wait, so what's so bad about this?" Carly questioned.

"Well," Freddie sighed. "Jack and Jill started talking to me, and one thing led to another, and…we'renowgoingawaywiththem." He mumbled the last part under his breath.

"Huh?" Carly said.

"We're going away on a trip with them, okay?" Freddie moaned.

"Whoa, Sam's going to murder you," Gibby said.

"Gibby!"

"What do you mean you're going on a trip with them?" Carly frowned.

"They have this cabin in the woods," Freddie explained. "And they sort of invited me and Sam to spend next weekend up there with them…"

"And you said _yes_?" Carly exclaimed.

"They caught me off guard, okay?" Freddie defended. "They sucked me in with this sob story about how we're their only real friends or something!"

"Yeah, because they probably brought all their other friends up there to that cabin and tore out their organs or something!" Carly said.

"Or tried to sell low-fat pudding alternatives," Gibby said, shuddering.

"Can't you get out of it?" Carly asked Freddie. "Because Gibby's right. Sam _will _murder you over this."

"You know I suck at things like that!" Freddie sighed. "Maybe Sam will be able to…"

Just then the front door opened again and Sam walked in carrying a bag of diapers.

"Hey," she said, tossing the bag down. "Jason still sleeping?"

"Um, yeah," Carly nodded. "And we'll just be going now."

"Yeah, see you tomorrow Freddie…maybe," Gibby said as him and Carly rushed out of the house.

"What was that all about?" Sam asked.

"Um, baby you like the woods, don't you?" Freddie said, giving his wife a quick kiss.

"Not really," Sam said. "I don't really like any place without a microwave."

"But the beauty of the outdoors, the simplicity of nature!" Freddie said. "It's almost as beautiful as you."

"What?" Sam frowned. "You're being weird..."

"So you're saying you wouldn't be down for spending the weekend in the woods together?" Freddie asked.

"Why are we spending the weekend in the woods?" Sam asked suspiciously.

"Oh, well, I thought the two of us could use sort of a little getaway next weekend," Freddie said. "You've been pretty busy helping Carly with all this wedding stuff and I've been pretty swamped at work…a cabin in the woods sort of seems like the perfect little trip for us, doesn't it?"

"A vacation?" Sam said thoughtfully. "Oh…that actually _does _sound sort of cool. You already booked a cabin?"

"Uh…yes," Freddie nodded. "So you down?"

"Sure," Sam shrugged. "This gives me a chance to try out my new rope trap. Hopefully mama can catch herself some nice midnight snacks."

"Fantastic!" Freddie said, wrapping his arms around her. "So it will be just me and you…and Jack and Jill…enjoying the great outdoors and-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on," Sam said, pulling away from Freddie. "Did you just said _Jack and Jill_?"

"Um, I don't know, did I?" Freddie frowned.

"Benson…" Sam said in a warning tone.

"Okay, okay," Freddie sighed. "Jack and Jill sort of invited me and you to their cabin in the woods next weekend…and I might've said yes."

"You _what_?" Sam cried. "Are you _insane_? Why would you do something like that? Are you _asking _for me to destroy you?"

"I didn't want to be rude!" Freddie said.

"Dude!" Sam yelled. "I don't care! There's no way I'm going to spend my weekend in the same cabin as those two stubags! I can barely stand having to share a _street _with them!"

"Well then you go over there and make up some excuse about why we can't go!" Freddie said.

"Oh, I will," Sam said, heading to the door. "And you'd better hide all your little train DVDs while I'm gone too, because when I get back, I swear I'm going to-Ah!"

She had opened the front door only to find Jack and Jill themselves standing on the front step.

"Look at that, Jill. She must've sensed our presence!" Jack said. "That's a sign that we're already getting super close!"

"And we're only going to get closer on our adventure next weekend!" Jill squealed. "Aren't you excited about that, Sam?"

"Er, actually I was just coming over to talk to you two about that," Sam said. "Look, I don't know what Nubbutt over there told you, but-"

"What a coincidence, we were coming over here to talk to you guys about it too!" Jill said. She pulled out two T-shirts out of her bag and handed one each to Sam and Freddie. "Jack and I were so excited that we went and made matching T-shirts with out handy-dandy T-shirt designer."

Sam unfolded the shirt and saw her and Freddie's head, along with Jack and Jill's, floating above the words 'Best Friends'.

"We just wanted to say thank you," Jack said. "We've never had friends as close as you guys to invite up to our cabin. That cabin's real special to us; it was left to me by my father. And on his deathbed, he told me, 'Jack. That cabin's a place where friendships are made. Promise me you'll keep its reputation alive'. And I'm proud to say I can finally do that daddy!"

"Um…right," Sam said, glancing back at Freddie. "Well, see, Freddie and I-"

"And this trip couldn't have come at a better time," Jill added. "Just when I'm finally getting over my loss…"

"You're-You're loss?" Sam repeated.

"Yes, poor Jill here just lost her old childhood dog, Mr. Waggles," Jack said sadly, putting an arm around his wife's shoulders.

"He was my only friend growing up, can you believe that?" Jill sniffed. "But now I'll finally have something to take my mind off of his passing."

"Now then, Sam," Jack said. "What were you going to tell us?"

"Um, we-um," Sam said. She sighed. "Freddie and I want the biggest bedroom at the cabin."

"You've got it!" Jill said. "Besides, Jack and I won't be taking up too much space, will we Jackie-Poo?"

"Nope!" Jack said brightly. "Well, we've got to make a run to the camping supply store. We'll be counting down the days until the big trip!"

"Um…yeah, great," Sam said, closing the door as Jack and Jill ran back across the street.

"Well then," Freddie said, crossing his arms. "Not so easy, huh?"

"Oh shut up!" Sam snapped, flinging her T-shirt at him. "This is all your fault!"

…

**AN-So Sam and Cat in June? I'm so excited! I can't wait to see how they're going to blend the two shows. **


	224. Chapter 224

**AN- Hey, Hailey! Thanks so much for your review! I'm hoping to be updating a lot more now. The reason I didn't update for like, a month, was because I just got super busy with classes and finals up at school. But now I'm on summer break, so I've got more time.**

…**..**

"Sam, do you plan on packing anytime soon?" Freddie asked his wife as he piled a few pairs of jeans into his duffle bag.

Sam didn't reply, and continued to play her game on her Pearpad.

"Okay, fine, I'll pack for you," Freddie said, rolling his eyes. "But you know, you may actually have fun on this trip! Sure it's with Jack and Jill, but we're still going to be in a beautiful cabin in the peaceful woods. Plus, Jack and Jill are paying for everything, so that's an added bonus."

Sam didn't look up from the Pearpad.

"Alright, I get it, I'm still getting the silent treatment," Freddie sighed. "But I, for one, am going to have a good time on this trip whether you like it or not. Because, I, Fredward Benson, am a glass half-full kind of guy, and I'm not going to let-ow! Did you really just throw your sneaker at me?"

"If there Pearpad wasn't the only thing that was going to get me through this weekend, I would've thrown it at you too," Sam said simply.

"Can you at least _try _to have a positive outlook on this?" Freddie asked.

"How am I supposed to be positive when you've made us share a tiny cabin in the middle of nowhere with two psychos?" Sam snapped. "Do you know how many horror movies start like this? And let's face it, we both know you wouldn't survive long in a horror movie."

"Sam," Freddie said, sitting down on the bed next to her. "I'm sorry, okay?"

"No, no, no," Sam said, finally putting down her Pearpad. "You're not going to guilt trip me into not being mad at you anymore."

"Well then stop being mad at me!"

"No!"

"Here," Freddie said, pulling some papers out of his pocket. "I pulled up Jack and Jill's cabin on the Internet today, and it's actually a pretty cool place. Look, it's right next to this beautiful waterfall, there's a fireplace in both bedrooms, and see, there's supposed to be a tiny little store up there that sells homemade beef jerky!"

"Are you trying to make up to me with beef jerky?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Its worked every other time, hasn't it?" Freddie said.

"Cute," Sam smirked.

"How about this," Freddie said. "You go on this trip, and try to have a semi-positive attitude about it, and then _next _weekend, we take Jason and go to that farm where Porko the Pig lives?"

Sam gasped. "You mean I can actually _meet _the pig whose picture is on my favorite brand of bacon?"

"Yes you can," Freddie smiled.

"Fine," Sam said after a moment of consideration. "You have yourself a deal."

"Thanks, Princess Puckett," Freddie said, kissing her on the lips. "You'll see. It won't be that bad. Now we should probably get to bed."

"Why? It's not even nine-thirty yet," Sam said.

"Well yeah, but we're leaving here at six, and we'll have to drop Jason off at my mom's first, which means we should be getting up around five."

"A.M.?" Sam exclaimed, her mouth dropping.

"Um, yes?"

"Freddie!"

"Just think of Porko," Freddie said. "And it will all be worth it."

….

"Isn't this just _beautiful?_" Jill said as Jack pulled the van up to a large cabin.

"Yeah, it really is," Freddie nodded. "Isn't it Sam? Sam?"

"Hmm? What?" Sam asked. "I've been tuning everything out since that fourth round of 99 cartons of milk on the wall."

"Well I just can't wait to get started with all our fun activities out here!" Jack said as the couples hopped out of the van. "I know! Why don't we go on our first nature hike together?"

"As in walking a gazillion miles just to stare at a bunch of trees?" Sam said, cringing. "How about a big fat n-"

"What Sam's saying is," Freddie said quickly. "Is that maybe it would be a good idea for us to, you know, rest for a little bit before we go hiking or anything like that."

"Good thinking, Sam," Jill said. "I'm feeling a little wiped myself. All that singing on the car ride up here has me really drained. So why don't we head inside and get rested up?"

Sam and Freddie followed Jack and Jill into the cabin. As much as Sam hated to admit it, the cabin _was_ very nice. It almost looked like something right out of a magazine. There was handcrafted wooden furniture, a giant fireplace, and the whole place smelled like nature.

"Your bedroom is over there," Jack told Sam and Freddie. "When your batteries are nice and recharged, you just come and wake us up and we'll really get this weekend started!"

"Um, sure," Freddie nodded as him and Sam walked into the bedroom.

"Whoa, this place is huge!" Sam commented, looking around her and Freddie's room. There was a king-sized bed, along with another fireplace, and a large Jacuzzi bathtub. "If this is what camping is all about, I'm all for it."

"See, it's going to be a great weekend," Freddie told her. "Now how about you and I take advantage of that giant bed?"

"Hmm, that _does _sound good," Sam smiled, lacing her arms around Freddie's neck as he led her to the bed, passionately kissing her.

"Hey! Guess what you two!" Jill said, bursting into the room. "Jack surprised us all by putting a hot tub out back! Come on, we can all relax in there together!"

"Well," Sam said, pulling away from her husband. "Still think this is going to be _great_?"

"I-Um-maybe?" Freddie said lamely.


	225. Chapter 225

"We're nearly there!" Jack called to Sam and Freddie.

The couples were on a nature hike, which, according to Jack, was one of the best experiences one could have. But so far, Sam and Freddie both felt certain they could count _several _better experiences than dragging their feet up a buggy, hot, trail.

"Um, where exactly are we heading again?" Freddie asked.

"This _beautiful _mountain top," Jill said. "Wait until you see it, it's better than anything you can see on that dumb old television screen."

"I highly doubt that," Sam mumbled.

"Well," Freddie said as he and his wife stepped over a large tree trunk. "At least we're getting some exercise."

"You know, there's optimism," Sam said, rolling her eyes. "And then there's just plain annoying."

"Did we ever tell you guys how I proposed to Jill here on this mountain top?" Jack asked.

"No," Freddie replied.

"We had spent the entire day up here," Jill said. "And had just finished an exhilarating round of Chinese checkers. And then, just as the sun was setting, Jack got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. And do you know what I said?"

"Well, since any _sane_ person would've said no," Sam said. "I'm gonna guess that you went and said-"

"She said yes!" Jack finished, clearly not hearing Sam's comment. "And it was the best day of our life."

"And it was a good day for you two as well," Jill said. "Because if we hadn't decided to get married, we would've never moved into that house, and we wouldn't have ever been neighbors! How tragic would _that _have been?"

"Um, yeah, that would've been real…_bad_," Freddie said.

"Well, I think here's a good place to take a break," Jack announced, slowing down.

"Finally," Sam said, relieved, as she plopped herself down on a nearby bolder. "Hey, are these berries here edible? I'm starving."

"Yup, those are some of the best dang berries you all will ever eat!" Jill said. "And they're great for cosmetic purposes too; mush them into a cream and they'll lift your wrinkles right up. Maybe you should grab a few, Freddie. You look like you have a few extra bags under your eyes."

"I do not!" Freddie replied indignantly as Sam chuckled.

"Hey," Sam said to Freddie as he sat down next to her. "Remember the last time we went camping?"

"Yeah, it was all the way back when we were in high school," Freddie nodded. "And we went on that Big Foot hunt…You know, I wonder if we'll have any crazy Big Foot sightings this time. I mean, this is the same woods, isn't it?"

"Big Foot's probably smart enough not to come near these two weirdos," Sam whispered. "But hey, we can always try and find a Beavcoon for Spencer."

"Oh God, can you believe he's still going strong on those?" Freddie said, shaking his head. "He actually told me the day before we left for here that he wanted me to try to get some pics of one."

"Hey, did we just here you say something about a Beavcoon?" Jack asked.

"Um, yeah," Sam nodded. "It's just some made up animal one of our friend is so sure exists."

"Does it have the body of a raccoon, head of a beaver?" Jill asked.

"Yeah, actually, that's what Spencer says it looks like," Freddie replied. "How'd you know that?"

"Because we've seen a whole bunch up here ourselves," Jack told the couple.

"Oh my God," Sam sighed. "And the crazy meter keeps on rising…"

"But, that-that's not possible," Freddie said. "Beavcoons aren't _real_. Now if you told us that you saw Bigfoot-"

"Not real?" Jill said, pulling out her phone. "Well if they aren't real, then how do you explain _this_?"

"We got photographic proof," Jack told them, crossing his arms triumphantly.

"This isn't a Beavcoon," Sam frowned, staring at the picture. "It's all blurry, it's probably just a possum or a normal beaver or raccoon."

"It's a Beavcoon, I swear on my _Buns of Steel with Ricky Flame _work out tape!" Jack exclaimed.

"And now the crazy meter has been broken," Sam said.

…..

"Hey! How was camping?" Ella asked as Sam and Freddie let themselves into the Shay's apartment. They had just picked up Jason from Freddie's mom, and they figured they'd stop by and say hi to Spencer and Ella before going home.

"Not as bad as we thought," Freddie said. "Sure, Jack and Jill were a little…crazy-"

"Crazy?" Sam scoffed, shifting Jason in her arms. "Jill tried to give me a belly button piercing _while I was sleeping_."

"Why?" Spencer frowned.

"Because she found these BFF belly button rings," Sam said, shuddering a little at the memory.

"Oh, and when we went on a hike with them, they started telling us all these insane Beavcoon stories," Freddie said, chuckling. "As if they were really-"

"What? Did you guys say _Beavcoons_?" Spencer exclaimed, jumping up. "You didn't see any, did you?"

"No, because they're not real," Sam told him.

"Yes they are!" Spencer said loudly.

"God, did you _have _to bring up Beavcoons again?" Ella mumbled.

"Spence, all the pictures Jack and Jill showed us of the Beavcoons they _claimed _to have seen were totally worthless and-" Freddie began, but he was interrupted by Spencer.

"Jack and Jill have _pictures_?" Spencer demanded. "I should go over there and show them mine! Maybe if we put all our evidence together, the Nature Channel will _finally _do a documentary on this!"

"Spencer-" Ella said, rolling her eyes, but her husband had already sprinted into their bedroom. He was out a second later with a large box labeled _Beavcoon Proof: Do Not Touch_, and ran out the door before anyone could stop him.

"You better go figure out a way to stop him from going there," Sam said to Freddie. "Because I'm not dealing with those two any more than I have to."

"Yeah, Spencer's crazy enough about Beavcoons on his own," Ella agreed. "I'm not about to have him having Beavcoon Believer meetings or whatever here."

"Why me?" Freddie moaned.

"Because we said so," Sam said simply. "Now hurry. Spencer's fast when he's thinking about Beavcoons."


	226. Chapter 226

"I'm serious, Sam, I'm starting to get really worried," Carly called to her best friend from her dressing room. "We've been looking for forever and I still can't find the perfect dress!"

"Carls, relax, you've got plenty of time," Sam said, trying to keep Jason entertained as she waited for Carly. Freddie had to go into work today, so Sam had no choice but to bring Jason along as her and Carly continued the seemingly endless search for Carly's wedding dress.

"'Gry!" Jason pouted.

"I know you're hungry," Sam sighed. "Mommy is too. But this mean old store has a dumb 'no eating' policy…you almost done in there Carls."

"Yeah," Carly replied. She opened the door to the dressing room and stepped out.

"Whoa," Sam said, staring at her. "You look good, kid."

"Do I really?" Carly asked, hurrying over to the large mirror. "Oh! I-I think this is! I think I found my dress!"

Her dress was absolutely stunning, with delicate lace sleeves and a scooped neckline, and the bottom of the dress was made of milky white silk that clung to Carly perfectly.

"Doesn't Aunt Carly look pretty, Jason?" Sam asked the toddler.

"Yes!"

"Aw, well I guess it's official then," Carly laughed. "This is gonna be my wedding dress!"

….

"So you finally found the dress?" Freddie asked later that evening.

"Yup, _finally_," Sam said. "After months of shopping. I swear, I'm _never_ entering another dress shop again."

Freddie chuckled. "Anyway, Sam, I was talking to my mom today and-"

"No."

"What?"

"Whatever it is that she wants us to do, whatever crazy, insane thing she wants us to do, it's a no," Sam said firmly.

"I haven't told you what she said yet!" Freddie said, rolling his eyes.

"You don't have to tell me, the answer's still no," Sam said. "I'm still not over that little stunt of hers from last week."

"So she signed you up for a couple of cleaning classes," Freddie said. "She didn't mean it in an offensive way!"

"Yes she did!"

"Look, what she was talking to me today about wasn't even that bad-" Freddie started.

"I swear, if she's still trying to get me to let her make my own sugar-free, fat-free, sodium-free baby food for Jason, I'll-"

"No, that's not it," Freddie said. "Although, um, she _did _sort of tell me to tell you that she just got a video that explains the danger of store-bought baby food. All she was telling me today was that the community center where her Mothers Against Germs and Bacteria meeting was had an advertisement for this sort of _pre _preschool group there."

"So?"

"Well, she thought maybe it would be a good idea for us to enroll Jason in it," Freddie explained.

"He's way too young for preschool, Ella couldn't put Dina in it until she was three," Sam pointed out.

"But like I said, it's _pre_ preschool," Freddie replied. "We can put him in there after his second birthday, which is coming up in November. I mean, we'd probably have to wait until January or February to actually put him in it, though, since the program requires the kid to be out of diapers, but I think it'd be good for him."

Sam shrugged.

"So do you want to do it?" Freddie asked.

"I dunno."

"Well, we don't need to make the decision now," Freddie told her. "We'll just think about it for now…Man, can you believe we're already looking into preschool programs? Jason's growing up quick. You know, this kind of reminds me of how much I loved going to preschool when I was a kid. Playing with all the toys there, meeting new friends, didn't you love it?"

"Dude," Sam scoffed. "I never went to preschool."

Freddie nearly choked on the iced tea he had been drinking. "What?"

"Why are you so surprised?" Sam laughed. "You met my mom. You think she would put in the extra effort to find a preschool for me?"

"Well, I just sort of thought all kids went to preschool," Freddie said.

"Nah, first time I went to school was kindergarten," Sam replied. "Actually, Melanie went to preschool, I think."

"Your mom sent one daughter and not the other?" Freddie frowned.

"Some dude at the park saw her reading a big book or something and realized she was really smart for a kid so he offered her a scholarship," Sam explained. "Obviously, I didn't get the same one. Besides, my mom had me doing all those stupid beauty pageants then anyway, so I didn't have time."

"That's terrible," Freddie said.

"Um, why?" Sam said. "It's just preschool."  
"Preschool prepares kids for upper grades," Freddie said. "It gets them excited about going to school. Maybe that's why you never liked school; because you missed out on the preschool experience."

"Okay, I highly doubt going to preschool would've magically made me love learning," Sam said, rolling her eyes. "I probably would've ate sand and napped. Same as I did without it."


	227. Chapter 227

"I didn't even know they _had _pre preschool," Melanie said later that week. Sam had gone over to her and Cody's apartment after work.

"His mom told him about it," Sam explained, watching Melanie put Nicole in her playpen. "But he's all for it."

"And what about you?" Melanie asked.

"I dunno," Sam shrugged. "I mean, okay, I _guess _preschool is important. I don't think it's all the sudden gonna make Jason a super genius like Freddie seems to think, but it can't hurt. But _pre _preschool? Doesn't that sound like a little much?"

"I think it actually sounds like a pretty good idea," Melanie pointed out.

"Ugh, of course you'd side with Frednub," Sam sighed. "Whatever. Freddie went to the community center after work to pick up some pamphlets about it and we'll go through them tonight. Now where's Ella? I want to order this pizza already!"

As if on cue, there was a knock at the apartment door and Ella let herself in.

"Hey," she grinned. "Who's ready to start planning Carly's bachelorette party?"

"Finally," Sam said. "What took you long?"

"I had to get Bryan to sleep, he's just getting over a cold," Ella replied. "Anyway, Spence needs to meet Socko at ten, so let's hurry up and get this thing planned."

"What do you want to do?" Melanie asked Sam. "You're the maid of honor. You're in charge here."

"I dunno," Sam shrugged. "Let's go dancing or something."

"Or," Ella said slowly. "We could go to Vegas…"

"Vegas?" Melanie repeated.

"Yeah," Ella nodded. "Think about it, Carly's the last of us to get married, which means this is our last time throwing a bachelorette party. Shouldn't we go out with a bang?"

"I could go for Vegas," Sam nodded. "It will be nice going there and not having to drag mom out of a drive-in chapel."

"Okay, I'm in," Melanie grinned.

"We just have to make sure we can get the guys to babysit, but I'm sure that won't be a problem," Ella said. "We can go weekend after next; exactly one month from the wedding."

"Carly's gonna be so pumped," Sam said. "We've always joked about going to Vegas for a weekend, now we actually get to."

"This is gonna be the best, a girls weekend in Vegas," Ella said excitedly. "Let's just find a flight and hotel and we're good to go!"

….

"Hey, baby," Sam said as she came through the front door of her house, throwing her back and jacket down by the coat rack.

She walked into the living room and saw Freddie was talking on his cell phone.

"Yes, that is a very good offer," he said to whoever was on the other line. "It sounds amazing."

Sam gave him a strange look, but figured he would explain later. She picked Jason up from the floor, where he was playing with some on his toys and took him into the kitchen to feed him dinner.

"Do _you _know what daddy's talking about on the phone?" Sam asked her son as she put him in his high chair.

"Wan' foo!" Jason said in response.

Sam chuckled. "Smart kid."

"Hey," Freddie said, putting his phone in his pocket as he joined Sam in the kitchen. "Did you guys finish planning Carly's bachelorette party?"

"Mostly, we're thinking of taking her down to Vegas for the weekend," Sam said, placing a plate of mashed potatoes on Jason's highchair tray. "So who were you talking to? It didn't sound like Gibby or Spencer, and let's face it, you don't have any other friends."

"It was actually a guy from the Pear Company," Freddie told her.

"The Pear Company?" Sam frowned. "Why were they talking to you?"

"Because, you know how I updated the digital editing software at work to cut editing time in half and eliminate the need to manually adjust the white balance?"

"Um, sure," Sam nodded.

"Well, apparently the Pear Company heard about that and they managed to see the affects of it, and they were really impressed," Freddie explained. "They-They sort of offered me a position with them. I'd be in charge of coming up with new editing software for _them_."

"Whoa!" Sam said. "So they scouted you out and everything? That's awesome!"

"Yeah, it is pretty cool," Freddie grinned. "Plus, you know, they sort of mentioned my salary…"

"What is it?" Sam asked.

"Way, _way _more than I make now," Freddie replied.

"Holy chiz, this is great!" Sam said, giving her husband a kiss. "I mean, you've wanted to work with the Pear Company since you were like, thirteen, and now you actually are! I'm so proud of you, Fredbut!"

"Hold on, I didn't _actually _take the job yet," Freddie told her.

"Well sure, I guess you have to give your two weeks notice at the studio any everything first," Sam shrugged. "But then-"

"Sam," Freddie sighed. "The job's in New Jersey."


	228. Chapter 228

"New-New Jersey?" Sam repeated.

"Yup," Freddie sighed.

"You mean the New Jersey on the other side of the _country_?"

"There's only one, Sam," Freddie said, rolling his eyes.

"They couldn't you a position anywhere closer?" Sam asked.  
"It's their only opening," Freddie replied.

"But-But what about _my _job?" Sam asked.

"I know," Freddie said. "Which is why I told the guy from the Pear Company I'd have to think about things first before I took the offer."

"Well…baby," Sam sighed. "I know how much you've always wanted to work with Pear. And now you finally get the offer…it-it seems stupid for you not to take it."

"Sam," Freddie said firmly. "This isn't all about me. Look, yeah, this is like, my _dream _job, but…there's other things I need to think about. I don't need to give an answer to this guy for another two weeks. Tonight after we get Jason down, we can discuss everything. As much as I would love to take this job, it's not fair to you if you if I just completely ignore how moving to New Jersey would affect _you _too."

"Hey," Sam said. "Don't worry about me, okay? If you wanna think about this before you go for it…fine. But there are T.V studios in New Jersey too. I can get another job, if I have to."

Freddie nodded. "Thanks," he said. "And I really appreciate how supportive you're being over this."

"It's…nothing," Sam said. She leaned up and gave him a kiss. "And like I said; I'm proud of you. Wanna order take-out from Pini's to celebrate?"

"Sure," Freddie smiled. "I'm gonna run upstairs and charge my phone; I was talking to that guy for like an hour before you came home and it really drained my battery."

"Okay," Sam nodded. She waited until Freddie was upstairs, and then she turned to Jason.

"You don't want to move to icky New Jersey, do you Jason?" she asked, lifting him up out of his high chair.

"Ew!"

"Yeah," Sam said, kissing the top of his little head. "Ew is right."

…..

The next morning Sam walked into the office where her and Carly wrote their scripts at the television studio. Her and Freddie had agreed that they wouldn't tell anyone about the job offer until Freddie figured out what he was going to do.

"Hey," Carly smiled, looking up from her computer. "I just got our edits back on the scripts we submitted yesterday. We just need to make a few minor changes, and then we should be good."

"Alright," Sam mumbled, sitting down at her desk.

"What's wrong?" Carly asked, concerned.

"Huh? Nothing's wrong," Sam said quickly.

"Sam, how long have we been best friends? I think I know when something's wrong," Carly said, raising an eyebrow.

Sam sighed. Dang that chick was good…It was going to be no use trying to hide it now; Carly would pry it out of her eventually.

"Alright," Sam said, lowering her voice. "I'll tell you. But first you have to _swear _that you won't mention this to anyone. That includes Spencer, Ella, Gibby…no one. Got it?"

"Yeah, okay," Carly nodded. "What is it?"

"Last night," Sam begun. "Freddie got a phone call from a dude at the Pear Company. They offered him a job there."

"Whoa, no way!" Carly exclaimed. "That's awesome; he's always wanted to work there."

"Yeah, I know," Sam said. "That's part of the problem."

"How is _that _a problem?" Carly asked. "And hey, why can't I tell anyone this? I'm sure they'd all be thrilled that Freddie got that job."

"Because," Sam said. "The job's in New Jersey."

"New Jersey?" Carly said loudly.

"Shh!" Sam hissed.  
"You mean the New Jersey across the _country_?" Carly demanded. "_That _New Jersey?"

"Apparently there's only one," Sam sighed.

"Oh my God, you-you're moving?" Carly said softly.

"I don't know," Sam said. "Freddie doesn't know if he's gonna take the job yet. That's why you can't tell _anyone_. I wasn't even supposed to tell you."

"But-But you guys can't move!" Carly said. "You're my best friends; what am I gonna do here without you?"

"Oh come on, kid," Sam said. "You'll have Andy. Plus, Freddie was saying if he _does _take the job, we wouldn't need to be in New Jersey until November. We wouldn't have to miss your wedding."

"But you'd miss everything else," Carly mumbled. "And I'd miss everything that happened with you guys and Jason!"

"I know, do you think _I _want to move to stupid old New Jersey?" Sam moaned. "I _like _Seattle. I've lived here forever!"

"Well then can't you tell Freddie that?"

"What kind of wife would I be if I told him he couldn't take his dream job because I didn't want to leave Seattle?" Sam said. "He'd be so happy working there…that's why I acted all supportive and junk when he told me."

"But-But what about _your _job?" Carly sputtered.

"I could find a job at some studio in New Jersey," Sam said. "Plus…when me and Freddie were talking about this last night, he did the math and well, he'd be making _way _more than he makes now. We'd be able to afford to have me stay at home with Jason all the time."

"You mean like a stay at home mom?"

"Sure, I guess," Sam shrugged.

"Oh…well, no work," Carly said. "I-I guess you'd really like that, huh?"

Sam chuckled. "You would think. But when I was on maternity leave when I was pregnant, I was actually _bored _most of the time, sitting around and not doing anything. I was shocked."

"Well…when are you gonna know whether you're moving or not?" Carly asked.

"Freddie has two weeks to give an answer," Sam replied.

Carly sighed. "Can't you stay here and have just Freddie move to New Jersey? I mean I'd miss him and everything, but at least I'd have _one _of you around."

Sam gave her a small smile. "I don't think it works that way, Carls. I'm gonna get dragged wherever Freddie gets dragged to. One of the perks of marriage."

"Yeah, I guess you have to stay with him," Carly mumbled.

"Hey, nothing's definite yet," Sam told her. "So…don't-don't get all depressed on me."

"Well I can't exactly be chipper when my best friends might be leaving," Carly said.

"Just don't think about that for now," Sam said. "Hey, wanna go online and look at flowers for your reception? That will make you feel better."

"You see?" Carly said, perking up a bit. "Who's gonna cheer me up if you're all the way in New Jersey?"


	229. Chapter 229

"Did he make the decision yet?" Carly asked the second Sam opened the front door for her.

"No, and quiet!" Sam hissed. "You're not supposed to know about it!"

"Alright, alright," Carly said as she came into the Benson's house.

"Freddie, Carly's here, you ready?" Sam called to her husband, who was upstairs getting ready.

"In a minute!" he called back down.

"Are you guys going to at least discuss moving at dinner?" Carly questioned.

"We're going out to dinner with his mom, Carls," Sam reminded her. "She doesn't know anything about New Jersey either. I mean, can you imagine if she found out her precious Fredward was going to move a gazillion miles away across the country? She already says that the ten minute drive between our place and her place now is too much!"

"Hey, Carly," Freddie said, coming downstairs, straightening his tie. "Thanks for babysitting for us; my mom claims she hasn't had meal with us in ages and that we're trying to cut her out of our lives."

"That part's not completely untrue," Sam muttered.

"Anyway," Freddie said, giving Sam a look. "We should be home around ten. Jason's down right now."

"He'll probably wake up in a couple hours for his dinner," Sam told her.

"Okay," Carly replied. "And, you know…it's like, a fifteen minute drive to the restaurant. I'm sure certain things could be…discussed and decided so certain people can finally relax!"

"Huh?" Freddie frowned.

"Nothing," Sam said quickly, shooting Carly a warning glare. "Come on, let's go."

….

"Did you really have to 'accidently' spill barbecue sauce all over my mom?" Freddie asked later that evening as the couple walked back up to their house.

"She kept saying I was using too much of it," Sam shrugged. "So I got rid of some."

"Onto her lap!"

"Yeah," Sam grinned, recalling the scene.

She unlocked the front door and they entered their house.

"Hey," Carly said, looking up from her Pearpad on the couch. "How was dinner?"

"Sam stained my mom's favorite dress," Freddie sighed. "But what else is new?"

"Where's Jason?" Sam asked.

"Sleeping," Carly replied.

"Okay, well I'm gonna go say good night to him, I'll see you later, Carls," Sam said as she headed upstairs.

"What are you doing for the rest of the night?" Freddie asked Carly as he hung his jacket up.

"Oh you know, I'm probably just gonna go over to Andy's," Carly shrugged.

"Cool," Freddie nodded.

"Oh," Carly said as she grabbed her bag. "I left some…_presents _in your office."

"Presents?" Freddie repeated.

"Yeah, you know, just some things I thought you'd like," Carly said. "Well, bye!"

"Wait, why'd you-and you're gone," Freddie said as Carly raced out the door.

Curious, he headed into the office, where there was a large bag sitting on his desk. He opened it up to find two 'I heart Seattle' t-shirts, an 'I heart Seattle' mug, and mini model of the Space Needle.

Freddie shook his head. "Sam…" he groaned.

…

Sam pulled on a pair of sweatpants and one of Freddie's old t-shirts as she climbed into bed, exhausted from having to spend the evening with Marissa.

"At least that's one plus of moving to New Jersey," Sam mumbled to herself as she got under the covers.

"Sam?" Freddie said, walking into their bedroom. "You told Carly about the offer I got from the Pear Company, didn't you?"

"What?" Sam exclaimed. "No I did not! You told me not to, so I didn't! And you know what, Freddie? I am _shocked _that you would-"

"She left these for me on my desk," Freddie said, tossing Sam the bag of Seattle souvenirs.

"Oh…" Sam said, opening the bag. "I'm gonna kill her…Are you mad?"

"Honestly, I can't say I'm surprised you told her," Freddie sighed. "She's our best friend."

"She was kind of crushed when I told her we might be moving," Sam said quietly. "But-But she also realized what a big opportunity this is for you….So, um, _have _you given this whole thing any thought?"

"It's just so hard," Freddie said, laying down next to Sam. "I mean, this is probably the best job offer I'll get in my life. But, I-I don't want to leave everyone. Carly, Spencer, Gibby…Plus I'd love to be able to raise Jason in the same place where we both grew up ourselves."

"Well baby," Sam said, resting her head on his shoulder. "You _do _sort of need to make the decision. I know you have a little bit, but still."

"I know," Freddie said. "I was gonna talk to you about this tonight, actually…I got an email earlier today from the Pear Company; they want me to fly out there next week and meet with everyone and tour the company."

"You think that would help you make the decision?" Sam asked.

"Definitely," Freddie nodded.

"Okay," Sam sighed. "Then do it."


	230. Chapter 230

"Da!"

"No daddy, Jason, sorry," Sam said as she tried to get Jason's shoes on. "He's in New Jersey. You're stuck with me today, kiddo. So why don't you and I go to the park?"

"Sand!"

"Yeah, you can play in the sand," Sam grinned.

"Hey, Sam," Carly said, letting herself into the house. "Did Freddie leave for New Jersey yet?"

"Yeah, his plane left at three this morning," Sam nodded. "He's getting back at midnight."

"Well has he called? What's he think of New Jersey?" Carly asked anxiously. "Aw man, I bet he loves it there…"

"He just called me once his plane landed," Sam said. "I have no idea _what _he thinks of New Jersey yet."

"Well…you'll call me the second he comes back with his decision?" Carly asked.

"The _second_," Sam promised.

"Okay, because I can't take this stress," Carly sighed. "Anyway, do you think I can borrow Max? Andy always likes going to that one dog park over by the grocery store, and apparently there's a law that says you can't go there unless you have an actual dog with you."

"Yeah, sure, he's out back," Sam said.

"Okay, thanks," Carly said. "So what are you doing today by yourself?"

"Eh, I'm gonna take Jason to the park for a little bit and then me, Ella and Melanie are going to get lunch," Sam told her.

"You three are all going to lunch?" Carly frowned.

"Carly," Sam said, rolling her eyes. "There's a certain _event_ that needs to be planned for a certain bride-to-be, which means that a certain _bride-to-be_ can't be there and ruin the surprise."

"Oh! You guys are planning my bachelorette party?" Carly asked excitedly.

"Maybe," Sam shrugged.

"Yay!" Carly grinned. "I'm sure whatever you guys are planning is gonna be awesome."

"Oh, you can count on that, Carls," Sam said, finally managing to get Jason's shoes on. "Alright, Jason. You ready to go play?"

"Ya! Pay!"

"He's so cute," Carly chuckled. "Man, I hope you guys don't take him away from me."

"He doesn't want to leave his aunt Carly either, do you Jason?" Sam said to the toddler.

"Car!" Jason said, reaching up to Carly.

"Yeah, he has to at least learn to pronounce my whole name first," Carly laughed, picking Jason up.

….

Sam yawned as she flipped through the T.V. channels, trying to keep her eyes open.

"Man, I'm pathetic," Sam mumbled to herself. "It's barely midnight and I wanna go to bed…"

Just then she heard the front door open, and Freddie walked in.

"Hey!" Sam said, jumping up to give her husband a kiss.

"Hey," Freddie replied, kissing her back.

"So, how was your trip?" Sam asked as Freddie set his bag on the couch.

"Well, I had to spend my entire plane trip back between this elderly couple arguing about which ointment was working best for their identical rashes," Freddie said, cringing.

"Gross," Sam frowned. "But how was the Pear Company?"

"The Pear Company was amazing," Freddie said.

"Oh," Sam said, trying not to sound disappointed. "So-So you really liked it?"

"Yeah, it was incredible," Freddie nodded. "They had all this high tech equipment that I haven't even _heard _of before. And they showed me the office that I would get, and it's huge! It's bigger than our living room!"

"Wow," Sam said, plastering a smile onto her face. "So…I'm guessing you made your decision then?"

"Yup," Freddie sighed. "I did. We're staying right here, baby."

"Okay," Sam sighed. "Well, I guess I should probably start looking for television studios in-Wait, you said we're _staying_?"

"Yeah," Freddie nodded. "I told the guy from the Pear Company I didn't want to take the job."

"But why?" Sam asked, her face breaking into a grin. "You just said how much you loved the Pear Company!"

"I did love it," Freddie said. "But, well, to put it bluntly, I absolutely _hate _the rest of New Jersey."

"Really?" Sam frowned. "What's wrong with it?"

"Well first of all, the part of New Jersey we'd be living in is like, right next to New York," Freddie said. "So basically we'd get all of the chaos and crowdedness of New York without any of the cool stuff, like the big stores or Broadway, or the Statue of Liberty. Plus there's a bunch of factories up there, so the air always smells like burning coal, and the people are _mean_. Not you mean, where they're only mean to people if they do something to them first. I'm talking people that will beat you with their bags for walking too slow in front of them! It just was crazy, Sam. It would be a terrible place for us; I mean in the eight blocks that surround the suburbs where we'd probably be living, there's not _one _place that will deliver fried chicken to your door."  
Sam gasped. "Are you serious?"

"Yup," Freddie laughed. "I just couldn't picture us there. Sure, I'd love my job, but that would pretty much be the only thing I loved about New Jersey. It just doesn't have the Seattle feel to the place."

"Baby, you're sure about this?" Sam said. "I mean, like you said, this is probably going to be the best job offer you ever get."

"I'm positive," Freddie told her. "And you know what? I think we've got ourselves the perfect life right here. We both have good jobs, we have an amazing son, our best friends just a few minutes from us, and at least a dozen fried chicken places that already have our address on file."

"Yeah, we do have it pretty good," Sam nodded. "And honestly, I did _not _want to go to New Jersey. I was just trying to be one of those 'supportive' wives."

"Aw, well, I appreciate it all the same," Freddie said, giving her another kiss.

"Oh, I'd better call Carly," Sam said when they pulled apart. "She's gonna flip out."


	231. Chapter 231

"There they are, my favorite Seattle couple," Carly grinned as she walked over to Sam and Freddie's car in the studio parking lot. She threw her arms around both of them. "I'm so glad you're not moving!"

"We are too, Carls," Freddie laughed. "But you're sort of choking us…"

"Oh, sorry," she replied, releasing them.

"So it looks like we get to keep on being co-workers," Sam said to Carly.

"Good, because I think I'd die of boredom without you sometimes," Carly said. "And you know what? I'm gonna take you guys out to dinner tonight; just to show you how happy I am that you're staying."

"Well Mama _does _love free food," Sam said.

"Thanks, Carly," Freddie said. "That sounds like a lot of fun."

"Oh, and Sam!" Carly exclaimed, grabbing her best friend's wrist. "Now that I can stop worrying about you guys flying off across the country, we can really get back to wedding planning! We're in the last six weeks of planning time! Come on, I have some changes to the table cloths that I want to show you on my laptop, and I'm starting to think that the lace-trim placemats aren't really the way to go, and-"

"Well, bye girls," Freddie said, shooting his wife a smirk. "Have fun with all this wedding talk."

….

"Mom, will you stop rewashing our dishes?" Freddie moaned.

"No!" Marissa said firmly. "I've seen the way your wife cleans, Fredward!"

"For the millionth time, I hate it when you refer to Sam that way," Freddie said. "She has a name."

"Now then, I'm going to leave you a container of my favorite disinfectant right here by the sink," Marissa said, apparently not hearing Freddie's comment. "I got it from a seminar at the hospital: How to Keep Germs From Killing All Your Loved Ones."

"Okay, great," Freddie said. "I promise we'll use it every single day."

"Yo, Fredwad, I'm back!" Sam said, walking into the kitchen with Jason. "Oh," she frowned when she caught sight of her mother-in-law. "Hey, Marissa."

"There's my grandbaby!" Marissa cooed, ignoring Sam as she took Jason in her arms. "Grandma just got rid of all the nasty bacteria that was all over your utensils. Can you say 'bacteria'?"

"Hey mom!" Freddie said quickly. "Weren't you planning on going to that one-hour sale at the Pottery Barrel for hypoallergenic sheets?"

"Oh, right, right," Marissa nodded. "I completely forgot! I'll come back by later and steam your curtains!"

"Can we _please _take away her key?" Sam begged as Marissa hurried out of the house.

"Not unless you want to deal with her trying to claw her way in through the windows," Freddie said, giving her a quick kiss. "So where were you anyway?"

"The mall, I just had to pick up a few things for this weekend," Sam replied.  
"Um, this weekend?" Freddie frowned.

"Yeah, you know, Vegas," she nodded.  
"We're going to Vegas?" Freddie exclaimed.

"Um, you're not, I am," Sam told him. "Carly's bachelorette party, remember?"

"You never said you were going to Vegas this weekend!"

"Sure I did," Sam said.

"No, you _mentioned _that you guys were thinking of going to Vegas, but you never told me it was definite," Freddie replied.

"Oh…" Sam said. "Well, we're going to Vegas this weekend."

"Yeah, the twelve-hour notice really helps," Freddie said, rolling his eyes.

"I'm sorry I forgot to tell you," Sam said. "I guess it just sort of slipped my mind…"

"No, really?"

"Well, I guess if you can't handle Jason this weekend, I can call Melanie and Ella and tell them to take Carly to Vegas without me," Sam said.

"No," Freddie sighed. "I can watch Jason this weekend. Go have fun with the girls."

"Thanks, baby," Sam grinned, wrapping his arms around his neck. "I owe you one."

"Well, since you're gonna be gone all weekend," Freddie smirked, giving her a long kiss. "Wanna start 'owing me' right now?"

"If you put Jason down for his nap, I think we can arrange that," Sam said.

"On it," Freddie said, scooping up his son and rushing upstairs.

…..

"Oh man, this weekend's gonna rock!" Sam said as her, Ella and Melanie pulled up to Carly's apartment building. "The four of us in Vegas with no guys…"

"I know, it's going to be so much fun," Melanie grinned. "And Carly's gonna be so surprised!"

"Well then let's hurry up and get her," Ella said, parking the car. "Our plane leaves at three!"

The girls ran up to the apartment and knocked on Carly's door.

"Hey," Carly greeted them as she opened the door. "What's up?"

"You, Carly," Sam said as she took her best friend's hand. "Are about to embark on the best bachelorette party in history!"

"Oh my God! You guys are the best!" Carly exclaimed. "You didn't have to do all this."

"Okay fine, we'll go to Vegas without you," Ella shrugged.

"Vegas?" Carly repeated, her eyes widening. "We're going to Vegas?"

"Yup," Melanie laughed. "For the entire weekend."

"Now come on, we've got to catch our plane," Sam said.

"Well I have to go get my suitcase," Carly said.

"Nope, we've got you covered," Ella said. "We got everything you need already packed."

"I swung by a few nights ago and raided your closet," Sam said.

"I _knew _I was missing a pair of heels," Carly grinned.

"Uh-huh, now seriously, let's move, Carly," Sam said. "Vegas awaits!"


	232. Chapter 232

"Oh my God, Sam, I _love _Vegas!" Carly exclaimed, running up to her best friend, who was playing one of the slot machines.

"Good, you having fun?" Sam laughed.

"So much fun," Carly nodded. "And look what I just bought in the gift shop! The same _I heart Vegas _panties that you have! We can be twins!"

"Or we can not," Sam said, rolling her eyes.

"Ohh, they're playing that dice game over there!" Carly said, craning her neck.

"You mean Craps?" Sam asked.

"Sam!" Carly gasped, but still giggling. "You can't say that word!"

"Okay, I think we've lost you," Sam smiled.

"I'm gonna go win me some new shoes," Carly said to Sam. And with that she ran off into the casino.

"Hey, have you seen Carly?" Ella asked, walking up towards Sam.

"Yeah, she just went to the Craps table," Sam nodded.

"She having a good time?"

"Oh, she's having a _very _good time," Sam nodded. "I'm gonna go keep an eye on her."

"Good, because I don't want to keep an eye on any of you after _last _night," Ella said. "It's my turn to have fun in Vegas."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Sam said. She left her slot machine and headed over to Carly, who was rolling a set of dice.

"Sam! I missed you!" Carly said cheerfully. "Come on, watch me win!"

"Alright," Sam said, making a mental note to let Carly consume any more 'liquids'. "Let's see what you got, kid."

Carly rolled her dice down on the table. "I won!" she exclaimed.

"Um, no, Carly, you were supposed to roll an eight, you rolled an eleven," Sam laughed.

"Aw, so I didn't win?"

"Eh, what the heck, you're not gonna remember any of this," Sam shrugged. "Sure you did, Carly!"

"Yay! I'm a winner!" Carly cheered.

…

"So what time's your plane coming in again?" Freddie asked Sam over the phone.

"Around ten tonight," Sam whispered to him as she laid on the hotel bed she was sharing with Carly, who was still fast asleep. Sam smiled as she realized that this was the first time in history that she was up before her.

"Why are you whispering?" Freddie asked.

"Carly and Ella are still sleeping," Sam replied. "They had a little _too _much fun last night at the casino. Me and Melanie decided we'd be the 'responsible' ones since Ella took care of that our first night, and well, it _is _Carly's bachelorette party."

"Gotcha," Freddie chuckled. "Anyway, Jason's taking his nap right now, but when I was feeding him lunch, he ate _three _jars of smooched up ham, and I think he could've handled a fourth jar too, if we had any left."

"Aw, he already knows which foods are the good foods," Sam laughed. "Tell him I love him for me, okay?"

"I will. And I love you. I'll see you tonight, baby."

"Love you too," Sam told him as she hung up her phone. She sighed as she laid back down on the bed, grabbed a bag of pork rinds from her bedside table and then popped in her headphones as she began to dig in.

"Hey, Sam?" Melanie said quietly as she came out of the bathroom, drying her hair. "I'm sort of hungry. If you haven't already spoiled your appetite on those disgusting pork rinds, wanna go grab some breakfast downstairs so Carly and Ella can sleep in peace?"

"First of all, pork rinds are _delicious_," Sam said, pulling her headphones off. "And yeah, let's go. I'm in the mood for some pancakes. Let me just-" she frowned as she looked down at her hand, which was missing a very important piece of jewelry.

"Um, Mel?" Sam said. "Have you seen my wedding ring?"

"What?" Melanie said. "Isn't it on your finger?"

"Um…not exactly."

"You _lost _your wedding ring?"

"Don't say that yet, it-it's probably somewhere in the room!" Sam said desperately. "Maybe it fell out when I took a shower; did you see it in there?"

"No, I don't think so, but I'll look again," Melanie said. "Look in your bed sheets; maybe it's there."

Sam anxiously dug through the sheets, hoping to see a gold glimmer within them, but there was nothing.

"Was it there?" Melanie asked as she came out of the bathroom.

"No!" Sam moaned. "You-You don't think I lost in the casino last night?"

"Well do you remember if you had it on when you went to bed?" Melanie questioned.

"I don't know!" Sam exclaimed. "I usually don't study my fingers before I go to sleep!"

"Ugh, why are you guys being so _loud_?" Ella mumbled sleepily from her bed. "We've still got five hours before we need to leave for Seattle and I have to turn back into a mom again!"

"Yeah, it's only one o'clock," Carly groaned, slowly opening her eyes.

"Sam lost her wedding ring," Melanie said.

"What?" Carly yelped, sitting up. "Well, come on, let's look for it downstairs-ow!" She clutched her head. "Okay, I am _never _doing last night again."

"Oh, you and Ella are going to be useless until you sleep that off," Sam sighed.

"Yeah, you two rest up, and Sam and I will handle this," Melanie nodded. She turned back to her twin. "Come on, let's get a cab to the casino and we can check their lost and found. I'm sure someone turned it in there."

"Hopefully," Sam said. "Otherwise I'm screwed."


	233. Chapter 233

"Hey, Freddie?" Gibby said, coming into the Benson's house. "Do you have any of those fancy socks with individual toe sleeves I could borrow?"

"Um, no, you should probably try Spencer for that," Freddie frowned. "Why do you need fancy socks?"

"What? A guy can't have fancy socks just to look nice for one day?" Gibby snapped.

"Sorry," Freddie said, rolling his eyes.

"So you wanna go to movies?" Gibby asked. "Piggy's Day Out just came out."

"Can't, I'm watching Jason," Freddie replied. "And the movie theatre has a 'No Baby' policy, remember?"

"So? Can't Sam watch him?"

"She's in Vegas, Gib," Freddie told him. "For Carly's bachelorette party."

Gibby gasped. "And they didn't invite _me_?"

"_Bachelorette_ party," Freddie said. "As in a _girl _party."

"Oh," Gibby nodded. "Well what are they doing in Vegas?"

"Probably what anyone does when they go to Vegas for a bachelorette party," Freddie shrugged.

"So they get their hair cut?"

Freddie stared at him. "What? Who goes to Vegas to get their hair cut?"

"Look, I just wanted some socks," Gibby said.

"Whatever," Freddie chuckled. "Anyway, if you wanna go see a movie tomorrow, that would work. Sam's coming back in tonight."

"Nah, I can't," Gibby said. "Carly said she didn't trust the tailor I got my tux for her wedding from, so I have to go with her to get an 'appropriate' one."

"You can't go with Tasha?" Freddie asked.

"Tasha's in Brazil for a modeling gig," Gibby replied.

"Oh right, you're married to a model," Freddie said. "Still a little unsure how _that _happened."

"What do you mean?" Gibby said.

"Nothing," Freddie said quickly. "Nothing at all."

…..

"Did you guys have any luck?" Carly asked as Sam and Melanie returned to the hotel room.

"No," Sam mumbled. "The guy at the casino had, like, five thousand wedding rings, but none of them were mine."

Sam fell down on the bed. "I can't believe I lost my wedding ring."

"Hey, we gave the guy your phone number," Melanie said. "He said a lot of times, they wind up finding those sorts of things a couple of weeks later; he'll call you if they find it."

"Carly and I went down to the lobby downstairs and checked too," Ella sighed. "Nothing. We even looked through the clothes you wore last night."

"Freddie's gonna kill me," Sam sighed.

"I feel so bad, this is all my fault," Carly said, sitting down next to her best friend. "You probably lost it when you were taking care of me last night."

"It's not your fault, Carls," Sam told her. "You didn't yank the ring off my finger."

"Well, can't you go to a jewelry store around here and buy a cheap ring that looks like yours and wear that one for now?" Ella asked. "Until we can track down your real one? At least that way you won't have to tell Freddie."

"Nah, we got our bands customized, remember?" Sam said. "They don't sell ones that look just like it."

"Well, Freddie's an understanding guy," Carly said. "He's not gonna hold it against you that you lost your ring."

"Yeah, but he'll be all sad and chiz," Sam grumbled, grabbing her half-eaten bag of pork rinds from her bedside table. "Which is way worse." She stuffed a handful of the pork rinds in her mouth.

"Ugh, are you really still eating that garbage?" Melanie asked, cringing.

"Hey, I'm stressed!" Sam snapped, stuffing another handful into her mouth. "So lay off me and-Ow!" She spit out the pork rinds onto the bed sheets, and along with the wet crumbs came something gold…

"Hey, my ring!" Sam exclaimed, picking up her slightly moist wedding ring. "No way!"

"How'd it wind up in your pork rinds?" Ella frowned.

"It must've slipped off your finger and landed in the bag while you were eating them earlier!" Melanie said.

"You mean it was seriously here this whole time?" Carly said.

"Way to freak us out for nothing, Sam," Ella said, rolling her eyes. "I could've gotten an extra hour of sleep in."

"Sorry," Sam said, happily sliding her ring back on her finger.

"Well, at least you got your ring back," Melanie sighed. "That's all that matters."

"Hey, just remember you guys," Sam said. "Don't mention this to Fredward. I don't need him holding it over me."

"Got it," Ella nodded.

"Yeah," Carly grinned. "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas."

The other girls stared at her.

"You did _not _just say that," Sam said, rolling her eyes.

"Oh come on! I've been dying to say that for years!" Carly said.

"Whatever, let's go have one last dip in that fancy hot tub downstairs before we have to head to the airport," Ella said.


	234. Chapter 234

"So what did you do all weekend?" Sam asked as her and Freddie returned home from the airport.

"Nothing too exciting," Freddie shrugged. "But did you have fun?"

"Yeah, Vegas was awesome," Sam nodded. "Some day we should have Carly or someone watch Jason for a weekend and go up there. I won us five hundred bucks in the slot machines!"

"Wow, nice," Freddie grinned. "We can put it in our account tomorrow after work so it get some interest."

"Pfft, I knew you'd wanna do something lame like that," Sam said, rolling her eyes. "Which is why I spent it all already."

"Sam!"

"Oh calm down," Sam said, handing him Jason, who had been sleeping in her arms. She opened up her bag. "I bought Jason this cute little teddy bear, since Max chewed up his old one, I got myself a bunch of taffy-"

"Taffy?" Freddie repeated, amused.

"Yes, Taffy, nub, it's my number four favorite candy," Sam said. "Oh, and see? I even got you something."

She handed him a large, flat box.

"A five-thousand piece puzzle of a 1962 Trudgemaster?" Freddie said, looking at the box. "Whoa! You got this in Vegas?"

"Yeah, there was some train themed hotel next to the one we stayed at," Sam nodded. "So I went in and looked in their gift shop."

"Well thanks, baby," Freddie smiled. "I can do this next weekend. I realized I actually _enjoy _doing puzzles without my mom."

"Good," Sam said, kissing him. She took Jason again. "I'm gonna go put Jason down, and then maybe I'll show you what _else _I got myself in Vegas."

"What?" Freddie asked, curious.

"You'll see," Sam smirked. "But let's just say…they may or may not have been purchased at the same store my I heart Vegas underwear came from…"

"Um, what?"

"Ugh, Freddie! Do I have to spell these things out for you?" Sam moaned.

"But I just don't-oh," he said, finally getting it. "Oh…"

"There you go," Sam said, chuckling at the expression on her husband's face. "Better late than never."

…..

"Fis! Fis!"

"Spencer just _had _to show Jason his new little fish tank, didn't he?" Sam sighed, setting down her son, who had been chanting nothing else since her and Freddie had picked him up Spencer's a little while ago, down in his high chair. "He's not gonna stop going on about fish until we get him one."

"Wan fis! Wan fis!"

"Well, maybe once Spencer's fish die from his lack of care, Jason will give up on the idea," Freddie suggested as Sam took a pack of chicken out from the fridge.

"Fisy! Fisy!" Jason said, banging on his high chair tray.

"Or not," Freddie said. "Come on Jason, you don't want so silly old fish, do you? We have a dog! You love Max, don't you?"

"Fis!"

"I thought Ella told Spencer he wasn't allowed to have any more fish," Sam said as she began to season the chicken.

"Guess he figured he could get away with it," Freddie chuckled. "But seriously, I give that thing to the end of the week. And then-Oh! I completely forgot !"

"Forgot what?" Sam frowned.

"Well on Saturday, I went down to the community center to meet with one of the teachers from the pre preschool program," Freddie said. "I know we haven't given it too much thought lately, what with me being offered that job in New Jersey. I didn't give the lady any definite answers about whether we were going to consider sending Jason there, since you weren't with me, but I told her that you could swing by today around six to meet with her and ask some questions."

"Dude! I'm exhausted!" Sam exclaimed. "You couldn't have told me this earlier?"

"I told you, I forgot!" Freddie said. "I guess I can always call her and reschedule…"

"No," Sam said, rolling her eyes. "I'll go now I guess...But now you get to cook dinner."

"Alright," Freddie agreed. "And you better hurry; it's ten till six right now…And don't swing by the pet store and get any you-know-what either! Remember that talk we had about not spoiling-And she's gone."

"Fis daddy!" Jason pouted.

"Well, I'd say there's about a ninety nine percent chance your mom comes back with one for you," Freddie sighed. He rustled his son's hair. "Man, she spoils you…"

Just then he heard a phone ringing, and he looked over at the kitchen counter and saw that Sam's phone, which she must've forgotten, was going off.

He grabbed it quickly and answered it. "Hello?"

"Hello? Is this Sam Puckett?" a voice on the other end asked.

"Um, no, this is her husband," Freddie replied. "She's not here right now, can I take a message?"

"Yeah, I'm calling from Fantastic Fantasies Casino in Las Vegas," the voice said. "We just got in a wedding ring that matches the description of the wedding ring that she reported missing…except for that engraving inside of it she mentioned, but she might be desperate enough and try to pass it off as her own."

"What?" Freddie exclaimed. "She lost her wedding ring?"

"Oh…I probably shouldn't have mentioned that to the husband," the voice sighed. "Oh well, too late. Just tell her to call back later if she wants this one."

Freddie strained his memory as he hung up Sam's phone. Was Sam wearing her wedding ring when she got back from Vegas? He could've sworn she was…at least…that was_ her _wedding right, right? Not some other random ring she was trying to pass off as her own like the guy at the casino suggested…

Freddie shook his head. He couldn't believe that Sam had actually lost her wedding ring…


	235. Chapter 235

"Hey, Freddie!" Carly said, brightly, letting herself into the Benson's house.

"Um, hey," Freddie mumbled, still starting at Sam's phone.

"Where's Sam?" Carly asked.

"She, um, she's at the community center," Freddie replied. "To meet with someone about the pre preschool…"

"What? But I was gonna take her to my dress fitting!" Carly said. "The altercations just got done, and I need a second opinion on whether or not-hey? Are you okay, Freddie?"

"Oh, um, yeah," Freddie nodded quickly.

"Freddie…" Carly said knowingly, crossing her arms. "Come on, tell me what's up."

"Okay," Freddie nodded. "Listen, in Vegas…did-did Sam _lose _her wedding ring?"

"Er…why-why would you ask that?" Carly frowned. "Of course she didn't-"

"Carly," Freddie cut her off. "I just got a call from a guy in a casino who said that Sam reported her wedding ring missing."

"Oh," Carly said lamely.

"So she did lose it then?" Freddie sighed. "Wow…"

"But she found it!" Carly said quickly.

"Really? You sure she's not just wearing some bogus ring she picked up at a jewelry store up there to try and fool me?" Freddie said bitterly.

"Hey! Don't start that!" Carly said firmly. "I promise you, Freddie. That's her real ring, the one _you _gave to her on your wedding day, that she's wearing now. She wouldn't go out and replace it like that. In fact, Ella even suggested that she do that before we found the ring, but Sam refused!"

"But-But still," Freddie said. "I can't believe she would be that irresponsible as to lose it in a casino in the first place! I mean does her wedding ring really mean that little to her that she'd take it off during a round of poker?"

"Okay, first of all, she didn't lose her ring in any casino," Carly said. "She was eating a bag of pork rinds in the hotel, and I guess it slipped off her finger then, because she wound up finding it later in the bag. And I can't believe you would think that Sam doesn't care about her wedding ring, Freddie. I mean, when she thought she lost it, you should've seen her, she was devastated! Her and Melanie drove all over Vegas looking for it. And when they couldn't find it there she was completely heartbroken, Freddie. She loves that ring because it's a symbol of how much you and her love each other. Sam loves you, Freddie. You should know that."

Freddie was silent for a moment. "You're right," he finally said. "I-I guess I overreacted to everything. I mean…she found her ring. And-And the whole thing was an accident."

"Exactly!" Carly nodded.

"But why didn't Sam just tell me about this whole thing then?" Freddie asked.

"Oh come on, if you went to Vegas with the guys, and the same thing happened to you, would you have come back to tell Sam?" Carly scoffed. "I mean what was she supposed to do? Go right up to you at the airport when we got back and say, hey baby! I had fun in Vegas, but I lost my wedding ring in a bag of pork rinds for about three hours."

"Well when you put it like that…" Freddie mumbled.

"Look, I've been reading a lot of magazine articles about marriage lately," Carly said. "And they all say that, even though marriage should be built on trust, and you both should be open with each other, you guys need to have a few secrets just for yourself too! Like Sam won't mention this to you, and I'm sure _you_ won't mention the time you used her bras as slingshots in that little reenactment of that Proton Cruiser battle in _Galaxy Wars_."

Freddie gasped. "You _know _about that?"

"Gibby talks, Freddie," Carly smirked.

….

"Wow, you didn't burn the house down," Sam smiled later that evening, looking at her plate of dinner Freddie had prepared.

"Glad to know you had confidence in me," Freddie chuckled. "So did you talk to the pre preschool lady?"

"Yeah…you know? It really doesn't sound too terrible," Sam nodded. "Maybe I'd actually be on board for it."

"Good, I'm glad you liked it," Freddie said. He walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her and kissed her. "I love you so much, baby."

"I love you too," Sam said, giving her husband a strange look. "Why are _you_ in such a good mood?"

"A guy can't be a good mood just because of the fact that he has an amazing wife?" Freddie asked.

"Well okay," Sam laughed. "If you say so."

She grabbed her dinner plate. "I'm gonna eat in the living room. I've already missed the first part of _Terrible Cheerleading Stunts Gone Wrong_, but maybe I can catch the part where they show all the pyramids falling down!"

….

"Okay, so my dad's flying in next weekend, and he's staying with Spencer and Ella," Carly said, frantically pacing as she looked through her wedding notes on her Pearpad. "The Dorfmans are staying in a hotel, thank God, but I still need to go raisin shopping with them that Friday before the wedding-"

"Why?" Sam frowned.

"Because they insist that I have this weird, extra-healthy type of raisin at my wedding for an appetizer because they're _insane _and won't eat the normal appetizers!" Carly exclaimed.

"Whoa, Carls, calm down," Sam said. "Breathe, will you?"

"I'm sorry," Carly moaned. "It's just, the wedding's in two weeks, and I feel like nothing's ready."

"Hey, you're all set for your big day," Sam promised her. "Everyone has RSVPed, you booked the band, you have your dress all ready to go in your closet, you ordered the cake and all the flowers, and they're going to be delivered to your reception hall on the wedding day. I've told the caterers all the changes you've made to the dinner, and I made sure that everyone's bridesmaid dresses fits, and double checked that the camera Freddie's gonna use to film the wedding for you guys is working perfectly."

"Wow, Sam, you really are the best maid of honor ever," Carly smiled, hugging her best friend.

"Hey, I'm nowhere near as good as you were for me," Sam laughed. "You practically panned my whole wedding, remember?"

"Please, I loved doing that," Carly said. She looked at her watch. "Oh, I'd better get going. I promised Andy I'd help him pack up some of his stuff."

"I still don't get why he's moving in here," Sam said. "His apartment's way bigger; why don't you move into his place?"

"Because, we really like this area," Carly shrugged. "Besides, Andy and I decided that after the wedding, we want to build a second bedroom in here anyway."

"Are you _allowed _to do that?" Sam frowned. "Won't the apartment manager get upset?"

"No, he said as long we covered the whole thing," Carly said. "He said he'll be able to sell it for more if we ever leave. We're gonna make the second bedroom right around here. The living room will be a little smaller, but that's okay; as long as the couches and T.V. can fit in here."

"Well, you two have fun planning all your future home improvements then," Sam said, rolling her eyes.

"We will," Carly grinned. "Hey, how do you feel about a skylight over the kitchen counter?"

"Yeah…don't get carried away, kid," Sam said.


	236. Chapter 236

"So Bryan," Carly told her nephew. "Make sure you help Jason out when you're walking down the aisle, okay? Make sure he doesn't try and go into the seats or anything."

"Sam's been practicing with him," Freddie assured her, sitting down on the couch in Spencer and Ella's apartment.

"Okay, good," Carly nodded.

"Where _is _Sam?" Spencer asked, sitting down next to Freddie.

"She's picking up Wendy at the airport," Carly answered. "And then they're probably gonna do some stuff that involves fireworks."

"Gibby!" Gibby said, walking into the apartment.

"You're back to announcing yourself when you walk into a room?" Freddie frowned.

"Well no one else does it," Gibby shrugged. He turned to Carly. "Hey, I was just talking to Freddie's mom, and she said that on her wedding invitation, she got Marissa Benson plus one."

"Yeah…so?" Carly said.

"Well how come I didn't get plus one?"

"Because Tasha was already invited in the first place," Carly told him. "So you didn't need a plus one. Freddie's mom is single, so she got the plus one so that if she found a date, she could've brought him."

"Pfft, like that would ever happen," Spencer laughed.

Freddie opened his mouth to defend his mother but then shut it. "Yeah…you're right."

"So I'm not allowed to bring anyone but my _wife _to this wedding?" Gibby said, crossing his arms. "Wow. Way to limit me."

"Who else would you have brought?" Carly exclaimed.

"I dunno, I could've tried to get that new _America Sings _host to come with me."

"Listen, Gib, I don't really have time for this," Carly sighed. "I've got to go to Andy's place so we can go out to dinner with his parents. Tell Sam I'll call her about the ice sculpture tomorrow."

"Alright," Freddie nodded, picking up Jason and sitting him on his lap.

"You know, Carly's surprisingly calm for her wedding being in four days," Spencer commented as his younger sister left.

"I know, I've got to give her credit," Freddie agreed. "I thought by this point she'd have tried to kill someone or something."

"Hey, is Carly here?" Sam asked, rushing into the apartment.

"No, she just left," Freddie said. "I thought you were hanging out with Wendy."

"I was," Sam said. "And for the next two weeks, we're both banned from that fish market down the street…but we've got a problem."

"What? Did the hair care store run out of leave-in conditioner again?" Gibby asked, panicked.

"No!" Sam snapped. She turned back to Freddie and Spencer. "After I dropped Wendy off at her parents house where she's staying, I called the bakery to make sure that they knew where the reception hall was so they could deliver the cake, and, well…they claimed they've never heard of Carly!"

"What?" Spencer frowned.

"They have no record of her order!" Sam said. "Which is _impossible _because I spoke to some dude at the bakery last week to tell him that Carly changed her mind about the coconut flakes on top of the cake!"

"There must've been some big mix up then," Freddie said.

"Yeah, no chiz!" Sam snapped. "That's what I told the chick on the phone, but she insists that Carly's cake doesn't exist. We need to go down to the bakery now so we can set that scutter straight! Before Carly finds out and rips someone's head off!"

"Okay, we can go drop Jason and Bryan off at my mom's place," Freddie nodded.

"Oh man, I knew Carly's calmness was too good to be true!" Spencer moaned.

…..

"Hey, anyone here?" Sam called into the bakery as her, Freddie, Spencer and Gibby walked in.

"Yes, yes, I'm here!" said a girl, walking out from the back of the shop. She spoke with a heavy lisp, and her earrings looked as though they were cotton swabs.

"Yeah, I just called here about my best friend's wedding cake," Sam said. "And there has _got _to be some mistake."

"Yeah, she definitely ordered her cake from here," Freddie nodded.

"We even have the confirmation receipt!" Spencer said, holding up a slip of paper.

"Hey, do you think you could make a wedding cake shaped like a person's head?" Gibby asked.

"Ignore him!" Sam snapped. "Look, our friend's wedding is in four days. We put in the order for that cake _ages_ ago."

"Hmm, can I see that receipt?" the girl asked Spencer.

"Um, sure," Spencer nodded, wiping off the spit that she had gotten on him while she was talking. He handed her the receipt.

"Uh-huh…this seems right, and is this your only copy?"

"Yeah, why would we make copies of it?" Spencer said. "It's not like-Hey! What are you doing?"

The girl had ripped the receipt into tiny shreds.

"What'd you do that for?" Sam demanded.

"Because, I'm making it my job to stop this wedding!" the girl shouted.

"Why do you want to stop this wedding?" Gibby frowned.

"Yeah, we don't even know you," Freddie nodded.

"Oh, you may not remember me, but I remember you," the girl said. "My name's Stacy Dillson. I was at Webicon seven years ago. I was, and still am, an avid Creddie Shipper! And I cannot in good conscience let Carly's wedding happen unless she marries Freddie!"


	237. Chapter 237

"What do you mean you want Carly to marry Freddie?" Spencer frowned.

"Yeah, listen you cotton swabbed freak!" Sam snapped, leaning over the counter so she could give Stacy a very menacing glare. "Carly's not marrying Freddie. _I _married Freddie, kapeesh? And you better not do anything to screw up Carly and _Andy's _wedding, because not only will _I _personally rip your head off, but you'll have Carly herself to deal with, and trust me, she will _destroy _you."

"But I can't let true love just waste away!" Stacy exclaimed. "Carly belongs with Freddie! Anyone could tell you that! Creddie will prevail!"

"Um, no, it won't," Freddie said. "And you know what? Holding Carly's wedding cake hostage won't make it happen either. I am in love with _Sam_, not Carly. Nothing can change that."

Stacy gasped. "But Freddie! You and Carly are perfect for each other! You're sole mates! And it must be _killing _you to watch the girl of your dreams get married to another man. I can help you! Together you and I can find you happiness!"  
"That's it!" Sam said, making to jump behind the counter, but Spencer and Gibby held her back.

"Come on!" Spencer said as he pulled Sam away from the counter. "Just put the order for the wedding cake back in your computers! We only have four days until the wedding!"

"Where's your boss?" Freddie demanded. "He wouldn't be happy to know you're driving away his customers!"

"He's in Fresno until next week," Stacy replied smugly. "And there's no way you're getting that cake unless it's to be delivered to the wedding of Freddie Benson and Carly Shay!"

"Man, you are _nuts_," Gibby said.

"No, I am mission oriented, there's a difference!"

"Carly's not marrying Freddie!" Sam said firmly. "Get over it, will you?"

"Never!"

"Okay, this needs to stop!" Freddie said. "There is never going to be a Freddie Benson and Carly Shay wedding! So can't just accept that Carly's _very _happy with her fiancé, Andy, and stop trying to sabotage her cake?"

"Oh Freddie," Stacy said, gripping his shoulders. "You're so confused. You think you're happy with Sam, but you don't know that the stars have it written down that you and Carly will-"

"Alright!" Sam said, freeing herself from Gibby and Spencer's holds and jumping over the counter, tackling Stacy Dilson to the ground. "Put Carly's cake order back in!"

"Never! I shall not be swayed!" Stacy yelled as Sam continued to pulverize her.

"Um, should-should we stop this?" Spencer asked Freddie.

"Not unless you want to get kicked in the kidney," Freddie sighed. "Besides, if we don't sort this whole cake thing out, Carly's going to march down here herself and mess this chick up more than Sam will."

"You make Carly's cake!" Sam said, twisting Stacy's arm into a death grip lock. "Or I swear I'm going to take your cotton swab earrings and shove them up your-"

"Hey! What is Lincoln's blazes is going on here?" asked a short, portly man, walking into the bakery.

"Mr. Mathews!" Stacy said, scrambling to her feet. "I-I thought you were going to be in Fresno until next week?"

"My baking convention got canceled," the man frowned. "Now what is with all this ruckus going on in my bakery?"

"You're the manager?" Freddie asked.

"And owner," the man nodded.

"Good, well, you see," Freddie began. "Your employee has taken our friend's wedding cake out of your computer records because she wants to stop the wedding from happening, so that I'll marry this girl, instead of her fiancé."

"And the wedding's in four days, so we've _got _to make sure this cake is ready to go by then," Spencer added.

"Yeah, so tell this chick to get a grip and get our wedding cake order in!" Sam snapped, getting to her feet as well.

"Oh, Mr. Mathews will not listen to _you_!" Stacy said to Sam. "You _assaulted _me and threatened my earrings! He won't let you get away with that _and _standing in the way of true love and-"

"Of for the love of chiz, Dillson, you tried to stop _another _wedding?" Mr. Mathews sighed.

"What?" Gibby frowned.

"You mean she's done this _before_?" Spencer said.

"Three times, actually," Mr. Mathews said heavily. "Just last month she tried to break up the wedding of a successful car salesman who was marrying a manager of a burger place because she insisted he belonged with a woman from a burrito joint."

"They were the perfect couple!" Stacy cried.

"That's it, Dillson, you're hurting my business too much," Mr. Mathews said firmly. "You're fired."

"F-Fired?" Stacy repeated.

"Yes, fired! Now get out of here before I call the cops on you again!"

"But-But I have to save Creddie!" Stacy said weakly as her boss led her towards the door. "It's-It's destiny!"

"I'm sorry about her," the owner said once he had disposed of his former employee. "She's a little bit-"

"Insane?" Freddie suggested.

"Yes, that," he nodded.

"Look, can you just get our friend's wedding cake back in the system so it can be ready for her wedding day in four days?" Sam asked.

"Of course," Mr. Mathews nodded. "It looks like she did delete it from the system, but I save all my orders on my external hard drive, so we should be set."

"See? It comes in handy to do that," Freddie said, smirking at Sam.

Sam rolled her eyes at her husband.

"Ah, here we are!" Mr. Mathews said. "Yes, everything's in order, and the cake's set to be delivered to the Seattle Reception Hall in four days."

"Perfect," Sam said, sighing in relief.

"Well," Spencer said as the four turned to leave the shop. "At least that's taken care of."

"Is everything else ready for the big day?" Gibby asked.

"Yeah, everything's all set," Sam nodded. "Carly's ready to get married."


	238. Chapter 238

"Baby, you realize it's six thirty in the morning," Freddie yawned, looking over across the bed as Sam slowly got up.

"Yeah, no chiz," Sam yawned. "But I've got to go help Carly get ready; it's her wedding day, remember?"

"I know, but the ceremony's not until eleven," Freddie pointed out.

"We've got to do her hair and make-up and all that girl stuff," Sam said, pulling on a pair of jeans and an old sweatshirt. She grabbed her dress from the closet. "Remember, you need to be at the wedding hall with Jason at nine thirty. Jason's tux is hanging in his closet."

"Alright," Freddie said, falling back down on his pillows. "At least the sun will be out then."

"Yeah, lucky you," Sam smirked.

Sam headed downstairs and grabbed her car keys, heading over to Carly's apartment.

"Carls!" Sam yelled, letting herself into the apartment. "You up yet?"

"Of course I'm up!" Carly exclaimed, running out of her bedroom. "It's my wedding day! I barely slept at all last night, I was so excited!"

"Good, then I'll drink the latte I picked up for you," Sam said. "Because I'm exhausted."

"You told Freddie he needed to be at the wedding hall by nine thirty, right?" Carly asked.

"Yup, and that nub's always punctual," Sam said. "So come, we need to get started on your hair and make-up so we can be out of here by eight forty-five."

"Oh my God, Sam, do you realize in less than five house I'm going to be Mrs. Carly Danielson?" Carly grinned.

"Yeah, I mean, you've only doodled it on every sheet of paper you could find for the past two weeks," Sam laughed.

"This is going to be so amazing!" Carly said dreamily. "Finally, after all these weddings I've been to, _I'm _the bride. I can't wait to walk down that aisle, recite my vows to Andy and then exchange our first kiss and husband and wife. It's true what they say, your wedding day really _does _make you feel like a princess."

…..

"Oh man, we're running out of time!" Carly said anxiously as Sam zipped up the back of her wedding dress a few hours later in the back room of the wedding hall.

"You still have a half-hour," Sam reminded her. "And you're all ready anyway! You look awesome in this dress!"

"Carly, Freddie wants to know where he's supposed to seat Uncle Greg and granddad," Spencer said poking his head into the room. "Whoa! You look amazing, Carls."

"Thanks," Carly said breathlessly as her brother gave her a hug. "And tell Freddie that he can put them both in the third row next to the Dorfmans."

"Got it," Spencer nodded.

"Is my dad here yet?" Carly asked as Spencer hurried off.

"Yes, he's talking to some of your cousins and then he's going to come back here so he can walk you down the aisle," Sam assured her. "Melanie's on the phone with the caterers right now just confirming that they're setting up in the reception hall, and Ella's getting Dina, Bryan and Jason ready. I told you Carly, everything's ready to go."

"Okay, okay, that's good," Carly said, beginning to pace nervously in front of the large, standing mirrors. "Everything's all set, so in thirty minutes I can go out there and get married. I'm getting married…oh Sam! I can't do this!"

"What?" Sam frowned, surprised to see her best friend's face etched in fear.

"I can't do this!" Carly repeated. "I can't get married!"

"What are you talking about?" Sam said. "You've been dreaming of this moment since you were like, twelve!"

"I know!" Carly said shakily. "But now that it's here it just feels so surreal! What if I suck at being married? What if the reason that I'm the last person in our group to get married is because I'm not meant to be married, ever, because fate knew I'd just mess everything up? What if Andy decides that _he _doesn't want to get married? What if he proposed to me just because he thought that _I _was so desperate to do it? Huh? Huh?"

"Okay, Carls, breathe," Sam said, sitting her down in a nearby chair. "Every bride does this. Remember how I was right before I married Freddie?"

"Well, yeah, but-"

"No buts," Sam said firmly. "You gave me my pep talk, now I get to give you yours. You're being insane!"

"Oh, this sounds like a great pep talk," Carly scoffed, rolling her eyes.

"Come on, Carly, you're like, the definition of a perfect bride!" Sam said. "You are _so _ready to get married that it's scary. So is Andy. When I went to go check on him an hour ago he was so pumped that he was going to get to call you his wife soon that he was practically begging me to move up the wedding time. You two are perfect for each other, and I promise you that when he asked you to marry him, it wasn't because he thought you were desperate. It was because _he _wanted to spend the rest of his life with you. So you're going to go out there in a little bit, walk down that aisle, and have the best wedding Seattle's ever seen, okay?"

"Oh," Carly smiled, wiping her eyes and hugging Sam. "You really are the best best friend anyone could ask for."  
"Right back at you, kid," Sam grinned. "Now come here so we can fix your mascara so you can go rock this wedding."

….

"Well," Freddie said as him and Sam clinked their glasses together at the reception. "Our little Carly's officially married."

"She grew up so fast," Sam grinned

"Announcing for the first time ever," the wedding band singer suddenly announced to the reception hall. "Mr. and Mrs. Danielson!"

Carly and Andy walked into the hall, both smiling widely.

"Hey, you guys!" Sam said as the newlyweds walked over to her and Freddie. "Congratulations!"

"Thanks," Andy said, looking like the happiest man on the planet.

"This is like, the best feeling in the world!" Carly exclaimed as her and Andy exchanged a quick kiss.

"Isn't it?" Freddie said.

"Oh man, it looks like my dad's trying to show people magic tricks," Andy sighed, looking over at his parents, who were standing near the ice sculpture. "I should go stop him…Dad! Dad, you promised no magic!"

"Hey, baby, go check on Jason and see if he's hungry," Sam said to Freddie. "I think he was starting to get a little fussy towards the end of the ceremony. Ella has him right now."

"Okay," Freddie nodded. He gave Carly a quick hug. "Congratulations again, Carls. I'm happy for you."

"Thanks," Carly smiled.

"So?" Sam said as her husband left her and her best friend. "Feel any different now that you're married?"

"I feel incredible," Carly answered. "And Sam…thanks so much. For everything. You got me through the pre-wedding jitters, you woke up early this morning to help me get ready, and even though you _hate _these sorts of things, you helped me plan this entire wedding. It really means a lot."

"Hey, you're my best friend!" Sam said. "Of course I'm gonna make sure this is the best day of your life. You did it for me."

"Well still," Carly said. "I'm really glad I had an awesome best friend to be my maid of honor."


	239. Chapter 239

"So when do Carly and Andy get back from their honeymoon?" Melanie asked, placing Nicole next to Jason in his playpen as she sat down next to her sister.

"Six days," Sam replied. "They're really gonna need this little vacation; they're pretty much redesigning Carly's whole apartment when they get back."

"Why?"

"I dunno, because it's Carly," Sam shrugged. "Now that she doesn't have anymore weddings to plan, she needs a new project."

"I'll tell her to let Cody know if they need any help," Melanie said. "He's good with home improvements." She looked over at Sam's outfit. "Why are you so dressed up?"

"Eh, Freddie and I have to go to an interview for that pre preschool thing," Sam explained. "And since there are apparently only a few spots open for next year, Freddie says we've got to impress the teacher."

"You'll have to tell me how that is," Melanie said. "Because maybe I can send Nicole there when she's a little bit-"

Just then Sam's phone rang.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Hello, is this Sam Benson? Pam Puckett's daughter?" a voice on the phone asked.

"Um, yeah," Sam frowned.

"Yes, well, we're just calling to inform you that your mother was arrested today at eleven forty-three," the voice said. "She's being held in the Seattle Women's Correctional Facility on a ten thousand dollar bond."

"Ten thousand?" Sam exclaimed. "What'd she do? Kidnap a prince?"

"No, if she had kidnapped a prince, the bail would be-"

"I don't care!" Sam snapped. "I just…I'll be there in a few minutes."

"What's up?" Melanie asked as Sam hung up.

"We've got to go bail mom out of jail," Sam sighed, getting to her feet.

"She got arrested again?" Melanie moaned. "She was doing so well! What'd she do?"

"I don't know, we can ask her when we get there," Sam said. "I hope you have five thousand bucks on you, by the way."

The front door opened and Freddie walked into the house.

"Oh good," he said, giving Sam a quick kiss. "You're all dressed. Let me just go grab my tie and then-"

"Sorry, baby, but you're gonna have to go to the interview without me," Sam told him. "Melanie and I have to go get mom. She got arrested again."

"Again?" Freddie frowned. "But what about Lewbert? I mean, can't _he _bail her out?"

"He's in Alabama for some doorman convention," Melanie said.

"Oh…well okay, I guess I can do the interview by myself," Freddie said.

"Thanks," Sam said, grabbing her jacket. "You're going to take Jason there too, right?"

"Yeah, the teacher wants to meet him," Freddie nodded.

"Freddie, I just texted Cody to tell him to pick Nicole up," Melanie said. "You alright watching her until he gets here?"

"Sure," Freddie replied. "Good luck with your mom, you guys."

….

"Okay, let's just post mom's bail, call her lawyer, and get out of here," Sam said as her and Melanie headed into the prison. "This place brings back bad memories."

"Yeah, I don't like being here either," Melanie cringed, looking around. "It's so gross."

"You know, for a chick who has half her family in here, you're really prissy," Sam grinned.

"Whatever, there's the bail window," Melanie said, nodding over to a large window with a heavyset guard sitting behind it.

"Um, hey," Sam said, walking up to the window. "We need to set bail for-"

"Move, out of my way," a young blonde woman said, shoving Sam out of the way. "I need to see my mother!"

"Hey! We were in line!" Melanie said.

"Yeah, move it!" Sam snapped, narrowing her eyes.

"Oh pipe down," the girl said snippily.

"Oh, I'll make you pipe down," Sam said, raising her fist.

"Um, Sam, let's _not _start a fight in a prison filled with cops," Melanie whispered.

"Ma'am, you need to go to the back of the line," the guard said.

"But my mother can't stay in prison for another second!" the girl exclaimed.

"Tell it to someone who cares," the guard said. "Either get in line or get put in a cell."

Letting out an impatient groan of frustration, the girl stomped behind the twins.

"Yeah, like I was saying," Sam said, giving the girl one last glare. "We're posting the bail for Pam Puckett."

"Bail's ten thousand dollars," the guard said.

"Yeah, yeah, here," Sam said, handing over the money her and Melanie had pulled out of their accounts before coming her. She turned to her sister. "I hope mom knows she better pay us back for this."

"Yeah, okay, hold onto that thought," Melanie said, rolling her eyes.

"Okay, you can go get her, she'll be brought out into the visiting area," the guard told them.

"Thank you!" Melanie said politely.

"Alright, hopefully she'll get out here soon," Sam said as her and Melanie headed into the visiting area. "I was planning on stopping at Holy O's for some donuts on the way to that interview…I'm starving!"

"There she is," Melanie said as their mother was escorted in by a guard.

"Finally, I was in that cell for two hours!" Pam said, walking over to her daughters.

"Well you know, it takes awhile for us to come up with ten thousand bucks to bail you out of here," Sam said.

"Hey, I'll pay you guys back," Pam said. "Lewby's taking me to Atlantic City next weekend and I'm feeling lucky!"

"I'll go grab the release papers and then you guys are free to go," the guard told them.

"Mom, what did you do?" Melanie asked. "I thought you were trying to keep up your no-arrest streak."

"Eh, I got in a fight," Pam replied.

"A fight?" Melanie frowned.

"Did you win?" Sam asked.

"I was about to," Pam said. "But the cops ran over and broke it up before I could wind up for my gut-wrench punch."

"Well why were you fighting?" Melanie asked.

"Oh, I just ran into someone…" Pam mumbled.

"Mom, we just bailed you out of here," Sam said. "You wanna give us a _little _more than that?"

"I just ran into the chick your dad was cheating on me with while we were married," Pam said.

Sam and Melanie exchanged confused looks.

"Dad was cheating on you?" Melanie said.

"I mean I'm not surprised, he was a jerk," Sam muttered.

"Well no, neither am I," Melanie said. "It's just…you never told us that. Wait, is that why he left?"

"I dunno, probably," Pam shrugged. "I didn't find out he had been cheating on me with this skunkbag our _entire _marriage until _after _he left."

"Well who is this chick?" Sam asked. "You can call Uncle Carmine and-"

"Look, don't worry about it now," Pam said. "It was a long time ago…I never wanted you two to find out. Besides, before the cops hauled us off to this joint I managed to slip some leaves covered with ants into her bra…gave her a nasty little surprise."

"Not bad," Sam said approvingly.

"Okay, can you _please _promise us that you won't get into anymore fights mom?" Melanie pleaded. "I know it was probably hard for you seeing this woman, but do you really want your grandchildren to see-"

"What is _that _wench doing in here?" a loud, booming voice said from across the visiting area.

Sam and Melanie spun around to see a large woman being led in by a guard with the girl who had tried to cut them at the bail window at her side.

"Who you calling a wench you homewrecking little-" Pam began, starting towards the woman.

"Oh you're just jealous that Daniel chose me over you, you flabby old piece of trash!" the woman retorted.

"Okay…guessing that's the woman that she got in the fight with," Melanie whispered.

"Man that lady's lucky there's cops all around here," Sam mumbled, clenching her fists.

"Please, why would I be jealous that you wound up with that pathetic excuse of a lump?" Pam snapped.

"Hey!" the girl who had cut the twins exclaimed. "Don't talk about my dad that way!"

"Um, did-did she just say dad?" Sam said, her eyes widening.

"Why'd she say dad?" Melanie asked.

"Oh yeah, your dad had another kid with this freak too," Pam said, still glaring at the other woman. "Something else you weren't ever supposed to know…"


	240. Chapter 240

"Hey baby," Freddie said, looking up from the book he was reading as Sam stormed in. "The interview with that teacher went _great_. She says that Jason's really smart for his age. She said she wasn't supposed to say anything, but that we can almost count on a spot in that program."

"Good," Sam mumbled, throwing her jacket and bag down on the floor by the coatrack.

"You wanna order some pizza?" Freddie asked. "I found a coupon for Mama Mia's."

"I don't care, do whatever you want," Sam said, running upstairs.

"Sam?" Freddie frowned, quickly getting to his feet. "Sam!"

He hurried up to the couple's bedroom where Sam was laying on their bed, her face in her hands.

"Baby," Freddie said softly, sitting down next to his wife. "What-What happened?"

"Just go away, Freddie," Sam snapped.

"No," Freddie said, gently rubbing her bag. "Please talk to me, Sam. What's going on? Did something happen with your mom? Is she okay?"

"She's fine!" Sam said forcefully. "Just leave me alone. God, can't you just go back downstairs or something?"

"No," Freddie said again. "Because something _clearly _happened that made you this upset. And I want to be able to help you with it. So could you _please _just talk to me?"

"Fine, I'll tell you," Sam spat, looking up, her face tearstained. "You wanna know what me and Melanie found out at the prison? We have another sister."

"Another sister? But…what?"

"My mom got sent to prison today for fighting with this woman who my dad was cheating on," Sam sighed. "During their entire marriage. She never told Melanie or me because she wanted to protect us, I guess. But my dad wasn't just seeing this woman on the side…he literally had another family with her!"

"Oh, Sam," Freddie said, wrapping his arms around her tightly. "I'm so sorry. I know this has got to be hard to take in."

"You know what the worst part is?" Sam whispered. "He stayed with them."

"What?"

"My dad! He _stayed _with that woman and their daughter!" Sam exclaimed. "He _lived _with them. He was there for them! When he left back when Melanie and me were kids, it was to move with _them _to because he had just gotten a great new job!"

"But, I thought you said when you and Melanie went to go look for him a couple of years ago, he was living in some shabby little house," Freddie said, stroking her hair.

"Yeah, well, apparently he inherited that house from some family member, and he'd stay in it when he had to come back to Seattle for business trips or something," Sam mumbled. "Him and that other chick and their daughter had themselves a nice big old house in Canada where they lived their perfect little lives."

Freddie didn't know what to say. He couldn't imagine what it would be like to just find out one day that your dad had a second family, and that you had a new half-sister.

"Your dad left you and Melanie money though, remember," Freddie said, trying to shed even just the tiniest bit of light on this situation. "If he did that, then maybe deep down he always regretted leaving you guys."

Sam rolled her eyes. "You wanna know why we got that money? Because he left it in his American bank account on accident when he moved to Canada. He didn't mean for it to go to us. There was some legal thing that wouldn't let the money go across boundaries. But don't worry; he still left his _favorite _family with more than enough. That stuck up daughter of his…let's just say she's never going to have to work a day in her life."

She leaned into Freddie. "God…you know, I was actually _over _this whole thing. My dad left when I was six…big deal. I always thought he was just a low-life scumbag who didn't want to deal with having a family. But it turns out that it was just _us _that he didn't want."

Freddie could see tears welling up in her eyes.

"He didn't want me…he loved his other daughter, but he never loved me," Sam whispered.

Freddie held her tightly. "He was a jerk, Sam," Freddie said loyally. "And walking out of your life was the biggest mistake he could've ever made, because you know what? You grew up to be an _amazing _person, even without him. You're _better _than him. You didn't need him."

"But why'd he choose them," Sam mumbled. "His other daughter…she's the same exact age as me and Melanie…what was so perfect about them that we didn't have?"

Freddie kissed her gently. "I don't know…I really don't, baby. But you can't let this bring you down now that you've come so far in your life. You have a family that loves you so much. Even if your dad had four or five other families, that won't change that."

Sam sighed. "It's just really…weird. It's the sort of thing you see in movie; you don't really think about it happening to you."

"Of course it's going to feel weird," Freddie told her. "But like I said…it doesn't change anything about your life."

Sam didn't say anything, but she squeezed Freddie's hand, and he knew that he had gotten through to her.

"Did his other daughter know?" Freddie asked hesitantly.

Sam nodded. "Yeah…I guess her mom told her. That little sleazebag. The whole time we were waiting for my mom's release papers, she kept making snide comments about how my dad 'picked her' over me and Melanie."

"That's cruel," Freddie said, shaking his head.

"Yeah, Melanie was getting really wazzed off at her too," Sam said. "I think if those guards would've left the room she would've slugged her…she could've gotten her first arrest today."

"Just don't associate with her," Freddie said. "She might share some of your DNA, but she's not your sister. She's garbage. Like your dad."

"I know, thank God they're going back to Canada tomorrow," Sam said. "And I'll never have to see them again."

"Good," Freddie said.

"And look, Freddie," Sam said. "Thanks for making me feel better…but I still kind of just want to be alone now."

"Okay," Freddie nodded understandingly. She got to his feet and gave her another kiss. "Just know how much I love you, okay?"

Sam gave a small smile. "Well you say it fifty times a day," she mumbled. "How can I forget?"


	241. Chapter 241

"Hey! I'm back!" Carly said brightly, walking into the Benson's house, where Sam and Melanie were sitting on the couch, looking at Sam's computer screen.

"Hey!" Sam smiled, closing her laptop and getting up to hug her best friend. "How was the honey moon?"

"Amazing!" Carly grinned. "Greece was unbelievable! It was beautiful, and they had white sand beaches with the clearest ocean water you've ever seen."

"Aw, it sounds so romantic," Melanie said.

"It was," Carly said happily, sitting down with the twins. "I wish it could've lasted forever. Now we've got to move all of Andy's stuff into my place and work on adding that extra room…but that's not going to be too bad. So what about you guys? What have you been up to this past week?"

"Oh you know…the usual," Sam said quickly. "So you ready for work tomorrow?"

"Ugh, I guess so," Carly sighed. "Speaking of work, though, I need to check my email. You care if I use your computer."

"Yeah, go ahead," Sam nodded.

"I need to get going," Melanie said, getting to her feet. "Nicole's got a check-up."

"Bye!" Carly waved, opening up Sam's laptop.

"You want a soda?" Sam asked, heading over into the kitchen.

"Um, no I'm good," Carly said. "Hey, who's this Alisha chick?"

"What?" Sam frowned.

"You have her Splashface page open," Carly shrugged. "She a friend of yours?"

"No," Sam said bitterly, popping open her root beer. "She'd definitely _not _a friend."

"Well then why were you looking her up?" Carly asked.

"I just-I just wanted to find out what she's like," Sam mumbled.

"But why would you care what she's like if you're not friends with her?"

"Because," Sam sighed. "She's sort of…she's sort of my half-sister."

"Your what?" Carly exclaimed. "Your _half-sister_? Since when do you have a half-sister?"

"Since last weekend," Sam said, giving a small smile. "Nice surprise, huh?"

"Well I mean, yeah," Carly nodded.

"My dad apparently had himself another family he actually cared about," Sam explained.

"Oh," Carly said softly. "Well listen Sam, I didn't mean to-"

"No, no, it's fine," Sam said. "I'm over it. Yeah, it sucks, but you know what? I turned out _awesome_, so who the heck cares whether my dad stuck around or not."

"That's right," Carly laughed. She looked back at the Splashface page. "So you're not a fan of your half-sister then, I'm guessing?"

"Nope," Sam said. "She's a stuck-up snob who thinks she won some big contest because our dad stayed with her and her mom."

"Wow, what a little skunkbag," Carly said.

"Yeah, I know," Sam nodded. "So me and Melanie decided we'd try and find some dirt on her, you know, just to have some fun, and I've got to say, she's a mess!"

"Well look at her Splashface page! She looks like a toad!" Carly said.

"Carly Shay!" Sam grinned. "That's probably the meanest thing you've ever said about another person."

"Hey, she messed with you," Carly said. "Nice goes out the window when that happens."

"Well not only did me and Melanie turn out _way _better looking than this chick," Sam chuckled. "Turns out she didn't even graduate high school. She used to work at a cat store until my dad died and left her a buttload of money…but she's not married or dating anyone, and she has like, thirty friends on here. And see, last Saturday night she posted a picture of herself at home making lanyards alone! She's totally pathetic!"

"Well I'm glad you're seeing the silver linings of this whole thing," Carly told her.

"Oh and look at this picture!" Sam laughed. "She looks like she belongs in a zoo here!"

…

"So then I managed to get my shoes out of the toilet," Gibby said as him, Sam and Freddie sipped their smoothies at the Groovy Smoothie. "But I couldn't save my socks."

"Well maybe you shouldn't be standing in toilets," Freddie said, rolling his eyes.

"I just wanted to see if I would spin when I flushed it," Gibby said. "You know, like in the cartoons."

"You need to get your head checked," Sam said. "And where's Carly? She's supposed to be hanging out with us!"

Right on cue, Carly walked into the restaurant.

"Hey Carls," Sam said. "We got you your blueberry blitz."

"Thanks," Carly mumbled.

"What's wrong?" Freddie asked.

"Oh, the contractors that Andy and I hired to build the second room in the apartment just told us that it's going to take a _lot _longer than they thought to get the thing finished," Carly said.

"How much longer?" Gibby asked.

"Another six months!"

"Wow," Sam said. "But hey, it's not that bad. I mean, it's not like you and Andy are gonna be sleeping in that room or anything. You still have your one bedroom."

"I know…but we just sort of wanted to have the thing done sooner," Carly sighed.

"Well Carls, I'm sure you can try and find another contractor who can finish it up quicker," Freddie reasoned.

"Yeah, that's what Andy's trying to do now," Carly nodded.

"Well, I still don't know why you guys need that room done so quickly," Sam said, finishing the last of her smoothie. "But if you guys ever need to stay in our guest room, you're always welcome."

"Definitely," Freddie nodded.

"Thanks," Carly smiled. "But I'm sure we can manage to find someone to get it done faster."

"Oh, Carly, you didn't get to hear my toilet story," Gibby said.

"Your what?" Carly frowned.

"Just shut up a sec and listen," Gibby said. "So it was during that rainy week, and I was pretty bored…"


	242. Chapter 242

**AN-For some reason, Fanfiction wouldn't let me upload anything yesterday…Oh well. Anyway, did you all catch Sam & Cat last night? It was really funny, I thought. I definitely can't wait for more episodes. I like how they kind of made Sam a bit more responsible, but really kept her same of 'Sam' persona. **

…**..**

"Oin!" Jason said, holding up his stuffed pig as he sat with Sam on his bedroom floor.

"That's right, Jason!" Sam smiled. "The pig says oink. Now see, that's mommy's favorite animal because that's where we get all our favorite food from! We get ham, pepperoni, bacon, ribs-"

"Piggy good!"

"Very good," Sam laughed. She pulled over the box of plastic blocks and dumped them out. "So how about you and I build Mr. Pig a new house, huh?"

"Ya!"

"Hey," Freddie said, walking into Jason's room.

"Da!" Jason said happily.

"Hey buddy, what are you guys up to?" Freddie smiled, sitting down next to his son.

"We," Sam said. "Are about to build Mr. Pig the mansion he deserves."

"Yeah, I guess that's the least you can do after eating hundreds of _thousands _of his relatives," Freddie chuckled, giving her a quick kiss.

"What are you doing back home so soon?" Sam asked. "I thought you were supposed to be fixing Carly's wi-fi for her."

"So did I," Freddie shrugged. "I barely started on it, but then Andy came home and Carly kicked me out."

"Weird," Sam shrugged, piling the blocks up.

"Yeah," Freddie said dismissively. "Anyway, so I was thinking for Jason's birthday next week, we just have everyone come over here for a nice little dinner and cake. Sound good?"

"Yup," Sam nodded. "Oh, and hey. Watch this. Jason? How old are you turning next week?"

"To'! Jason said excitedly, getting to his feet and jumping around. "I to'! I to'!"

"Yeah, you almost are!" Freddie laughed, scooping the toddler up in his arms.

…..

"Freddie has to work through lunch again," Sam sighed, putting away her phone, where she had just read her husband's text message.

"Rough," Carly mumbled as her and Sam took their usual spot in the studio cafeteria.

"Carls, what's up with you?" Sam asked. "You've been sort of…off, for a few weeks now. Oh, _please _tell me you're not still going on about the room taking so long."

"No, Andy and I found another contractor who promised us the room would be done in just two months," Carly sighed.

"Well then why are you so mopey still?" Sam frowned.

"I'm not," Carly said, quickly plastering a smile onto her face. "So, um, what's going on with you?"

"Nothing," Sam shrugged, still a bit confused over Carly's behavior. "Freddie and I are gonna have everyone over for Jason's birthday next weekend."

"Aw, I can't believe he's already two," Carly smiled. She opened up the bag of peanuts on her tray. "I bought the perfect present for him the other day; he's going to love it."

"Yeah, I bet," Sam said, looking at Carly's tray. "Um, Carly? Any reason you're eating like, ten bags of peanuts for lunch?"

"Um…I like peanuts," Carly said quickly.

"Yeah, but, that's got to be a good five pounds of peanuts," Sam pointed out. "I mean, I'm not going to judge you or anything, but you never eat-"

"Hey, so have you seen those new socks at Build-A-Bra?" Carly cut her off. "I mean why the heck would they sell socks at Build-A-Bra? Am I right? Socks aren't bras!"

….

"Sam?" Freddie said after work that evening. "Sam? You realize you were supposed to be at my mom's place twenty minutes ago so she could take you to that sewing seminar."

"Aw, I think it's cute that you think I'm actually going to that," Sam said, not looking up from the video game she was playing on the couch.

"Well what am I supposed to tell her?" Freddie asked, rolling his eyes.

"Tell her I'd rather stick pins in my eyes and sit through five hours of yodeling than go with her," Sam shrugged.

"Right…so I'll tell her you're sick," Freddie said, pulling out his phone.

"Hey," Carly said, walking into the Benson's house with Andy. "You guys have whole milk, right?"

"Like I'd let skim milk pass through my door," Sam scoffed. "There's some in the fridge. Why?"

"I just wanted a cup, and we didn't have any," Carly shrugged.

"Well why don't you just go to the store and-"

"Well Sam, if my mom asks, you have a cold and passed out in bed as soon as you got home from work," Freddie said, hanging up his phone and returning to the room. "Oh, hey Carls, Andy."

"Hey, I'm just stopping by for some milk," Carly said heading into the kitchen.

"Milk?" Freddie frowned.

"Yo, I think you broke Carly or something," Sam said to Andy. "Because she's been crazy lately."

"Um…I guess it was something in the water in Greece," Andy shrugged.


	243. Chapter 243

"Hey, you want some coffee?" Sam asked Carly the day of Jason's birthday. She had just finished wrapping the last of Jason's presents from her and Freddie.

"I might as well," Carly mumbled darkly, taking the cup from Sam.

"What do you mean-"

"So, um, what did you get Jason for his birthday?" Carly asked quickly.

"Oh, um, we got him this little play cell phone that has all these buttons on it," Sam said, still giving Carly a strange look. "And Freddie _insisted _on some books. But I also found this really cool stuffed monkey that's dressed like a karate dude to give him."

"Aw, that's really cute, I'm sure he'll love them all," Carly smiled.

"Hola ladies," Freddie said, walking into the house, a sleeping Jason in one hand and a large bag in the other.

"Good, he fell asleep in the car," Sam said, taking her son and placing him gently in his playpen. "He needs a nap before everyone gets here anyway. So did you get it?"

"Yup, he picked it out and everything," Freddie nodded.  
"Get what?" Carly asked.

Freddie pulled a box out of the bag. It had a picture of a blue plastic training toilet on it.

"You're going to potty train him?" Carly questioned.

"Yeah, we need to so he can start that pre preschool thing," Freddie nodded. "I mean, we were planning on doing it when he turned two anyway."

"No more diapers, baby!" Sam grinned, high fiving her husband.

"Well I hope you two have fun with that," Carly chuckled.

"Um, _Freddie's _the one who's going to be handling this," Sam said.

"Why him?"

"Because I don't know how boys pee!" Sam said. "If Jason was a girl I _would _do it."

"Well, I'm going to go set this up," Freddie said. Just as he was about to head out, he sniffed the air. "Um, why do I smell peas?"

"Oh, they must be done!" Carly said, hurrying over to the microwave and pulling out a bowl of green peas.

"Um…why?" Freddie asked Sam.

"Who knows," Sam shrugged.

…..

"Man, that was some good cake," Sam said, finishing up her fourth piece that evening. Everybody had finally left after the party, and now it was just Sam, Freddie and Carly again.

"Voom! Voom!" Jason said happily, pushing himself around the living room on the large light up fire truck Carly and Andy had gotten him, beeping the horn loudly.

"Carls, I think Sam and I will be ready to kill you for getting him that in a couple of days," Freddie chuckled, sitting down next to his wife.

"I got you guys earplugs, don't worry," Carly said. "I just forgot to bring them over. I'll swing by tomorrow and drop them off."

"You're a lifesaver," Sam grinned.

"Well thanks," Carly said. She looked at her Pearphone. "But I think I should probably get going. The contractors are getting to the apartment pretty early tomorrow to work on the room."

"Okay, we'll see you later," Freddie said.

"Bye Jason, happy birthday little guy," Carly smiled, kneeling down to hug the toddler. "Try not to be too hard on mommy and daddy with that truck, okay?"

"My tuck!" Jason said happily. "I to!"

"You guys, if you ever wake up one morning and Jason's not in his crib…I may or may not have kidnapped him," Carly said, laughing. "I swear, he's the cutest thing ever!"

"Pretty amazing, considering half his genes are from Freddork," Sam said.

"Ha, ha," Freddie said dryly.

"Well, see you guys," Carly said, kissing the top of Jason's head.

"You know, it's almost ten," Freddie said to Sam. "Shouldn't we put Jason to bed?"

"Eh, let him have fun, it's his birthday," Sam shrugged. "Besides, he's all hopped up sugar. He has at least another hour before he crashes."

"Fast! Fast!" Jason laughed, continuing to zoom around on his truck.

"You know," Freddie said, pulling Sam closer to him. "Everyone always says that two is the most difficult age."

"Yeah, 'the terrible twos'," Sam nodded.

"He's definitely more…rambunctious than he was a year ago," Freddie said, watching his son.

"You're telling me?" Sam said. "Yesterday I went to the bathroom and came back out here a minute later only to find that he dumped four boxes of cereal into Max's food bowl!"

"Well…it's definitely going to be a lot harder now," Freddie told her.

"We'll be fine," Sam said. "Besides, he's not that bad. Remember that crazy toddler we saw at the grocery store the other day? The one who knocked over that entire mayonnaise display?"

"Very true," Freddie chuckled. He kissed Sam. "You're right. We can handle this."


	244. Chapter 244

"I like this sauce better," Sam said, biting into one of the spaghetti tacos Spencer had given her.

"It's the red pepper flakes, isn't it?" Spencer nodded. "I added more to this batch."

"Whatever it is, it worked," Sam said, taking another bite. She swallowed. "Hey, do you know what's up with Carly lately? She's been really weird for the past like, six weeks."

"Yeah, I know," Spencer nodded. "I thought it was just me…the other day I went over to her place and she was making this weird fish smoothie."

"Ew," Sam cringed.

"I know," Spencer nodded.

"Well, that's my third shirt today," Freddie sighed, joining the other two in the kitchen.

"What happened to your other shirts?" Spencer asked.

"Oh, well, I'm working on potty training Jason," Freddie said. "And, well, let's just say he hasn't really got the whole 'aim' part down."

"Man am I glad I'm done with all that chiz," Spencer said happily.

"Yeah, well, hopefully it will be worth it when he's finally out of diapers," Freddie said. "Besides, we have to have him trained by February, so he can start pre preschool."

"Good luck with that," Spencer said. He grabbed his empty plate that had once been filled with spaghetti tacos. "I've got to go deliver my bird sculpture. I made it out of real feathers! I sold it to this guy who claims that birds are the smartest animals alive. His place is full of stuffed robins and blue jays…so um, if I'm not back in a couple of hours, can you, you know, call the cops or something?"

"Sure, if you get murdered, that means I don't get any more of these amazing spaghetti tacos," Sam nodded, finishing off her snack.

"Ma! Max keen!" Jason said, toddling into the room with the black lab, who was dripping wet, at his side.

"Oh…did you try to give Max a bath?" Sam sighed, trying not to laugh as Max shook himself dry, drenching Freddie.

"Great…now onto shirt four," Freddie sighed, pulling his wet shirt off.

"You know…there's no rush for you to put one back on," Sam smirked, grabbing a juice box for Jason and sitting him in his high chair.

Freddie grinned. "Well if you insist."

"No ju'!" Jason said, looking down at his juice box with disgust.

"Well what do you want then, sweetie?" Sam asked, brushing his long bangs out of his eyes.

"Mil'!"

"You know, Sam," Freddie said, picking up the juice box from Jason's tray as Sam began to fill his Sippy cup with milk. "Jason's hair's getting sort of long…"

"Huh? Oh yeah, it is," Sam shrugged, handing Jason his drink.

"We should make an appointment at the barbers then," Freddie said. "Maybe for next weekend, and-"

"What?" Sam exclaimed. "You want to do _what_?"

"Um…take Jason to the barbers?" Freddie frowned. "You know…to cut his hair?"

"I can't believe you!" Sam gasped.

"What?" Freddie said, confused. "I just said that he needs his hair c-"

"Don't say it!" Sam hissed. "I can't believe you want to cut our sweet baby boy's hair! You monster!"

"Okay, why are you freaking out about this?" Freddie asked, somewhat amused. "You don't want him to get his hair…_trimmed_?"

"No I do not!" Sam snapped. "I don't want some idiot barber touching my baby!"

"Fine, I'll trim his bangs myself," Freddie shrugged.

"Pfft, yeah, like that's gonna happen," Sam scoffed.

"Then you do it!"

"No!"

"So what? You just want to let his hair grow so long that he can't see at all?" Freddie asked, rolling his eyes.

"No…" Sam mumbled. "But it's just…he's only two, he'll be scared!"

"No he won't," Freddie promised her. "And you know, they _do _have barbers just for young kids. There's that place in the mall, remember?"

Sam said nothing, but continued to glare at him.

"Baby, he'll be fine," Freddie assured her. "We'll both be there…come on, he can barely see with his bangs in his face like that."

Sam sighed in defeat. "Okay," she conceded. "But if that barber messes up Jason's hair, the butter sock's making an appearance."

….

"And then the nub went and made the appointment for three this Saturday," Sam mumbled as her and Carly sat in their office. "Can you believe him? Anyway, you wanna come to the hair cut place with us? It's in the mall, so we can do a little shopping afterwards and make Fredbug carry our bags."

"Huh?" Carly said, snapping out of some daze she had been in. "Oh yeah, sure, that sounds fun."

"Okay, seriously, _what _is up with you?" Sam asked.

"Nothing," Carly said quickly.

"Oh don't nothing me!" Sam said. "For almost two months you've been all weird. What gives?"

"I'm not being weird, maybe _you're _the weird one," Carly said just as an alarm on her phone went off. "Oh! I need to go to the bathroom!" Carly said, grabbing her bag.

"You set an alarm to go to the bathroom?" Sam frowned.

"I, um, like to be on a schedule," Carly said.

"Well I'll come with you," Sam said. "I want to see if I can get this coffee stain out of my shirt-"

"No! Um, I mean…someone's got to stay in here in case anyone comes to pick up the scripts," Carly said.

"But no one's going to come-"

"I'll be back in a sec!" Carly told her, hurrying out of the office.


	245. Chapter 245

"Okay, we're just going to put this on him so that we don't get hair all over him," the barber said, gently draping a smock over Jason's shoulders.

"Make sure it's not to tight," Sam said, a nervous look etched on her face.

"Baby, relax," Freddie told her. "It's just-"

"Don't tell me to relax!" Sam hissed. "Poor Jason's probably terrified right now! I can't believe I let you talk me into this!"

"Sam, look at him; he's fine!" Freddie said as Jason smiled happily at his reflection in the mirror hanging on the wall opposite his barber's chair.

"Just get this over with," Sam mumbled.

"Hey, sorry I'm late, did he get his hair cut yet?" Carly asked, hurrying into the barber's shop.

"No, not yet," Freddie replied.

"Where were you?" Sam asked. "We tried calling you about an hour ago."

"I was just taking a shower," Carly said quickly. "So how's Jason holding up?"

"Better than Sam," Freddie said, earning his a swift kick from his wife.

"Alright, let's begin," the barber said, pulling a pair of scissors out. "I'll just start on his bangs, and-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Sam exclaimed. "You can't use those scissors! They're way to sharp!"

"Sam…" Freddie sighed. "They have to use scissors to cut his hair."

"He could loose an eye!"

"Sam, you're being rid-" Freddie started, but Carly cut him off.

"I've got this," she told him. She turned to her best friend. "Sam, now I don't mean this in an offensive way, but…you're starting to act a little like Freddie's batty mother."

Sam gasped. "I am not!"

"Yes, you are," Carly nodded. "Now Jason's going to be fine here, but if you would rather go to Freddie's mom and have her give Jason a haircut with her weird no-point scissors, then we can, and-"

"Okay!" Sam exclaimed. She turned to the barber. "Just be careful…or else."

…..

"You have to admit, he does look better now that you can actually see his eyes," Freddie said later that evening as Sam laid Jason down in his crib.

"Yeah, whatever," Sam said.

"Well, I'm gonna go help Spencer make our costumes for the new _Galaxy Wars _movie we're gonna see in a couple of weeks," Freddie said, giving his wife a quick kiss. "I should be back in an hour."

"Have fun with your sewing," Sam smirked. "Try not to make yourself look more nubby than you already are!"

After Freddie left, Sam went down to the kitchen, grabbed herself a pint of ice cream and flopped herself down on the couch to begin surfing the channels.

Just as she had found a movie about two guys and their spunky pet koala, the front door opened and Carly let herself in.

"Hey," she said, smiling. "What's up?"

"Eh, just watching T.V.," Sam shrugged.

"Well…you think I could talk to you?" Carly asked.

"Um, okay," Sam nodded, turning the television off. "What goes on?"

"Well…I don't know if you've noticed," Carly said. "But for the past like, two and half months, I've been acting a little…weird."

"No, really?" Sam said, rolling her eyes. "Of course I've noticed! You've been acting like a nut! Are you _finally _going to tell me what's going on?"

Carly nodded. "Well…about a month before me and Andy got married," she explained. "We were talking, and we both decided that we _really _wanted to start a family right away. We both figured we had each had enough time to get to where we were comfortable in our jobs, and we could handle having a baby. That's why we wanted to add a second room to my apartment. So for the past couple of months we've been trying to get pregnant…but it's hard!"

"Um…what do you mean?" Sam frowned.

"I _mean _me and Andy have been doing the right…_activities _for the past two months and nothing! No baby! I've been doing everything; eating all these foods that are supposed to increase my fertility, going to special doctors…"

"Carly, I'm pretty sure two months isn't that long to be trying," Sam said.

"Well how long did it take for you to get pregnant with Jason?"

"Um…we-we didn't exactly _plan _that," Sam said. "So I don't really know 'how long'."

"Well, I'm not patient," Carly said. "That's why I've been sort of frustrated. I would keep taking all these pregnancy tests, but they'd always come back negative…"

"Aw, well Carls, you guys have a _lot _of time left to have a baby," Sam said supportively. "I mean aren't there couples who try for years and years before they finally get pregnant? Sure, I guess it's hard to wait and all, but-"

"Oh," Carly said, grinning widely. "I'm not gonna need to wait anymore."

"Why?" Sam frowned. Then her eyes widened. "Oh my God…you-you're not…are you?"

"I'm pregnant!" Carly exclaimed, holding out her arms as her and Sam hugged.

"No way! Carly! That's so amazing!" Sam said happily. "Congratulations! When'd you find out?"

"About three hours ago," Carly smiled. "Andy and I just got back from the doctor's. I'm about three weeks along. We haven't told anyone else yet…we were thinking of having everyone over this weekend and announcing it then. But I just had to tell you now; I couldn't wait. So just don't tell anyone. Please?"

"Not even Freddie?"

Carly shook her head. "Freddie's kind of…suckish at keeping secrets."

Sam nodded. "Yeah, that's, true. Alright, kid. My lips are sealed."

"Thanks," Carly said. She sighed, leaning back in her seat. "So…give me the lowdown on being pregnant. I haven't really had any morning sickness yet."

"Oh, it'll come," Sam told her. "And that whole _morning _part, yeah, that's a lie. You feel nauseous _all _the time. And your feet are gonna start feeling like you have bricks pressed down on them, and your back is going to hurt like crazy, and obviously you can just throw away all those girly little dresses you like to wear because you'll get to big for those in no time."

"Well," Carly said, rolling her eyes. "You're just making this seem real peachy keen, huh?"

"Hey, pregnancy's rough," Sam told her. "But all that is _nothing _compared to labor. I still cringe when I think back to it…but it's all worth it."


	246. Chapter 246

"Hey, Carly just called," Freddie told Sam as she came out of the shower.

"Oh? Did she?" Sam asked, looking through her closet.

"Yeah, her and Andy are having everyone over tonight for dinner," Freddie nodded.

"Huh…interesting," Sam said, careful not to make eye contact with her husband right now. As good as she usually was at keeping secrets, it was becoming harder and harder each day to keep from telling Freddie Carly's big news.

"I asked what the occasion was, and she just said she wanted to have everyone together," Freddie shrugged. "We're supposed to be over there at seven. You wanna take Jason or drop him off at my mom's?"

"Let's just take him, I don't want to have to drive all the way over to Bushwell afterwards to pick him up," Sam said.

"Alright, well you okay staying with Jason?" Freddie asked, pulling on a pair of shoes. "Gibby just texted me. His Internet's acting up and he wants me to come take a look at it."

"Yeah, whatever," Sam said. "But hey, while you're out, can you pick up some more Fat Cakes. I'm down to my last carton."

"Sure," Freddie chuckled, giving Sam a quick kiss. "I'll see you later, baby."

"Bye," Sam replied. She waited until she heard the front door close downstairs before grabbing her phone from her bedside table.

"Hey, Carls," Sam said when her best friend picked up. "How goes the pregnant life?"

"Well…I can't say I'm morning sickness free anymore," Carly sighed. "But that goes away after a few months, right?"

"Er, yeah, sure," Sam said.

"Anyway, I'm actually really craving some pizza right now," Carly said. "So I think I'm gonna go out and buy a frozen one and cook it."

"Whoa, Carly, hold up there," Sam said. "Do you know one of the best things of being pregnant?"

"Um…what?"

"You can totally boss Andy around and he can't fight back about it!" Sam told her. "You want pizza? You send Andy out for it! You wake up at four in the morning in the mood for some French fries? He goes and finds some place to get them for you at that hour. He's completely at your service!"

"I dunno," Carly sighed. "He's my husband. I don't want to take advantage of him…"

"That's what husbands are for!" Sam exclaimed. "Besides in, what, eight months, _you're _going to be the one who has to give birth to the kid. He can handle running around for some food."

"Well…I guess it couldn't hurt to have him do that every once in awhile," Carly reasoned.

"There you go," Sam said. "Anyway, so you _are _telling everyone tonight, right? That's what this whole dinner thing's about."

"Yeah," Carly replied. "I actually just told my dad last night though, when we were video chatting, since I don't really get too many chances to talk to him. He was really excited. He's trying to get some time off around September, when I'm due."

"Aw, that's great," Sam smiled. "Well, I need to get Jason up and dressed. I'll see you tonight."

…

"Gibby," Freddie sighed, looking at his friend's computer screen. "You don't have an Internet problem."

"Then why can't I get on the web?" Gibby asked.

"Because your airport's turned off!"

"Oh."

"Well, whatever," Freddie said, turning the airport back on. "You wanna hang out for a little bit? You know, do some dude bonding?"

"Yeah, alright," Gibby shrugged. "We can watch this new show I recorded with monkey's working at offices like people!"

"Sweet!" Freddie grinned as him and Gibby jumped onto the couch.

They had been watching the show for about a half-hour when Tasha walked into the house.

"Hi Freddie!" she said brightly.

"Oh, hey Tasha," Freddie replied.

"And there's my sweet Gibbypop!" Tasha squealed, running over to her husband and throwing her arms around him.

"Easy babe, I just had some steamed artichoke," Gibby said.

"Um, Gibby, honey?" Tasha said, snuggling closer to her husband. "You remember that _thing_ we were talking about last night? You know…"

"You mean our summer igloo home in Antarctica?" Gibby frowned.

"Is that even possible?" Freddie asked.

"Antarctica's starting to become a hot vacation spot," Gibby nodded. "Or…a cold vacation spot?"

"No, sweetie, not that," Tasha said. "The _other _thing."

"Well why can't you just say what it is?" Gibby asked.

"Um, maybe I should go," Freddie said, getting to his feet. "I'll talk to you guys later."

"Bye Freddie!" Tasha said brightly.

Freddie shook his head as he closed the front door behind him. He didn't think he'd ever understand that couple.

…

"Wow, this lasagna smells really good," Ella said as Carly pulled the dish out of the oven.

"Thanks, Andy's the one who made it, though," Carly smiled.

"Well then good work Andy man," Spencer said to his brother in law. "You really are good enough for my baby sister."

"Um…thanks," Andy said.

"Alright, I'll go get the plates and then we can all start eating," Carly said.

"Aren't we going to wait for Gibby and Tasha?" Freddie asked.

"No," Carly said as her and Melanie grabbed piles of plates from the cabinets. "He called me a few minutes ago. He said Tasha wasn't feeling very well so they're not going to be able to make it."

"Really? That's weird, she seemed fine earlier when I saw her," Freddie said.

Carly shrugged. "I guess she must've just caught something."

"Mama smells lasagna," Sam said, walking into the kitchen.

"You fed Jason?" Freddie asked.

"Yup, and now he's playing in the living room," Sam nodded.

Everyone took their seats around the table and began piling the delicious smelling lasagna onto his or her plate.

"Wow, this looks even better than what you get at Pini's," Sam commented. "Man Andy, you should come over to our place and cook for us sometime."

"Will do," Andy chuckled.

"Um, actually, you guys, before we start eating," Carly said loudly, getting everyone's attention. "Andy and I have something kind of big to tell you all."

"Oh man, please tell me it doesn't have to do with butterflies," Spencer pleaded.

"What?" Carly frowned.

"Don't worry about it," Ella said quickly. "So what's the big news?"

"Yeah, what is it?" Melanie asked.

"Well," Carly said, smiling, as Andy took her hand. "Andy and I…we're going to have a baby!"

The sound of dropping forks sounded all around the table.

"Holy chiz! Are you serious?" Freddie exclaimed, grinning. "That's so incredible, congratulations, you guys!"

"Yeah, I'm so happy for you!" Spencer said, getting up to give his sister and brother-in-law a big hug.

"You guys are going to be the perfect parents," Melanie smiled.

"Yeah, congratulations," Sam nodded, trying her best to act as though this was new news to her.

"Yay! More babies!" Dina said happily.

"More babies! More babies!" Bryan echoed.

"That's right," Carly grinned. "In about eight months you two will have a new baby cousin."

"Like Jason and Nicole?" Dina asked.

"Well see, Dina, Jason and Nicole are actually your second cousins," Freddie explained. "Because your mom is cousins with Sam and Melanie. But Carly's baby will be your _first _cousin, because your dad and Carly are siblings."

"But how come Jason and Nicole aren't first cousins when they were born first?" Dina asked.

"Um, well, because-" Freddie began, but Sam cut him off.

"Dude," she said, rolling her eyes. "You're not going to win this argument."


	247. Chapter 247

"I've got my first sonogram pictures!" Carly said, walking into Sam and Freddie's house.

"Cool, let me see!" Sam said, putting up the dog food she was filling Max's food bowl up with.

"You can really tell it's a baby right now, actually," Carly said. "Right now my doctor said he or she is just about the size of a tiny little peanut. You see that little thing right there?"  
"Yeah," Sam nodded.

"That's my baby!"

"Aw, it's a very cute peanut sized baby," Sam laughed, handing Carly back her sonogram picture.

"Thanks," Carly grinned. "Anyway, you wanna go shopping with me today at the baby store? I want to start looking around at some things. I mean, I can't _really _buy too much until I know whether I'm having a boy or a girl, but I could get some ideas."

"Yeah, I need to go buy more of those pull-up diaper things for Jason anyway," Sam nodded.

"Oh right, so how's the potty training going?" Carly asked.

"Well, the times when I help him when Freddie's out, he sort of just stares at his plastic toilet for ten minutes, decides he doesn't have to go, and then just as I put his pull-up on…he goes," Sam sighed. "But Freddie says he managed to actually do it a few times."

"Well, he'll get it," Carly said. "Oh, and T-Bo said that he had some new smoothies for us to try, so after we shop, we should swing by the Groovy Smoothie with Freddie and Gib."

"Oh right, you still have to tell Gibby you're pregnant," Sam said.

"Yeah, I was gonna swing by his and Tasha's place last night with Andy, but he said they were visiting Tasha's parents," Carly shrugged. "So I'll just do it today."

Just then the front door opened and Freddie walked in.

"Just dropped Jason off at my mom's," he said. "So hopefully now she'll drop this whole 'you're trying to keep me from my grandson' bit."

"Good," Sam said. "Anyway, come on. We're gonna go hit the baby store and then get smoothies. Call Gibby and tell him to meet us at the Groovy Smoothie in an hour. You were just with him, right? Is he busy?"

"Oh, um, no," Freddie said quickly. "He-He's free. Totally free. Yup."

"Um, okay," Sam said, giving her husband a strange look.

"I'm gonna tell Gibby that Andy and me are having a baby," Carly smiled. "And then after that, everyone will officially know."

"Oh, you are?" Freddie said. "Huh, convenient."

"What?"

"Nothing!" Freddie said. He pulled out his car keys. "Okay, so who's ready to do some shopping? Let's go!"

…

"Wow, so you're really gonna have a baby?" T-Bo said, placing four smoothies on the table later that day at the Groovy Smoothie.

"Uh-huh," Carly smiled. "In about eight months."

"Man, you are gonna get _fat_!" T-Bo chuckled.

"Dude!" Freddie frowned.

"Oh, I don't mean fat in a bad way," T-Bo said quickly. "I mean it in the good way."

"It's fine," Carly said, rolling her eyes. "I've been reading one of those pregnancy books and I know I'm gonna get _bigger_. That just means I get to have fun picking out some cute maternity clothes."

"I could just give you my old stuff," Sam said.

"Thanks, but I actually found this website last night that has a bunch of cool stuff, and um, I may have already bought six dresses, four pairs of pants and a parka."

"A parka?" Freddie repeated.

"It looked pretty, okay!" Carly snapped.

"Hey," Gibby said, entering the store and sitting down with the other three. "Man, you would not _believe _how this lizard just attacked me outside."

"Smart lizard," Sam said, sipping her smoothie.

"So Carls," Freddie grinned. "Is there anything you want to tell Gibby now that he's here?"

"Oh man, I knew this was coming," Freddie sighed. "Look, I know these pants make me look a little chunky. But they were on sale, and it's hard to find flattering kakis, you know!"

"Um, your pants are fine, Gib," Carly said. "That's not what I was going to tell you."

"Oh," Gibby said, sighing in relief. "So my pants don't make me look chunky?"

"Gibby!"

"What?"

"I was _going _to tell you," Carly said, shaking her head. "That I'm pregnant!"

"Shut up, no way!" Gibby said. "Like with a baby?"

"Yes with a baby!" Carly said. "Andy and I are gonna have a baby!"

"Whoa, that's great!" Gibby said.

"So…Gib," Freddie said. "Anything, you want to tell _us_?"

"Well no one wanted to hear my lizard story," Gibby said.

"Not the lizard story!" Freddie hissed. "You know, the thing that you told me a couple of hours ago when we were hanging out? You know, about…"

"Well I'm pretty sure Carly and Sam already have conditioners they're used to, so I really don't see the need to-"

"No!" Freddie snapped, he grabbed Freddie's shoulder, yanked his head down and whispered something in his ear.

"Ohhhh," Gibby nodded. "Right."

"What's right?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, what's up?" Carly questioned.

"Well, first, how happy are you two with your conditioners?" Gibby asked. "Because I just found a great new one that really-"

"Gibby!" Freddie said, hitting his shoulder.

"Okay!" Gibby said, massaging the spot where Freddie had just hit him. "Tasha's pregnant too."

Sam and Carly nearly choked on their smoothies.

"What?" Sam exclaimed. "Are you-Are you serious? _You _are going to be a dad?"

"Gibby! Congratulations!" Carly squealed, giving him a tight hug. "This is crazy! Me and you having our first kids together at the same time?"

"Yeah, congratz, dude," Sam said, patting his back. "Still, you a dad? That's some scary chiz."

"I knew first," Freddie said, beaming.

"Yeah, we know, captian obvious," Sam said, rolling her eyes.

"Oh, you're just jealous that I found this out _way _before you," Freddie said.

"Uh-huh…when'd Gibby tell you again?" Sam asked.

"I dunno, about two hours ago," Freddie shrugged.

"Well I knew _Carly _was pregnant almost a whole _week _before you did," Sam smirked. "So I win."

"What? You-You _knew_?" Freddie frowned.

"Duh, _I _know how to not give stuff away," Sam said. "Face it, if Gibby hadn't told us in the next minute you would've cracked."

"She's got a point," Carly nodded.

"Yeah dude, you're terrible with secrets," Gibby agreed.

"Whatever," Freddie mumbled, sipping his smoothie.


	248. Chapter 248

"Alright, Jason, daddy says 'it's important for you to start gaining letter recognition skills'" Sam sighed, sitting down on the couch with her son. "So let's do this to get him off mommy's back, okay?" She pulled out a deck of flashcards that Marissa had bought Jason for his birthday. "Okay, sweetie, this is the letter 'A'. Can you say 'A'?'

"A!" Jason repeated happily.

"Wow, you _are_ smart," Sam grinned. "Okay, this is a 'B'. Say 'B'?"

"A!"

"No, 'B'. B, B, B, B."

"B!" Jason said, squirming in Sam's lap. "Ma pay! Pay!"

"Well, we got two letters, down," Sam sighed, putting down the flashcards. "Okay, baby. You wanna play with your toys?"

"Sam!" Carly exclaimed, running into the house. "Sam, Sam, Sam! Guess what?"

"What? Your pregnancy hormones are making you all crazy?" Sam asked.

"No," Carly said, rolling her eyes. "So you know how I had my check-up today?"

"Yeah," Sam nodded.

"Well apparently next time when I go in for my three month check up next month, the doctor can tell us if I'm having a boy or a girl!"

"Oh yeah, the doctor told me that at my three month check-up too," Sam said.

"Yeah, but you didn't want to know," Carly said. "Andy and I do! I'm so excited. I can narrow my shopping down to pink or blue after we know."

"Which means that basically every baby store in Seattle better watch out," Sam chuckled. She rustled the top of Jason's head. "Hey Jason? You excited to have another baby around here?"

"Baby!" Jason said. "Where baby?"

"It's still growing, kiddo," Carly laughed. "And you're gonna have two to play with, remember? Your Uncle Gibby and Aunt Tasha are having a baby too."

"Two!" Jason said, jumping off his mother's lap and running over to his play fire truck and turning on the siren. "Two! Two! Two!"

"Oh, and by the way, I'll make sure your kid has the loudest possible toys on the planet," Sam said to Carly. "You know, to thank you for that fire truck."

"Aw, but he loves it!" Carly pointed out.

"Yeah, I know," Sam said. She leaned back on the couch. "So…be honest. Are you hoping for one gender more than the other?"

"Sam," Carly said. "I just want my baby to come out happy and healthy. I'll love it just the same whether it's a boy or a girl."

"I know, I know," Sam said quickly. "But come on…if you had a choice…"

"Well," Carly sighed. "It _would _be sort of nice to have a baby girl…You know, to dress her up in cute, frilly dresses, to get to paint the entire nursery pink or purple and decorate it with nice, pretty dolls. Oh, and then when she gets older, I can teach her how to do her make-up and we can have mother-daughter shopping days, and we'll be able to have nice, long talks about girl stuff…"

"Wow, you've got your life all planned out, don't you?" Sam grinned.

"I told you, I'm gonna be happy either way," Carly said. "I mean if I have a boy, I can totally be one of those soccer moms or something."

"You know your daughter can play sports too," Sam said.

"Yeah, I know," Carly nodded. "But you know what I mean. Hey, you know what would be really funny? Since my baby and Gibby and Tasha's baby are going to be born around the same time, wouldn't it be sort of cute if one of us had a boy and the other a girl and they sort of dated or something when they got older?"

"Yeah, if you don't mind your kid being with the spawn of Gibby," Sam laughed.

"Oh, stop, it would be adorable," Carly said. "And hey, if I _do _have a girl, maybe her and Jason could get together when they're older. I mean, he'll only be two years older than her."

"I cannot believe you're already trying to set your poor kid up on a date before it's even born," Sam said, amused.

"I plan ahead," Carly defended.

…

"I swear, if Carly doesn't have a girl, she's going to explode," Sam said later that night as she ran a brush through her hair. "I mean, I know she'll love the baby the same, no matter what, but she _really _wants a daughter."

"Yeah, she'd be good with a daughter," Freddie agreed, spitting out his toothpaste.

"And if she does wind up having a girl, Jason's never gonna have to worry about dating," Sam said. "Because Carly's going to make _sure _her daughter winds up with him."

"Admit it, you'd be totally okay if that happens," Freddie said.

"Well…Carly and I _would _get to be grandma's together," Sam smiled. "But I still say she's psycho for planning all this now."

"You know Carls, she'll probably have her kids prom dress or tux all picked out before it's in kindergarten," Freddie chuckled as the couple headed over to their bed, climbing underneath their covers.

"True," Sam nodded. She laid down against her pillows. "Hey…Freddie?"

"Yeah?" Freddie asked.

"Um…never mind," Sam said quickly.

"What?" Freddie frowned, sitting up.

"I was just gonna ask if-if you remembered to fill Max's water bowl," Sam said lamely.

"Oh," Freddie said. "Yeah, I did."

"Okay, good," Sam said, turning off her lamp. "Well then…good night."

"Night," Freddie said, giving her a quick kiss. "Love you, baby."

…..


	249. Chapter 249

"So you're sure you'll be okay with them for the weekend?" Ella asked Sam.

"Yes, we'll be fine," Sam said, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, relax, Dina and Bryan will have lots of fun with Sam and Freddie," Spencer told his wife. "Right you guys?"

"Right!" the two children said excitedly.

"Okay, well, we'll be back from the art festival Sunday night," Ella said as the parents gave Dina and Bryan quick hugs and kisses.

"I still can't believe one of _my _piece is featured in it!" Spencer said. "I would've never been featured in a law school festival!"

"They have those?" Sam frowned.

"I don't know," Spencer shrugged. "But if they do, I'm sure they're boring and stuffy and mean-spirited; just like law school."

"Thanks again," Ella told her cousin. "Bye kids! Behave yourselves!"

"Aunt Sam?" Dina asked as her parents left the house. "Can I play teacher with Jason? I want to pretend that I'm just like my kindergarten teacher, Ms. Waverbottom."

"Waverbottom," Sam snickered. "Yeah, sure. He's in the living room."

"I want to play too!" Bryan pouted.

"No!" Dina said stubbornly.

"Aw, come on, Dina," Sam said. "He can be your assistant teacher. You like that idea, Bry?"

Bryan nodded.

"Well…okay," Dina conceded. "But I'm in charge!"

Sam was just about to head into the kitchen when suddenly the front door of the house slammed open.

"Unbelievable!" Carly exclaimed, storming in with Andy at her heels.

"Baby, it's really not that big of a-" Andy began.

"It's a huge deal!"

"Ugh, am I gonna have to play couple counselor?" Sam moaned. "Come on, I'm so much better being on the other side of this."

"Sam, Andy, the father of my baby, is-is-" Carly began. "He's completely incompetent!"

"Hey!" Andy said indignantly.

"Why do you think he's incompetent, Carls?" Sam sighed.

"Because!" Carly said. "While _I _was reading one of the five dozen parenting books I bought for us, I found few pointers on protecting the baby's soft spot during their first few months after birth. And I thought I share them with Andy, and do you know what he says?"

"Oh come on, you're being-" Andy said.

"He said 'what's a soft spot?'!" Carly said. "Can you believe that?"

"Look, I know now!" Andy said, trying to calm his wife down. "So I don't really see-"

"The point is that you don't know the first thing about babies!" Carly said.

"Well, baby, I'm sorry," Andy said. "But…it's not like I've had a lot of experience with them."  
"You have a younger brother!"

"I was three when he was born, I don't remember that!"

"Carly, calm down," Sam said. "You want something to eat?"

"Yes," Carly mumbled, heading to the fridge.

"See," Sam whispered to Andy. "It's completely useless to try and reason with pregnant chicks if they're hungry."

"Good to know," Andy sighed.

"Anyway, Carls," Sam said as Carly grabbed a Popsicle from the fridge. "I'm sure Andy will learn more about babies and being a dad before your kid is born. And I mean, Freddie and I didn't know anything about being parents before Jason was born, but we managed."

"I know," Carly nodded. She turned back to Andy. "And I'm sorry I went all crazy on you…stupid hormones, I guess."

"It's alright," Andy smiled.

"Hey, hey," Gibby said, walking into the house with a pile of papers. "Guess what I was just reading in these baby articles that Tasha printed out? Apparently, when a baby cries…it just means it's hungry or needs to be changed or lonely!"

The three started at him in disbelief.

"Okay, at least I know more than _him_," Andy said.

"Gibby, how could you just be realizing this?" Carly asked.

"What? You're telling me all you know-it-alls knew that?" Gibby asked.

"I think a three year old with brooms for parents would know that," Sam said.

"Okay, Gibby, don't take this the wrong way," Carly said. "But…I really hope that you're preparing for this baby. I mean, there's gonna be a lot to know, and sure, you can learn some of the stuff from just doing it, like Sam said, but you should really have a basic idea of this whole dad thing."

"I will!" Gibby said, looking back down at his papers. "Whoa! Did you know can't even feed babies solid food until after their first birthday?"

"You serious?" Andy asked, looking over Gibby's shoulder at the papers. "You have to wait that long?"

Carly turned to Sam. "I'm scared."

"Er, yeah, so am I," Sam nodded.

"Hey! I know!" Carly said. "Why doesn't Freddie teach these two about being a dad?"

"Um, yeah, I guess that could work," Sam nodded. "He's at the grocery store right now, but when he gets back he should be able to."

"And you have to _burp _babies after they drink their bottles?" Gibby frowned. "Shut up!"

"Well, Freddie will have his work cut out for him," Carly mumbled.

…..

"So _that's _why it's _never _okay to leave the baby unattended on a changing table," Freddie said, later that afternoon. "Even for a minute."

"Okay, okay slow down," Andy said, furiously writing down Freddie's every word on a notepad.

"And wait, what about high chairs?" Gibby asked.

"Well, with high chairs, you don't want to exactly leave the room for a long period of time when the baby's in it," Freddie explained. "But it's okay to turn your back for a second to get something from the fridge or whatever. Besides, baby's don't sit in high chairs until they're about six or seven months; whenever they're able to actually sit up on their own."

"You mean they don't just know how to do that?" Gibby frowned.

"No! For the tenth time, Gib, what did I tell you is the number one rule about babies?"

"They can't do anything on their own," Gibby said obediently.

"Right," Freddie nodded. He looked at his watch. "Well, we've been at this for two hours. Wanna take a break?"

"Please," Andy sighed, massaging his cramped hand. "Man, Carly was right! I don't know anything about babies! I can't be a dad!"

"Hey, you'll be fine," Freddie said supportively. "Even you, Gib. But um…Tasha _is _reading a lot of parenting books, right?"

"Yeah, why?" Gibby asked.

"Just wondering," Freddie said quickly. "Anyway, just try to forget about the nerves, you guys. Just try and focus on that awesome feeling you get when you think about holding that kid for the first time."

"Yeah…I can't wait for that," Andy nodded.

"Aw, I bet little Gibby Jr. will look just like me," Gibby said, smiling at the thought. "Hopefully he won't that eleventh toe like I did, though…"

"Er, right," Freddie frowned.

"Well," Andy said, getting to his feet. "I should get back home…where I bet Carly's waiting with a pop quiz for me."

"Oh yeah, I'm supposed to help Tasha pick out maternity clothes," Gibby said, getting up as well. "She says I have a keen eye for fashion."

"Later, guys," Freddie said.

"Uncle Freddie?" Dina said as her and Bryan came into the room with Jason. "Look what we taught Jason in our pretend school! Come on Jason, tell your daddy what we taught you."

"Bird fly!" Jason said happily.

"Wow," Freddie chuckled, picking Jason up and sitting him on his lap. "Impressive. Oh hey, Sam picked up some cookies a little while ago. They're in the kitchen if you want any."

"Yay!" the two cheered, running into the kitchen.

Freddie sighed as he rustled Jason's hair. All this baby talk lately…it was sort of making him think back to the days when Jason had just been born and had been so tiny and helpless. And then he would remember that feeling when he first held him…he really missed it.


	250. Chapter 250

"Spencer and Ella just picked up Dina and Bryan," Freddie yawned, shuffling into his and Sam's bedroom.

"How was Spencer's art festival?" Sam asked.

"Apparently his sculpture that was being featured sold for a _lot_," Freddie replied, kicking off his shoes. "But then he lost half of what he made betting on some clown in a race or something…not really sure."

"Whatever," Sam shrugged, pulling on an old pair of sweatpants and crawling into bed. She lay back against the pillows, watching Freddie.

"You know," she said as her husband laid down next to her. "I thought taking care of more than one kid this weekend here would've been harder…I think we did a pretty good job."

"Yeah," Freddie nodded. "It was pretty fun."

"Yup," Sam sighed. She opened her mouth to say something else, but then closed it. She turned over onto her side. "Night, baby."

"Night," Freddie yawned, closing his eyes.

Sam continued to lay there in the dark. That was the second time she had failed to bring up what she had wanted to talk to Freddie about…She didn't know why she was having so much trouble bringing up the idea to him, the idea that _maybe _they were ready to have another baby…She knew Freddie _wanted _more kids, but she didn't know if he wanted them so soon. She turned back over and looked at Freddie's sleeping form.

_But then again_, she thought to herself, watching the steady rhythm of Freddie's chest falling and rising. _Maybe I actually __**don't **__want to have another baby right now…maybe it's just because Carly and Gibby and both getting ready to have a baby, and I'm feeling a little…left out?_

She gave a soft, frustrated moan and punched her pillow a few times, trying to fall asleep so that, with any luck, she could figure out what the heck she should do.

…..

"Hey Gib, what's up?" Freddie asked as Gibby let him into his house. "I just got your text."

"Hey, I need you to help me put this crib together," Gibby said, nodding at the mess of wooden bars and nails all over his living room floor.

"Um, you're putting up the crib _now_?" Freddie frowned. "Don't you have another seven months to do this?"

"Yeah, but we have to see how big the thing is so we can decide which room to make the nursery," Gibby said.

"You know…the crib's measurements are on the side of the box," Freddie pointed out. "You could've just gone off of those."

"What? No way!" Gibby exclaimed, looking at the side of the box. "Aw man! I could've finished my episode of _Catwalk_ instead of doing this!"

"You watch _Catwalk_?" Freddie snickered.

"Yeah, and I can tell _you _don't, since your belt's at least seven years out of style," Gibby defended.

"Come on," Freddie said, rolling his eyes. "I'll help you do the crib. No use putting it back in the box when you've already got it out. I think it's the same model as the one Jason has."

"Yeah, I thought it looked familiar," Gibby nodded.

"Kid's getting too big for it, though," Freddie sighed. "He's already climbing out of it on his own. Every morning at six, he's jumping on mine and Sam's bed to wake us up…we were gonna start looking at beds for him…man, can you believe that? Feels like yesterday I was setting up his crib…"

Just then Gibby's phone rang.

"Oh, it's Guppy," Gibby said, looking at his screen as he answered. "Hello? No! I told you I don't want to do that anymore! It always makes my toes sweat…Wait? You got _what_? I'll be right there!"

He hung up his phone and turned to Freddie. "Hey, let's put this up later. Guppy and I are gonna-"

"I don't really want to know," Freddie said. He grabbed his jacket. "Text me later and I'll come back by to help you."

"Kay kay," Gibby nodded.

Freddie left the house and sat in the driver's seat of his car, deep in his thoughts. He remembered how those months before Jason was born had been…running around trying to get everything ready…Thinking back on it, though, it wasn't at nearly as hectic as it had felt then. In fact, Freddie could feel a nostalgic smile creeping onto his face as he remembered painting Jason's nursery, going with Sam to the baby store to pick out furniture…Lately, in the midst of all of Carly and Gibby's baby talk, he had been thinking of how nice it would be to get to do all that again…To get to go through all the preparations with Sam for a second time, and then at the end of it all, have another tiny little person who would depend on them for everything…

He let out a slow sigh. Another baby…that was something him and Sam would have to discuss, wasn't it? Didn't they say that they wanted another baby? Sure, they never agreed on when, but that did mean that Sam was open to the idea, right?

Freddie started his car and began driving home. How did couples usually begin this conversation? Did he just go up to her and say, 'Sam. Let's have another kid,'? Or did he have to go about it another way?

_Maybe bringing it up right now out of the blue isn't such a good idea_, he thought as he pulled into his driveway. _I mean, maybe I should think about this more myself before I talk to Sam about it…it __**is **__sort of a big topic, after all_.

He walked up to the door and opened it up and stepped inside his house.

"Sam?" he called. "I'm home."

"Freddie?" Sam said from the couch, turning the television off. Her voice was serious and she quickly patted the seat next to her for him to sit down. "We need to talk about something…"


	251. Chapter 251

"What's up?" Freddie frowned, sitting next to his wife. "Is everyone okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, everyone's fine, it's nothing like that," Sam said quickly. "I-I wanted to talk about us."

"Oh," Freddie nodded. "Well okay then. What do you want to talk about?"

"Just…okay," Sam sighed. "You know how we said awhile ago that we _do _want to have more than one kid?"

"Oh, er, yeah," Freddie replied. "I mean, I don't really want Jason to grow up as an only child like me."

"Yeah, I want him to have siblings too," Sam said. "But we never really said _when _wanted to have another baby…we said when Jason was _older_, but we never actually said a specific time."

"Sam…" Freddie said slowly. "What are you saying?"

"I-I thought at first it was because of all the baby talk going around," Sam told him. "You know, with two of our close friends getting ready to have their first kids…but then I was thinking about it, and-and I don't think this is just some random thought I got…I-I think it's something I really _do _want." She took a deep breath. "I want to have another baby."

Freddie blinked. "Another-Another baby?"

"Well we won't if you don't want to right now," Sam said quickly. "I just-I was just, you know, putting it out there. I mean, I don't want you feel forced into it or anything, but-"

Freddie began to laugh.

"What?" Sam frowned.

"It's just," Freddie smiled. "The entire way home from Gibby's…I was trying to figure out how to tell you the same exact thing."

Sam grinned. "For real?"

"Uh-huh," he beamed.

"So-So you want to have another baby too then?" Sam asked.

"More than anything," Freddie nodded, taking Sam's hands. "I've always wanted to have a big family. And Jason makes us so happy…we'd be great with another kid."

"We'd get to do it all over again," Sam said, leaning into Freddie. "The feedings every two hours, the constant diaper changes, the lack of sleep…"

"I'm looking forward to doing it all with you," Freddie said, giving her a long, passionate kiss.

"Well..." Sam said, wrapping her arms around his neck seductively. "What do you say we start, you know, trying?"

Freddie chuckled, hoisting Sam up bridal style and heading for the stairs. "I say you bet."

…..

"So when am I supposed to know if I'm pregnant?" Sam asked, coming downstairs with Jason the next morning.

"According to the Internet, pregnancy tests will usually show it after two weeks," Freddie replied. "So in the mean time…we just get to keep trying."

"Hmm, I guess I can deal with that," Sam smirked, placing Jason in his high chair. "Oh, by the way, you cool watching Jason for about an hour? Carly's doctors appointment was this morning; she's finding out the baby's gender!"

"Oh yeah!" Freddie said, putting a plate of cut up pieces of waffle on Jason's tray. "I completely forgot about that. Yeah, you can go ahead and-"

But just then the door of the Benson's house slammed open and Carly ran in, with Andy right behind her, both grinning from ear to ear.

"It's a girl!" Carly exclaimed. "We're having a girl!"

"Alright Carls!" Sam grinned as her best friend hugged her tightly. "Congratulations!"

"We drove over here the second we got out of the doctor's office," Andy said. "A girl…we get a daughter; can you believe that?"

"That's awesome, you guys," Freddie smiled.

"We've even come up with a few names on the ride over," Carly said. "It's just the temporary list now. The final one will have _way _more names. You wanna hear them?"

"Lay them on us, kid," Sam said.

"Alright, well right now we really like Annabelle, Michelle, April, Lucille, Amber, Daisy, Charlotte and Danielle," Carly listed off.

"Those are cute," Freddie nodded.

"Thanks," Carly said. "Sorry to just totally burst in on you guys like this-"

"We're used to it," Sam shrugged.

"Well, we've got to get going," Carly said, rolling her eyes. "I want to stop by Spencer's and tell him. And then we need to call Andy's parents…this is so exciting!"


	252. Chapter 252

"Here you go," Freddie said, tossing Sam a paper bag. She caught it and pulled out the pregnancy test he had just bought.

"Okay," she said, heaving herself off the bed. "Back in a sec…"

Freddie took a seat on the edge as Sam shut the bathroom door behind her. This was it…time to see if they were going to have another baby…he could barely contain his nerves, and he got to his feet and began pacing back and forth in their bedroom.

"So we have to wait five minutes," Sam said, coming out of the bathroom, holding the test in her hand.

"Alright," Freddie nodded, quickly setting the timer on his pearphone. The couple sat down on the bed again, staring down at the thin, white stick.

"So…" Sam said. "How long has it been?"

"About fifteen seconds," Freddie said.

"Oh."

"Well," Freddie said slowly after a few seconds of silence. "If-If it _is _positive…we should still go see your doctor to just confirm everything."

"Yeah," Sam nodded. "Oh man…that means he's gonna put me back on those weird vitamins…"

"Were they really that bad?"

"Eh," she shrugged. "Just hard to swallow. Hey, I was thinking? Which room are we gonna give up for this kid? Your office or the guestroom? Or I guess if we have another boy, we can have him share with Jason."

"Nah, Jason's room's a little small for two," Freddie said. "I can move a lot of my office stuff downstairs. You know…I think we still have some of the red paint left that we used in Jason's room."

"I don't know if I wanna do red again," Sam frowned.

"Well wanna try yellow?" Freddie asked.

"Ick, no," Sam said.

"Well…do you still wanna be surprised about the gender?" Freddie asked.

Sam nodded. "Yeah…I liked that with Jason."

"Okay," Freddie said. "So how about this? We don't paint the nursery until _after _the baby's born. We can have him or her sleep in our room for the first few nights he or she is home while we paint the room then. We can paint it blue if it's a boy, or pink if it's a girl-"

"No pink," Sam said firmly. "Just because we have a girl, doesn't mean she has to be stuck living in a daffadilly room her whole life."  
"So then what color _do _you want to paint the room if we have a girl?" Freddie asked.

Sam contemplated this. "I like purple."

"I think that would look nice…" Freddie smiled.

"And hey? We could probably just move Jason's crib right in there without taking it apart," Sam said. "I think it would look perfect right up against that window in there."

"And then the changing table could go by the door," Freddie added. "Should we keep the rocking chair in Jason's room though?"

"Yeah, let's by a new one for the new room," Sam said. "Jason still loves getting rocked to sleep…I'm not giving that up, Fredward."

"Well if we're gonna buy a new rocking chair, we might as well buy a new-" Freddie began, but just then the timer on his Pearphone went off. Five minutes had passed.

"Oh man…this is it," Sam said as Freddie took her hand and squeezed tightly. Sam slowly turned the pregnancy test over…

Her heart fell, though, when she saw the tiny blue negative sign.

"Oh…" she said softly. "I-I guess I'm not pregnant then…"

"Well…that-that's okay," Freddie said, but Sam could tell he was disappointed. "Hey, I've read that it usually takes a while to make this happen…We're not in a rush."

"Yeah," Sam nodded. "It's fine…"  
The two sat in silence for a moment.

"Still…wish it would've happened this time," Sam whispered.

"I know," Freddie said, putting his arm around her, kissing the top of her head. "Me too."


	253. Chapter 253

"What do you think about Coral?" Carly asked Sam as they sat in the studio cafeteria.

"Are you having a baby or a fish?" Sam frowned.

"Fine…no Coral," Carly said. "Oh! Jasmine!"

"Jasmine's good," Sam nodded as Freddie joined the two of them.

"Still figuring out baby names?" Freddie asked.

"Yeah," Carly nodded. "Hey, Kelsey has a good ring to it…"

"You know, when Jason was born, we didn't use any of the names we had picked out for a boy," Sam said.

"Yeah, maybe once you see your daughter for the first time, a name will just come to you," Freddie agreed.

"I hope so, because right now I've got a list of about sixty-eight," Carly sighed. "Hey, do you guys know when Gibby and Tasha are finding out the gender of their baby? She's only one month behind my pregnancy, right? She should've had a her three-month check-up by now."

"Yeah, she did," Freddie said. "Yesterday. But Gibby said that the baby isn't positioned right to tell the gender."

"Aw, too bad," Carly said. "I was hoping Tasha would've been able to come with me to this grand-opening sale at this new baby store in the mall. I know they're waiting to buy all the clothes until they know the gender. Hey! You should come with me; they have a great selection of kids beds, you still haven't found one for Jason, right?"

"Nope, we want to let him pick one out so that he'll be more comfortable switching from his crib, but the kid's so picky!" Sam said. "We've been to two stores already and nothing!"

"Well hopefully he can find something at this store," Carly said. "Oh, and Andy and I signed up for a Lamaze class at the community center next month, you guys went to it right?"

"Yeah," Freddie nodded.

"Well how is it?"

"Um…you freaking out about giving birth yet?" Sam asked.

"No, not really," Carly shrugged.

"Well they'll show you a video…" Sam said. "And _then _you'll start freaking out."

…

"Andy? What do you think of this crib?" Carly asked her husband, pointing to a pale pink crib with pictures of roses painted on the ends of it.

"Um…it's a little…pink," Andy said.

"Yeah, especially with those ruffly sheets on it," Sam said.

"Well this store only has three pink cribs and everybody totally ripped on the other two," Carly said.

"Well, sweetie," Andy said. "Maybe-Maybe that's a sign that a pink crib isn't the direction to go."

"Maybe," Carly sighed. "But I still want a _pretty _crib."

"Okay, well, what about one of those white ones over there?" Andy suggested. "They have flowers and kittens and stuff painted on them…that counts as pretty, right?"

"Oh, yeah!" Carly said. "Good eye, Andy!"

"Okay, we're gonna take Jason over to look at the beds," Freddie said.

"Big bed!" Jason said, holding his mother's hand.

"Yeah, you get a big boy bed, because you're a big boy, aren't you Jason?" Carly chuckled. "Well, we'll probably still be here when you're done. Just come find us."

"Yup," Sam nodded as her and Freddie began heading over to the bed department.

"Whoa," Freddie said, staring at the rows and rows of children's beds. "This place really _does _have a great selection. There must be a hundred beds to chose from!"

"Yeah, he's _got _to find something here he likes," Sam said. "Oh! Like this one! Jason, come look at this cool bed, it's shaped like a racecar!"

She picked Jason up and set him down on the blue racecar bed display. "Cool, huh? You can pretend you're racing!"

"No car," Jason said, trying to squirm off the bed. "No car!"

"I don't think he likes it," Freddie said.

"Wow, aren't you intuitive," Sam snapped, lifting Jason off the bed.

"What about this one?" Freddie said, walking over to a simple brown-frame bed. "Like this one Jason?"

"No!"

"Yeah, that's bed's totally boring," Sam said.

"Are we looking for a place for him to be entertained or for him to sleep?" Freddie asked, rolling his eyes. "Because you realize that if we wind up getting the racecar bed, and he won't go to bed because he's too busy racing on it or whatever, _you _can stay up and try to get him to fall asleep."

"Um, no, you can stay up," Sam said firmly.

"Okay, I can stay up," Freddie mumbled.

"What about this cool boat bed?" Sam said. "Like this one, Jason? You can be a pirate!"

"No boat!"

"Jason," Sam moaned, picking the toddler up. "_Please _pick a bed. You don't want to keep sleeping in your tiny old baby crib, do you?"

"No crib!"

"Then you have to pick a bed, buddy," Freddie said, rustling his hair. "Or mommy and daddy will have to pick one for you."

"I pick!" Jason pouted.

"Then pick away," Sam said.

"Hey, I'm gonna run to the bathroom real quick," Freddie said to Sam. "Be back in a sec."

"Yeah, I'm sure we'll still have made zero progress," Sam mumbled. She set Jason down on the floor as Freddie started towards the bathroom. "Okay, Jason. How about this? You take me to a bed that you think is good, and I'll follow you. Can you do that for mommy?"

"Bed!" Jason suddenly cried happily, toddling off towards one of the rows of beds.

"Thank God, finally!" Sam said as she hurried after her son. "Alright, sweetie, let's see the bed you-Oh no."

Jason had climbed up onto one of the beds on display and was sitting on it with a pleased expression on his face. "Want this bed!"

"Oh…Jason," Sam said, looking at the bed her son had picked out, which was shaped exactly like a Proton Cruiser from _Galaxy Wars_. "You-You don't want this bed."

"Me be like daddy!" Jason said.

"Yeah…daddy's been showing you all his collectibles, hasn't he?" Sam sighed, trying not to smile.

"Hey, how it's going?" Freddie asked, returning. "He find anything?"

"Yup," Sam said, nodding over to the bed Jason was on. "And it's all your fault."

"What?" Freddie frowned, turning to look at the bed. "How's it-Whoa! Is that a Proton Cruiser bed? No way!"

He ran over to the bed, looking at it with a similar expression Sam wore whenever she ordered fried chicken. "It's a completely accurate model of it too! Look, it has the official Sky Naut Academy sticker of approval, three exhaust pipes, and even a little controller pad!"

"Yup…it's nerd approved," Sam said.

"He really picked this out?" Freddie asked.

"Uh-huh."

"Well…come on then! We got to get it for him!" Freddie said.  
"What happened to worrying about him sleeping instead of being entertained?" Sam smirked.

"I'll stay up every night with him," Freddie promised. He sat down on the bed and placed Jason on his lap. "You really like this bed?"

"I like you!" Jason said. "I be like you!"

"Really?" Freddie grinned. "You want to be like daddy?"

"Ya!"

Sam looked at the two of them, smiling as Freddie hugged his son.

"Okay," she conceded. "Let's go buy the bed."

….

"So what do we want to do with Jason's crib for now?" Freddie asked, coming into the bedroom after putting Jason to sleep that night. "We need to have it out of the way for when the bed comes tomorrow. I mean, do we _want _to put it in the office for now, since, you know, that's where we'd be putting the baby if-if we, you know…"

"Yeah, sure," Sam said, coming out of the bathroom, holding another pregnancy test in her hands.

"How much longer?" Freddie asked.

"About a minute," Sam answered nervously. "You think we did it this time?"

"I mean we've been trying almost every night," Freddie pointed out.

"I know…" Sam said. "But it's been a month and half."

"And weren't you the one who told Carly that it takes awhile to actually get pregnant?" Freddie reminded her. "A month and half is no time at all, baby." _Still, though_, he thought to himself. _It's not exactly easy to be patient here…_

The alarm on Sam's phone went off and Sam and Freddie quickly looked down at the test.

"Nope," Sam sighed, seeing the negative sign again. "Oh well…"

Freddie pulled her closer to him and kissed her gently. "It's gonna happen, Sam."

"Yeah," Sam said softly, trying to ignore the disappointment.


	254. Chapter 254

"Hey, I picked you up some sushi," Freddie said, handing Sam a carton of sushi and some soy sauce as she laid a sleeping Jason down in his playpen.

"Um…why?" Sam asked.

"Because apparently fish increases fertility," Freddie said.

"Oh yeah," Sam said, sitting down on the couch, opening the package of sushi up. "Carly was eating a lot of fish when she was trying to get pregnant…I just thought she was on some weird diet or something."

"It's an old method," Freddie shrugged. "Anyway, I got to go help my mom set up her new Pearbook. I should be back in a couple of hours."

"Bye," Sam said, picking up the remote and turning the television on. She began flipping through the channels until she found one of her all time favorite horror movies.

"Alright!" Sam said happily, propping her feet up on the coffee table. "_Revenge of the Werewolf Zombies_! Perfect!"

She was just getting into the movie when she heard the door open and Carly walked in.

"Hey," she smiled. "What're you watching?"

"This," Sam said simply, not taking her eyes off the screen as a group of zombie werewolves attacked a woman in her house. "Ha! That's what you get for leaving your window open after that farmer warned you, lady!"

"Um…you sure you should be watching this around Jason?" Carly frowned.

"He's asleep," Sam said.

"Okay," Carly shrugged. "Hey, did his bed get delivered yesterday?"

"Yup," Sam nodded. "Freddie bought _Galaxy Wars _sheets to go with it…He's not gonna be happy until he turns my kid into a total nub like him."

"You know you think it's cute," Carly chuckled. "So did Jason actually sleep in his bed? I've heard that little kids are usually afraid in their new beds right after they switch out of the crib. It usually takes a few weeks for them to adjust."

"Yeah, I thought so too, but he slept fine," Sam said. "Still woke up at six, though…"

"At least you won't need an alarm clock for awhile," Carly pointed out. "Anyway, when you were pregnant with Jason, did you do that whole reading to him while he was in your stomach thing?"

"Um…a few times," Sam nodded. "With Freddie. Why? You and Andy doing it?"

"Yeah, but I haven't gotten a chance to buy any baby books yet," Carly said. "And I just swung by the bookstore, and their children's section is being remodeled, so they don't have any. I was hoping I could borrow some from you."

"Sure, we have a bunch up in Jason's room," Sam said. "Take as many as you want. Oh, just not the dinosaur one; that's his favorite."

"Got it," Carly said, heading upstairs.

Sam turned her attention back to her movie.

"Oh!…Here's the best part!" Sam said, grinning as she gripped the edge of her seat in anticipation. "The part that "Gore Magazine" voted scariest scene in horror history! Man…get ready to say good bye to your guts, lady because in three seconds, when you open your closet, you're gonna get attacked by a werewolf zombie."

She watched as the actress on the screen slowly approached her closet and opened it, just to have a terrifying creature jump out at her, making a horrible, loud screeching noise.

But just then, Sam heard a cry from the playpen next to her, and she looked over to see Jason hysterically crying, bawling his eyes out.

"Crab," Sam mumbled, quickly turning off the T.V. and scooping her son into her arms. "Shhh, Jason. It's okay, mommy's got you. It's just a stupid movie, it's not real."

But the toddler still continued to cry.

"Hey, is he okay?" Carly asked, returning downstairs with an armful of books.

"No," Sam sighed. "He woke up and got freaked out by the movie…dang it! Why would you let me watch that around him, Carls?"

"I'm not going to even respond to that," Carly said, rolling her eyes. "But you want me to go make him some warm milk? Maybe that will calm him down."

"Yeah, try that," Sam said. She sat down on the couch, rubbing Jason's back soothingly. His cries had lessened, but he was still whimpering and clutching Sam's arm tightly and was staring at the blank T.V. screen with a petrified look on his face.

"Baby, don't be scared," Sam whispered, kissing the top of his head. "Here, let's put on one of your shows. Look! _Puppy Parade _is on! You love that show."

"Here," Carly said, returning with one of Jason's Sippy cups. "Well…he looks a little better now. He was probably just startled."

"Yeah, hopefully," Sam said. "And don't mention this to Freddie. He's always telling me not to watch scary movies around Jason. He made me take down my skeleton statue in the hallway because he thought it would scare Jason."

"Okay," Carly nodded. "And I'm sorry, but I got to run. I'm supposed to pick Andy up from the car place. I'll talk to you later. Bye Jason, just keep watching the nice puppy show and try to forget about the yucky other one."

…..

"I picked us up some fancy strawberries and this insanely expensive French wine on my way home from my mom's place," Freddie said to Sam as she put Jason's pajamas on him later that night. "You know, to hopefully set the mood."  
"Hopefully we'll get it then," Sam mumbled. "Window closes tonight…Okay, Jason. Go get your story and then mommy and daddy will tuck you in."

"Dino!" Jason said, picking up his worn dinosaur book.

"Ah yes, the same exact book we've been reading for the past three weeks," Freddie chuckled, sitting down at the edge of Jason's Proton Cruiser bed. "What a surprise."

"The thing's only six pages long, you think he'd have it memorized," Sam smiled, placing Jason on her lap as she sat down next to Freddie. "Okay, you start this time."

"Alright," Freddie said, opening the book. "All the dinosaurs in town like to play."

"They play baseball," Sam read, flipping the page.

"They jump rope," Freddie continued.

"They ride bikes."

"They sail boats."

"And then," Sam said, reading the last page. "They like to sleep so they can do it all again. The end."

"Very thrilling," Freddie grinned.

"Must've been a real challenge to write," Sam laughed, getting to her feet and tucking Jason into bed. She kissed the top of his head. "Good night, sweetie. We love you."

"Sweet dreams," Freddie said, kissing the top of his head as well. The couple started to leave the room, Freddie reaching to turn off the lights as he did.

"No!" Jason said loudly. "Light on!"

"Huh?" Freddie frowned. "Why do you want the light on, Jason? You never sleep with it on."

"No zomy!" Jason said, looking at his closet, making Sam feel slightly guilty.

"He-He's probably just feeling a little nervous about the bed," she told Freddie quickly. "Let him sleep with the light on. We'll come and turn it off later."

"Okay," Freddie shrugged. "Get some sleep now, Jason. We'll leave the light on."

"Well…now that he's going to sleep," Sam said as they left the room, leaving the door open a tiny crack. "Are we ready to start this fancy strawberry eating?"

"Yeah," Freddie grinned, grabbing her hand, leading her towards their bedroom. "I got everything set up already."

"Dang," Sam said, looking around the bedroom. Freddie had gone all out and lit a bunch of candles and had two wine glasses sitting on their bedside table and a bowl of big strawberries that had been dipped in dark chocolate.

"I bought non-alcoholic wine," Freddie said, uncorking the bottle. "Because this doctor on this fertility website I went on said that alcohol can actually slow the reproductive-"

But Sam cut him off by kissing him passionately, pulling him onto their bed.

"Hey, less talk, more action," she whispered into his ear. "We can eat the strawberries and stuff after."

"Is my wife putting off eating for me?" Freddie said, beginning to kiss her neck. "Well then you must either _really _want this baby or you're too drawn in by my attractiveness right now."

"Let's go with the first one," Sam chuckled, lacing her arms around his neck as he continued to kiss her.

But before the two could go any further, their bedroom door suddenly burst open and Jason came running in.

"Zomy!" he cried, jumping onto his parents' bed. "Zomy!"

"What's he saying?" Freddie asked as him and Sam quickly untangled themselves.

"Um…I-I don't know," Sam said, quickly pulling Jason closer to her. "You have a nightmare, Jason?"

"Zomy," Jason whimpered again. "In coset!"

"Aw, Jason, there's no zooey or zomzy or anything in your closet," Freddie said, rustling his hair. "Here, I'll take you back to bed and show you-"

"No!" Jason screamed, clutching Sam's neck. "No bed!"

Silently cursing herself for just _having _to watch that movie, Sam hugged her son and tried to sooth him. "Okay, Jason. You can sleep in here with mommy and daddy."

"Um, Sam?" Freddie said as Sam laid Jason down next to her. "Did you forget about a certain _activity _that we were in the middle of."

"Look, he's already closing his eyes," Sam whispered. "Just let him stay in here until he falls asleep and then we'll carry him back to his bed and continue where we left off."

"Alright," Freddie sighed, sitting back down on the bed.

The couple waited for nearly an hour, watching their sleeping son.

"Okay," Sam finally whispered. "I think he's out. Take him back to his room."

But just as Freddie had gently picked him up, his eyes flew open and, sensing what Freddie was about to do. Began shrieking, "No bed! No bed!" again.

"Okay, okay," Freddie said, setting Jason back down on the bed again. "No bed. You can stay in here."

Jason curled back up against Sam and closed his eyes.

"Since when does he get freaked out at night," Freddie asked softly.

"Um…must just be a phase," Sam shrugged, feeling the guilt festering inside her.

Sam and Freddie waited another hour, and this time Sam tried to bring Jason back to his room, but she made it no further than the door before Jason woke up again and began crying.

Sam sighed, laying her son back down on her and Freddie's bed.

"I don't think he's gonna be sleeping in his room tonight," she told Freddie.

"Yeah…I don't either," Freddie nodded. "So I guess…I guess tonight's out then, huh?"

"Yeah, it's-it's pretty late," Sam yawned. "I'm exhausted…"

"Me too," Freddie mumbled, beginning to blow out the candles he had set up.

"I'm sorry," Sam said, wrapping her arms around him from behind. "I know you went to a lot of trouble to do this."

"That's okay," Freddie sighed. "This is what parent do, right?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah." She looked over at the bed, where Jason was now fast asleep again.

"You know…" she said thoughtfully. "He only seems to wake up when we try and pick him up…"

"What are you saying?" Freddie asked.  
"I'm saying," Sam said, smiling seductively up at her husband. "That there is a perfectly good bed down the hall in the guest room…if we're really quick…"

"I _love _the way you think, baby," Freddie grinned, pulling her into an embrace.


	255. Chapter 255

"You think we should take him to the pediatrician?" Freddie asked Sam as he dressed, glancing over at their still sleeping son, who was lying on their bed. "I mean, he's been afraid to sleep in his bed for almost a week now."

"Um…I-I'm sure it's just a phase," Sam said. "It'll probably pass in a few weeks."

"Yeah, I hope," Freddie nodded. "Anyway, I've got to get to work. Man, I hate working on Saturdays."

"It's only a half day, baby," Sam said, giving him a quick kiss. "You'll be home by one."

"I know," Freddie said. "But I'd still rather be spending the whole day with you and Jason."

"We wish you were too too," Sam smiled at him. "But I'm gonna take him and go hang out at Carly's place for now. Swing by there when you're done working."

"Yup," Freddie said. "Bye, Sam."

Sam quickly got Jason up and dressed and then drove over to Carly and Andy's apartment.

"Well," Sam sighed, letting herself in, carrying Jason in her arms. "I've officially broke my baby."

"He's still scared?" Carly asked, looking up from her magazine.

"Yeah," Sam said. "He's been sleeping in our bed for the past week."

"Aw, Jason, why don't you like your new bed?" Carly asked as the toddler climbed up onto the couch next to her. "It's a cool Proton Cruiser, isn't it?"

"Zomie!" Jason pouted.

"Huh?" Carly frowned.

"He's afraid of the zombies," Sam explained. "Lucky for me, Freddie doesn't know what he's saying either. I think I'm gonna have to come clean soon, though. I mean, Jason doesn't sleep that well on out bed…he's starting pre preschool in a few weeks; he needs to be well rested for that. I can't believe how stupid I was to have stupid movie on when he was in the room…"

"You thought he was sleeping," Carly reasoned. "It was an honest mistake."

"Yeah, but I scarred my poor kid for life," Sam mumbled.

"Hey, I bet one of these parenting magazines has something," Carly said, reaching for a large stack of magazines on her coffee table.

"Jeesh, what'd you do; rob a newsstand?" Sam said.

"I've been reading up on some cool parenting techniques," Carly said, flipping through the pages of one of the magazines. "And I actually think I remember seeing something about this whole 'afraid of the closet and won't sleep in bed' thing…."

"Carly, those magazines are good for some things, like telling you how to keep kids entertained on rainy days and how to tell if your newborn's hungry, but for this, I don't think-"

"Here it is!" Carly said, stopping at a page.

"'How to Get Your Child To Conquer his Fears and Move Back to his Own Bed'," Sam read. "Hmm, fitting."

"You can borrow it," Carly told her, handing her best friend the magazine. "I hope it's _some _help."

"I do too," Sam said.

….

"So Jason, did you enjoy your first time out at a restaurant?" Freddie asked his son as the family returned home. After Freddie had gotten off of work, him and Sam decided to grab some lunch with Jason at a nearby steakhouse. "I can't believe he ate that whole kids meal…"

"He got his mama's appetite, right Jason?" Sam grinned, kissing the top of her son's head. "But now you get to go take a nice nap."

"I'll help you try and put him down," Freddie said.

"No!" Sam said quickly. "You-You had a long day at work…why don't I handle this, and you just relax on the couch and watch some T.V."

"Um, okay," Freddie shrugged.

Sam headed up to Jason's room and set the toddler down on his bed.

"No bed!" Jason began, wrinkling his face. "Zomie!"

"Shh, baby, it's okay," Sam said. "Mommy's right here, okay?" She sat down on the bed next to him. "Alright, kiddo, let's chat. You afraid of the zombies?"

Jason nodded, staring at this closet door, looking petrified. He clutched Sam's arm tightly.

"Yeah, they're scary," Sam said, stroking his head. "But they're also _fake_, like mommy's been telling you. You know what fake means? It means there are _no _zombies."

Jason shook his head. "Zomie!"

"No, that was a _movie_, what you saw the other day," Sam explained. "Those were just real people _pretending _to be zombies. There weren't _really _any zombies in the closet."

"Zomie!" Jason said again, still staring at the closet.

Sam sighed, picking Jason up again.

"Here, I'll _show _you that there's no zombies in your closet," Sam said, staring towards the closet door. Jason began to wail hysterically and squirm in Sam's arms, trying to free himself, but Sam kept a firm hold on him and pulled the closet door open, revealing only clothes and toys.

Jason stopped crying and looked at his closet. "Zomie?"

"That's right, there are _none_," Sam said. "Because they're _fake_. All that's in your closet are your clothes and some of your toys. I promise you."

"Zomie fake?"

"Yes!" Sam grinned. "Zombies are _completely _fake. Your closet's safe. So is your _awesome _new bed. But you know what? We'll just leave the closet door open for a while so you can see. Now it's naptime, come on. Let's go to mommy and daddy's bed so you can sleep."

"No!" Jason said, climbing back up on his bed. "This bed!"

"You want to sleep in here?" Sam said, crossing her arms. "Well…okay. I _guess _you can do that."

"I big!" Jason said, climbing underneath his covers.

"Yeah," Sam chuckled, giving him a quick hug. "You're a big boy now, aren't you? Well sleep tight, Jason. We'll wake you up in a little."

Sam quickly left the room and went back downstairs.

"So he's up on our bed?" Freddie asked as his wife sat down next to him.

"Nope," Sam said proudly. "He's fast asleep on his _own _bed."

"What?" Freddie grinned. "Really?"

"Yup," Sam smiled.

"Wow, I guess you were right then," Freddie said as Sam rested her head on his shoulder. "It really _was_ just a phase."

"Yeah," Sam nodded.

As the couple sat there, watching T.V. Sam realized that she had actually managed to successfully hide her screw-up from Freddie; he would never have to know! But then she felt that stupid guilty sensation bubbling up inside her, and she sighed and reached for the remote.

"Freddie," she said, turning off the T.V. "I have a confession."

"What do you mean?" Freddie asked.

"This whole sleeping in our bed thing," Sam mumbled. "It wasn't just a phase Jason was going through. It was my fault."

"Sam, that's ridiculous," Freddie chuckled. "It's not your fault at all."

"Yes, it is," Sam said. "I-I let him watch a scene from _Revenge of the Werewolf Zombies_. That's why he's been freaked out lately."

"You let him watch that movie?" Freddie exclaimed.  
"Well I thought he was asleep!" Sam said quickly. "And then I didn't realize he had woken up, or I would've changed the channel…look. I'm sorry I didn't tell you before. It's just…you know, with us trying for another baby, I-I didn't want to look like a bad mom in front of you. But I am…I couldn't even figure out how to help Jason get over his fears on his own; I had to borrow a stupid magazine from Carly."

"Hey," Freddie said firmly. "You are _not_, in any way, a bad mother."

"I had our son so terrified that he couldn't sleep in his room for a week!"

"Okay, yes, that wasn't the _best_ planning on your part, having that movie on," Freddie admitted. "But the point is…it was a mistake. It's not like you had Jason on your lap forcing him to watch the whole thing. It was just a sucky thing that happened. And it all worked out, didn't it? You said Jason's not scared anymore."

"Well, yeah," Sam shrugged.  
"Then it's done with," Freddie said. "Besides, he was bound to go through this monster phase eventually; at least now it's done with."

"You're really not wazzed off?" Sam asked.

"No," Freddie said sincerely, giving her a quick kiss. "It could've happened to me too. I mean, what if I was watching the fifth _Galaxy Wars_ movie out here? That one has some _real _scary parts in it."

"Please, having Princess Ablogota disappear into a vortex hole does not count as scary," Sam said. "Lou Groundrunner finds her on one of the two moons on his home planet in a few days anyway."

"I love how you know all about that scene," Freddie smirked.

Sam shuddered. "Okay, now _that's _scary."


	256. Chapter 256

"I can't believe you won that stupid radio contest, and I didn't," Sam said, lying on Carly and Andy's couch. "A year's supply of free pizza…I could've gone for the world record in amount of pizzas consumed by one person!"

"Oh relax, it's not like you won't be over here all the time ordering them in my name anyway," Carly said, rolling her eyes.

"When are the pizzas supposed to get here anyway?" Freddie asked, looking up from the videogame he was playing with Andy.

"In about ten minutes," Carly replied. "And Sam, you're gonna have to get up and get them when the delivery guy gets them."

"Why me?"

"Because I can't be seen by strangers!" Carly hissed. "I can't fit into my cute jeans anymore and the maternity clothes I ordered still aren't here yet so all I have to wear are these ratty old sweatpants!"

"Priss," Sam grinned.

"Of course," Carly smiled.

Just then there was a knock on the door and Sam heaved herself up and went to answer it.

"Finally," Sam said, opening the door. "I'm starving! Oh, it's you two."

"Hi Sam!" Tasha said brightly as her and Gibby walked into the apartment.

"Hey," Sam said.

"Tasha, you look great!" Carly said. "I love that dress on you."

"Thanks, my doctor said I'm gonna start to really show soon, so I wanted to get to wear some of my favorite things one last time," Tasha smiled. "Oh, and we have some big news, don't we Gibby?"

"Yup," Gibby grinned. "So you guys know how Tasha's pregnant and everything?"

"Um, yes?" Freddie nodded. "We've known since you guys told us almost four months ago."

"Well we went back to my doctors today," Tasha said. "To see if the baby was positioned right this time to tell the gender, and it was!"

"No way!" Andy said. "So what are you having?"

"A boy!" Gibby said.

"We get to have a little Gibby Jr.," Tasha said happily.

"Okay…_please _tell me that's not what you're naming the poor kid," Sam frowned.

"Nah, it's no use giving him that name if we don't know if he can live up to it yet," Gibby said.

"Well I'm sure your future son will be perfect," Freddie chuckled. "And you know if you need anything, you're more than welcome to borrow some of Jason's old baby stuff."

"Thanks," Tasha said.

"And now that you know you're having a boy," Carly said. "We can go shopping together!"

"I know!" Tasha nodded. "I'm so excited to start!"

"Great, we can go tomorrow morning!" Carly said. "Baby Boat opens at six in the morning, but we'll want to be the first people in line for the big sale, so we should plan to get there around five."

"Have fun," Sam whispered to Tasha.

….

"Hey, look at this cool backpack I just bought for Jason for his first day of pre preschool tomorrow," Sam said, walking back into her house. She tossed it to Freddie.

"A _Boogie Bear _backpack?" Freddie said.

"Yeah, I figure if he's gonna sleep in a Proton Cruiser bed, he needs to at least have an awesome backpack," Sam said. "Look, it even has a matching lunchbox."

"He doesn't eat lunch their, though," Freddie said. "It ends at noon, remember?"

"He gets a _snack_," Sam said.

"Ah yes, so naturally you'll be packing him a feast," Freddie said.

"I can't believe I won't even get to be there on my baby's first day of school," Sam pouted. "What are the odds that Carly and I would have a huge meeting with all the writers at work tomorrow?"

"I know, it's not fair," Freddie said. "But I'll make sure Jason gets situated when I drop him off in the morning, okay? It'll be fine."


	257. Chapter 257

"You ready for your first day of school ever?" Sam asked Jason as she helped him put his shirt over his head.

"Scho!" Jason smiled up at his mother.

"Yeah," Sam laughed, picking him up and putting him on her lap. "You're gonna go to school…and leave me." She wrapped her arms around him. "Stupid daddy, making me send you away."

"He all ready?" Freddie asked, poking his head into Jason's bedroom.

"Yes," Sam mumbled. "Can't we wait another week to put him in this thing?"

"Why?" Freddie frowned.

"Because he's just a baby!"

"Sam," Freddie smiled. "It's just pre preschool. It's not like he's going off to college. Besides, we both agreed that this program is really going to help Jason get ahead for regular preschool and kindergarten."

"But he's leaving me!" Sam said.

"Come on, it's not going to be any different from dropping him off with Spencer when we go to work," Freddie told her.

"Yes it will!" Sam snapped. "He's going to be with a complete stranger!"

"You've met the teacher, baby," Freddie reminded her.

Sam sighed. "Yeah…I know. He's just really growing up."

"He is," Freddie nodded. "But he's still little. True, he's starting school, but he's not grown up yet. We still have a lot more ahead of us to do with him."

"I know we do," Sam said, kissing the top of Jason's head. "Still, I wish I was at least gonna be there when he gets dropped off."

"You'll be there tomorrow," Freddie said.

"Definitely," Sam grinned. She set Jason down. "I guess I better get going if I don't want to be late. I'll see you at lunch I guess."

"Bye," Freddie said, giving her a quick kiss.

"And bye Jason," Sam said, giving her son one last hug. "Have fun at school. And if any of the kids are mean to you, you just tell mommy, okay? And she'll take care of them."

….

"Well Jason, here we are," Freddie said as they walked into one of the classrooms at the community center. "Your first day of pre preschool. Looks like fun, doesn't it?"

He looked down at his son, who was looking nervously around the classroom, filled with kids.

"See, you can play with lots of kids your own age," Freddie said, kneeling down to Jason's level. "And I see some cool toys and puzzles and books…this place seems awesome!"

Just then a group of toddlers ran past them, and Jason quickly moved closer to Freddie and grabbed his arm tightly. "No!"

"Aw, it's going to be fine," Freddie chuckled.

"Well hi there, Jason!" the teacher said, hurrying over to the two. "Do you remember me? I'm Ms. Blake!"

Jason stared up at the woman with a skeptical look.

"I think he's a little nervous," Freddie explained.

"That's perfectly normal," Ms. Blake nodded. "All children are when they first come here. But I'm positive he'll adjust in no time. Now, I don't mean to rush you out, but circle time _is _starting in five minutes."

"Right," Freddie said. He turned back to Jason. "Okay, Jason. Daddy has to go to work now, okay? But you have a good time. You'll have lots of fun."

He gave his son a quick kiss on the head, and then made to head to the door, but Jason began to wail.

"Daddy! Daddy!" he cried, running to his father and clutching his leg tightly. "Stay!"

"I'll give you two a moment," Ms. Blake said, heading off to another group of kids.

"I can't stay, Jason," Freddie explained. "I need to go to work now, like mommy. But in just a few hours Uncle Spencer is going to come and pick you up and then you can play with him and Bryan and Dina an his house like you always do."

"Stay!" Jason continued to cry.

"Aw…Jason," Freddie sighed, feeling his heart break at the sight of his hysterical son. "You-You have to let me leave. It's not going to be that bad. I'm sure you'll love this place the second you start to give it a chance."

But Jason wasn't budging.

"Jason," Ms. Blake said, returning with a few stuffed animals. "Why don't you look at these toys? Don't they seem like fun?"

"No!" Jason pouted.

"I'm sorry," Freddie sighed, picking Jason up. "I don't know what's gotten into him. He's never this clingy. Look…is there…is there anyway he could, you know, maybe start tomorrow instead? So that I can have a little more time to get him used to the idea of being alone here?"

"Well…I suppose so," Ms. Blake nodded.

"Great, thanks," Freddie said. "We'll be back here tomorrow, ready to learn, right Jason?"

Jason was still looking around the classroom as if it were a prison cell.

"Okay, Jason," Freddie said as he walked them back to his car. "I'm gonna drop you back at Uncle Spencer's now. But you're gonna have to come back here tomorrow, okay?"

"Ya!" Jason said, happy that he was out of the classroom.

Freddie quickly drove over to Bushwell Plaza and headed up to apartment 8C and knocked.

"Freddie?" Spencer frowned as he opened the door. "I thought it was Jason's first day at that pre preschool place. I thought I was supposed to pick him up at noon."

"Yeah…change of plans," Freddie mumbled, setting Jason down. "He's gonna start tomorrow instead."

"How come?"  
"Because he was scared and crying," Freddie said. "I-I didn't have the heart to just abandon him there like that."

"Ah," Spencer nodded understandingly.

"Yup," Freddie sighed. "So is it cool if I leave him here like usual? I really need to get to work."

"Yeah, no prob," Spencer replied.

"Thanks," Freddie said. "And…listen. When Sam and I come to pick him up later…you think you could maybe pretend that he _was_ at school?"

"Huh?"

"It's just…I gave Sam this whole speech on how we need to let Jason go to the thing so that he can get ahead, no matter how much it sucks to leave him," Freddie explained.

"Wow, you hypocrite," Spencer commented.

"Yeah, thanks!" Freddie snapped. "So anyway…don't tell her?"

"But I _hate _lying!"

"Oh like you never lie to your wife!" Freddie said, rolling his eyes.

"I happen to have a _very _honest marriage," Spencer said proudly.

"Right…so then Ella knows everything about how you set her favorite boots on fire and then used her favorite shirt to put it out," Freddie said, raising an eyebrow.

"Er, no, she's under the impression those were taken by burglars," Spencer mumbled. "Fine! I'll lie for you!"

"Thanks," Freddie said. "I owe you one."


	258. Chapter 258

"Hey, so how was it?" Sam asked the second Freddie sat down with her and Carly in the studio cafeteria. "You dropped him off alright?"

"Um, yeah…everything was fine," Freddie said.

"Well did he seem to like the place?" Sam asked. "Did he get overwhelmed by all the other kids? Did he find any toys he liked? Did he cry when you left?"

"He-He cried a little," Freddie said.

"Aw, I knew I should've skipped the meeting to go with you guys!" Sam said. "So what'd you do?"

"I comforted him," Freddie said, looking down at his sandwich. "And then I-I left…alone."

"Well, looks like you'll be doing this again tomorrow," Sam sighed. "And for the rest of the week…"

"Huh?"

"The writers have meetings every morning for the whole week," Carly explained.

"Oh! That's great!" Freddie said.

Sam gave him a weird look.

"I mean…that's great…for the station," Freddie said lamely. "You-You guys must be learning a whole lot in these meetings…you're writing's bound to get even _better _and then ratings will _soar_."

"You're husband's kind of weird," Carly said to Sam.

"Eh, what else is new," Sam shrugged.

"Hey, do you think you wanna trade shoes with me?" Carly asked.

"Um…and _I'm _the weird one?" Freddie frowned.

"Well my feet are really swollen, and it's hard enough walking in flats, let alone heels!" Carly snapped. "I don't see _you _walking around this place five months pregnant in four-inch pumps, Benson!"

"Whoa, there Carls," Sam laughed.

"Sorry," Carly sighed. "These mood swings keep getting worse and worse…So can we switch shoes?"

"Sure," Sam said, kicking off her flats and taking Carly's heels. She turned back to Freddie. "So how about we swing by the bakery before we pick up Jason and grab a cake or something for him? You know, to celebrate his first day of school?"

"Um…yeah, we-we can do that," Freddie nodded.

"Hey, Sam?" Carly said, sliding on her best friend's shoes. "How come the insides of your shoes are a little…sticky?"

"Oh, because I bet Gibby thirty bucks that he couldn't chug maple syrup out of them," Sam said, smiling at the memory. "Best money I ever spent…"

…

"Mommy!"

"Hi Jason!" Sam grinned, scooping up her son as her and Freddie returned to Spencer's apartment after work. "Did you have fun at school? Mommy's sorry she had to go to a stupid old meeting."

"No scho!" Jason said.

"What do you mean?" Sam asked. "You didn't like school?"

"Oh you know, first days are always rough," Freddie said quickly. "But-But I'm sure he still had a great time and tomorrow he'll do better."

"Well, did he seem okay when you picked him up?" she asked Spencer.

"Um, he, um…yeah," Spencer said. "Yeah, he was playing…and sitting…and playing…with toys."

"Well, you can come home now, okay baby?" Sam said to the toddler. "And we even got you a cool cake with a dinosaur on it."

"Dino!"

"Okay, well, let's go!" Freddie said. "That cake isn't gonna eat itself."

"Wait, did his teacher say anything to you when you-" Sam started to say to Spencer.

"Baby, I thought our one rule in this marriage was that we _never _postpone eating!" Freddie said, knowing that Spencer's inadequate lying abilities would soon expose him. "And right now, if I don't get some cake in me, I'm going to implode."

"But when I said we should pick up tacos for dinner you-"

"Sam, stomach imploding!"

"Okay, whatever!" Sam said. "Let's go…I think I'm starting to rub off on you a little too much."

…..

"Alright, Jason," Freddie said the next morning as Freddie pulled into the community center's parking lot. "Remember what we talked about last night? About how you're getting to be a big boy now, and that mommy and daddy can't be around you all the time? Well, school's one of those times. Now, I know yesterday didn't go exactly as planned, but now you know just what to expect, so it won't be as bad."

He parked the car and walked into the classroom with Jason, just as he did the day before.

"Hello again, Jason!" Ms. Blake said, smiling down at him. "Are we ready to try this again? We have a fun day planned out, and we'd be really sad if you didn't stay and play with us."

Jason didn't reply, but he moved closer to Freddie.

"Okay," Freddie said, urging himself to be strong. "I-I'm gonna go now, okay? But daddy's gonna see you soon, okay? Uncle Spencer's gonna come soon and-"

"No!" Jason whimpered, attaching himself to his father's leg. "No go! Stay!"

"Um…Jason," Freddie sighed. "I-I can't. You need to stay here so you can play with all the other kids and with the cool toys, and learn new things and-"

"No go!" Jason squeaked. "No go!"

_Come on, Freddie, be strong_, Freddie told himself, trying not to be persuaded by his young son's tears. _Remember; Sam will never let you hear the end of this if she finds out…_

"It-It'll be fun," Freddie said weakly. "And remember what I told you? Once you get used to this place, you'll never want to leave and-"

But Jason just held tighter to his father.

"You'll be back to try this again tomorrow, won't you?" Ms. Blake sighed knowingly.

"Um, yeah…" Freddie said, quickly picking the toddler up. "That'd be great."

….

"So what kind of stuff are you learning in this pre preschool thing, Jason?" Sam asked that evening as she cut up some meatballs for him. "Are you learning to count? The alphabet?"

"No scho!" Jason said.

"Why's he keep saying that every time I bring it up?" Sam frowned.

"Um…well, it's only his second day," Freddie said. "I-I'm sure he'll start loving it in a few days."

"I dunno," Sam said. "If he really doesn't like this place, I don't think it's a good idea to keep him in it."

"No! I-You know how kids are," Freddie told her. "They're slow to adjust. But like I said, give him a few more days, and he'll never want to stop talking about the place."

"Well maybe we should call the teacher or something and-"

"Hey do you want pie? I want pie!" Freddie said. "Why don't I make a pie run and-"

"Okay, what's up with you lately?" Sam said.

"I don't have any idea what you're talking about," Freddie mumbled.

"You're acting…weird," Sam said, crossing her arms. "What'd you do?"

"Nothing!" Freddie said. "I-I'm acting perfectly normal! I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Yes you do," Sam said, placing Jason's food on his high chair tray. She headed towards the pantry. "Yesterday and today you've been jumpy and skittish. So _what did you do_?"

Freddie sighed. "Okay," he said heavily as Sam rummaged through the pantry. "Look, I-"

"Hey!" Sam exclaimed, holding up an empty Fat Cake box. "You ate my last Fat Cake!"

"Huh? No! I-"

"Is _that _why you've been acting so weird?" Sam demanded. "Because you ate one of the best creations in the world? Why would you eat my last Fat Cake? After all these lectures you give me about 'making them last' and 'not scarfing down the whole box at once'…look what you do when I actually listen to you for a change!"

"Um, er…yeah!" Freddie said. "Yeah, that-you caught me. I ate your last Fat Cake and didn't want you to find out."

"Well," Sam snapped. "You get to go buy me a new box now don't you? And you can watch me eat the _entire _thing, lecture free!"

"Okay," Freddie nodded. "Fair enough…I will go buy you more Fat Cakes."

"Unbelievable," Sam said, rolling her eyes as her husband grabbed his car keys.

…

"Okay Jason, no more monkey business," Freddie said firmly, tying Jason's shoes the next morning. "You've gotten away with skipping school for two days now, but today, you are staying, you understand? It's going to be good for you. You'll have fun, and daddy won't have to be considered a hypocrite when mommy finds out about this whole thing…So no crying today."

"Hey, Fredscab? Guess what!" Sam said, coming into the room. "My boss just called me; my meeting's canceled this morning!"

"What?" Freddie exclaimed. "R-Really?"

"Yeah, how awesome is that?" Sam grinned. "I can finally come with you to drop Jason off!"

"Y-Yeah…" Freddie said, smiling weakly. "That-That's _real _great."

…..

"Wow, not too shabby of a classroom," Sam commented as her and Freddie walked into the class later that morning.

"Yeah, it's-it's real fancy," Freddie mumbled.

"So Jason, wanna show me some of your favorite toys or things real quick before daddy and I leave?" Sam asked the toddler.

"No go!" Jason said, clinging to Sam's leg.

"What? Jason?" Sam frowned. "I have to go. Just like daddy has to go when _he _drops you off." She looked up at Freddie. "What's he doing?"

"Um…must-must be because he's not used to having both of us dropping him off?" Freddie suggested lamely.

"Oh good, you brought along your wife this time," Ms. Blake said, hurrying over to the couple. "Yes, perhaps that will help Jason's little adjustment issues."

"Adjustment issues?" Sam repeated. "What are you talking about?"

"Um…I-I think maybe it's just some fancy teacher talk," Freddie whispered to his wife.

"Now Jason," Ms. Blake said, kneeling down to look at the toddler. "Are you ready to try and stay here today? I know you would have much more fun if you did, instead of leaving with your daddy."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Sam said. "What do you mean leaving? Hasn't he-Oh!"

She turned to her husband, a smug smile on her face. "I get it…you're a total whimp, Fredwad!"

"I-I-"

"After everything you tell me about having to accept that Jason's growing up and not babying him anymore, you can't even leave him at school, can you?" she smirked.

"He cried!" Freddie hissed. "And I was going to definitely do it today!"

"Uh-huh, sure," Sam said, rolling her eyes.

She scooped Jason up in her arms. "Are you scared to stay here by yourself, Jason?"

Jason nodded, clinging tightly to his mother.

"Aw, I know, Jason, it's scary," Sam said, rubbing his back. "But you're a big boy now. You will be just fine here."

"No scho!" Jason pouted.

Sam gave him a small smile. "Here," she said, setting him down and picking up his lunchbox. "Want me to show you what I packed for your snack? I bet you it's ten times better than any other kids' here." She unzipped his Boogie Bear lunchbox. "See, you have ham, the _nice _kind that mommy eats. And you have some apple slices, because daddy likes it when you eat fruit, but don't worry, I gave you some peanut butter for you to dip them in, and look, your favorite, gummy bears!"

"Gummy!" Jason said excitedly, his eyes widening. "Gummy, gummy, gummy!"

"Yeah, gummies," Sam chuckled. "But…" she zipped up his lunchbox. "That snack's only for kids who go to school. But if you want to go Uncle Spencer's right now like you always do, I bet you won't find a single gummy bear there…well, an _edible_ gummy bear, that is."

"Gummy!" Jason said. "I go to scho!"

"That's my boy," Sam grinned, giving him a hug.

"Wait…that' all it took!" Freddie exclaimed. "_Gummy bears_? I was prepared to offer the kid a bike!"

"Bye-bye!" Jason said to his parents.

"Well, looks like someone's ready for circle time," Ms. Blake said, taking the toddler's hand. "Now don't worry about him, he'll be fine."

"Um…okay," Freddie nodded.

"So," Sam said as the couple left the classroom. "Looks like, for once, I wasn't the one who, how do you always put it? Oh, right, I wasn't the one who was trying to baby our son forever."

"Well it was hard, okay!" Freddie defended. "He was all scared and crying, and he kept grabbing my arm all cute…"

"Come on," Sam said, patting her husband's back. "We both knew your crazy parent side was bound to come out sooner or later…I mean, look at _your _mother."

"Good point," Freddie sighed. "And…I'm sorry I didn't come clean to you about not leaving him at school."

"Whatever, it's fine," Sam said. "Now seriously let's get to work before I change my mind about this whole thing and run back in there and pull him out myself."


	259. Chapter 259

"Well, it finally happened," Sam said as her and Carly walked into Spencer's apartment.

"What?" Freddie asked. He was helping Spencer install some lights on a sculpture he was working on. Ella said that after Spencer nearly set the apartment on fire for the fifth time using electricity in his sculptures, he had to have someone _else _do any of that.

"I ate more than her at an all-you-can eat buffet," Carly grinned.

"Whoa! I don't believe it!" Spencer said.

"It's true," Sam mumbled, sitting down on the couch.

"Well I am eating for two, remember," Carly pointed out.

"I usually eat for eight!"

"Hey, I bet if you were six moths pregnant like Carly you would've eaten the entire buffet," Spencer reasoned.

"Yeah," Sam mumbled.

"Oh, hey! The baby's kicking again!" Carly said, putting a hand on her stomach.

"No way!" Sam said.

"Yeah, you can finally feel it," Carly said as Sam felt her stomach. "She's only been kicking at night so far…"

"I wanna feel! I wanna feel!" Spencer said.

Everyone placed a hand on Carly's abdomen.

"Aw, I feel it!" Freddie grinned.

"Yeah, me too," Sam smiled.

Her and Freddie glanced at each other, giving each a knowing look.

"I don't feel it!" Spencer frowned.

"How can you not feel it?" Carly said. "The kid's practically playing a soccer match in there."

"It's because he has fat hands," Sam said.

"I do not!"

"They're a little pudgy," Freddie agreed.

"So _that's _why Ella has to buy you gloves on ," Carly grinned.

"I don't need this!" Spencer snapped.

"So," Carly said to Sam and Freddie as Spencer stormed off to his and Ella's bedroom. "Since Freddie's mom is watching Jason overnight, you two crazy kids have any wild plans?"

"Nah, we're just gonna relax," Freddie replied. "We don't get the house to ourselves very often, after all."

"Yup, we're officially one of those couples who'd rather stay in with their sweats on than go out and have fun," Sam said as Freddie put her arm around her. "And once you become all sleep deprived in three months, you and Andy will be too."

"Everyone keeps telling us that," Carly said.

"Because it's true," Freddie said.

"Eh, I don't mind," Carly said. "I just can't wait for these next three months to be up! I want to see my daughter already! Were you guys this anxious waiting for Jason?"

"Yeah, especially during that twenty-three hour birthing process," Sam nodded. "I just wanted that kid born already."

"Er, most births _don't _take twenty-three hours, right?" Carly frowned.

"I don't know, I'm not a doctor," Sam shrugged.

"It looks like it's about to rain," Freddie commented, looking out at the window behind them. "We should probably get going so we don't get caught in it."

"Yeah, Andy's cooking, so I shouldn't keep him waiting either," Carly said.

"You're seriously still hungry after eating more than _Sam_?" Freddie chuckled.

"I swear, it's like an alternate universe here," Sam said, shaking her head.

….

"Here, try two this time," Freddie said, handing his wife two pregnancy tests as she headed into the bathroom.

"Why two?" Sam asked.

"Because sometimes these things are wrong," Freddie explained. "And wind up showing a negative instead of a positive."

"Yeah, but I don't think that's been the problem," Sam mumbled.

"I know but just-just try it, okay?"

Sam nodded and went into the bathroom.

Freddie waited outside the door, nervously twiddling his thumbs. Sam and him had been trying for five months now to get pregnant, and while he was sure there were plenty more couples who have been trying longer, it was still a little disappointing to keep seeing the tiny blue negative sign on the pregnancy tests month after month.

"You think this is it?" Sam asked, coming out of the bathroom with the tests.

"Hope so," Freddie said, setting his alarm again. He gave his wife a long kiss.

The couple waited in silence, neither of them daring to talk. When Freddie's alarm finally went off, Sam slowly turned the test over and looked down.

"Negative again!" she groaned, angrily throwing the test down.

"That-That's okay-" Freddie began.

"Can you stop being so dang optimistic about all of this?" Sam snapped.

"Look," Freddie sighed. "I know you're upset. I am too. But we just have to be patient and-"

"But we've been trying for five months!" Sam exclaimed. "That's nearly half a year! And in case you've been absent during that time, we've been trying a _lot_. We should've gotten it by now!"

"Well maybe next time-"

"You've been saying that every time!" Sam yelled. "And we always wind up with the same result!"

Freddie didn't have anything to say to that.

"Sorry," Sam mumbled, sinking down on the couple's bed. "It's just so…"

"Frustrating?" Freddie finished, sitting down next to her. "I know."

"We should've gotten it by now," Sam said again, softly. "What if…what if there's something wrong with me?"

"It may not be you," Freddie muttered. "It-It could be me too."

"Well then what do we do?" Sam asked, her voice shaky.

Freddie took her hand. "Let's not dwell on the what if's, okay?"

"But-"

"But maybe we should go see a fertility specialist too," Freddie continued. "And that way we-we'll know whether we need to just keep trying or if we need to, you know, consider other options."

Sam looked down at her lap. "Okay…I'll try to find someone and set something up for tomorrow."

Freddie took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "We're probably just having bad luck, you know."

Sam gave him a small smile. "Yeah…probably."


	260. Chapter 260

"This looks like the most depressing place on earth," Sam mumbled as her and Freddie sat in the waiting room of the fertility doctor's the next morning.

"A little color _wouldn't _hurt this place," Freddie agreed, looking around at the drab walls.

"Samantha Benson?" the receptionist called. "Dr. Lophus is ready for you now."

"Good luck," Freddie smiled, giving her a quick kiss.

"You too," Sam said back to him.

…..

"How was it?" Freddie asked as he joined Sam about an hour later in Dr. Lophus's office.

"Just a blast," Sam said, rolling her eyes. "Lucky you didn't have to get a _very _invasive examination."

"Okay, Mr. and Mrs. Benson," the doctor said, returning to the room. "I've had a chance to review your test results-"

"What'd you find out?" Sam asked at once.

"You have to give the man a chance to speak, Sam," Freddie mumbled, rolling his eyes.

Sam gave him a quick kick.

"Well," Dr. Lophus said, sitting down at his desk. "I have good news; both of you are reproductively healthy. You're perfectly able to conceive a child."

Sam and Freddie both gave sighs of relief.

"Well then…why are we having trouble conceiving?" Freddie asked. "We've been at it for five months."

"Unfortunately, some pregnancies take longer to happen than others," the doctor explained. "It's just how it is. You'll just have to keep trying regularly, and I can give you a pamphlet on some tips to boost your fertility. I'll schedule you for another appointment in two months, so that I can perform another test to see if everything's still okay."

"Okay," Sam nodded.

"Thank you," Freddie said as him and Sam got to their feet. "We'll see you then."

Him and Sam headed out to the parking lot.

"Well," Freddie said as they couple reached their car. "At least we know nothing's wrong now…we'll just have to power through until we finally manage to do this."

Sam raised an eyebrow. "Power through? Really?"

"You know what I mean," Freddie said. "You know I _enjoy _all the 'trying'."

"Man, look at this pamphlet," Sam said, leafing through the handout the doctor had given them. "We're supposed to lay off the caffeine, eat a balanced diet…great. You can't go in any hot tubs, I'm supposed to do all these weird stretches…okay, ouch, those look painful."

"It'll be worth it," Freddie told her. "You know it will be."

…

"Well," Gibby said, walking into the Benson's house. "Pregnant women are officially the scariest thing ever."

"You're just now realizing this?" Freddie frowned. "Tasha's hormone's must be really setting in."

"Yeah, no chiz!" Gibby said. "This morning, Tasha _snapped _at me that my bagel was done! She usually brings it to me in bed on a tray!"

"Okay…I don't think you'd last ten seconds in this house," Freddie said, rolling his eyes. "Trust me, that doesn't even _qualify _as scary."

"Well can I hang out here anyway?" Gibby asked. "Tasha's reading all these magazines about how pregnancy affects a women's body…it's not good for my machoness."

"Yeah, sure," Freddie said.

"Great…you guys have any moisturizer?"

"Just sit!"

"Fine, I'll just have dry skin," Gibby mumbled.

"So," Freddie said. "Now that you guys know you're having a boy, have you given any thought to names?"

"Yeah, we made a list, wanna hear?"

"Okay," Freddie nodded, turning off the television. "Lay them on me."

"Herbert," Gibby read. "Rutherford, Bertrard, Wallace, and Joe."

"Um…well Joe's nice," Freddie frowned. "But um…no offense, don't you think some of those names are a little…dated?"

"They happen to bring about an air of sophistication!" Gibby defended.

"Yes…that's what my mom thought about Fredward," Freddie said. "Unfortunately other kids didn't really think so. To them, it brings about an air of 'push me into a trashcan'."

"Fine, we'll look for more names," Gibby mumbled.

"You guys can borrow the baby book Sam and I used when we were naming Jason," Freddie offered.

"Nah," Gibby said. "I'm not the biggest fan of the name 'Jason'."

"What's wrong with that name?" Freddie frowned.

"Nothing, it just doesn't sound very Gibsonish."

"Well then pick another name," Freddie said.

"You mean the book has _more_ names?"

"My head…" Freddie said, shaking his head as he left the room.

….


	261. Chapter 261

"Hey Sam," Carly said, walking into her best friend's house. "You got a suitcase I can borrow?"

"Um yeah, but whey?" Sam asked.

"Oh, I figured it would be smart to start packing for when I need to go to the hospital to deliver," Carly replied.

"You're only seven months!" Sam pointed out.

"It's good to be prepared," Carly said. "Besides…I'm bored! Andy and I have the room all set up, we baby-proofed the apartment, and this kid has enough clothes to be wearing till she starts kindergarten."

"Well then sit around and do nothing," Sam suggested. "You won't to get to _that _for awhile."

"Nah, that's so boring," Carly said.

"Well then _clearly _you're not doing it right," Sam mumbled.

"So can I borrow the suitcase or not?"

"Yeah, it's in our closet," Sam said.

"Cool, thanks!" Carly said, hurrying upstairs.

Just as she disappeared up there, the front door opened again, and Melanie let herself in.

"Hey, I saw Carly's car out front, where is she?" Melanie asked.

"Getting a suitcase upstairs," Sam said. "What's up?"

"Well," Melanie said, lowering her voice. "I just found the cutest present for Carly's daughter. It's a really pretty doll that sings to the baby!"

"Sounds creepy," Sam said.

"Oh stop, it's adorable," Melanie said. "I'm gonna give it to her at her baby shower."

"Oh right, when is that, by the way?" Sam asked.

Melanie gave her a strange look. "Um, I came over here to ask you that…you're the one planning it."

"What?" Sam exclaimed. "Why would you think I'd be planning it? When have I _ever _seemed like the planning type?"

"She's your best friend; it's your job!" Melanie said. "You seriously forgot?"

"Well I've been busy!" Sam snapped. "Man…Carly can't not have a baby shower…I got it; we'll throw her one this weekend!"

"You're gonna plan an entire baby shower in three days?"

"Well you'll help me, won't you?" Sam begged. "And I'm sure Ella will…it will be fine…I hope."

"I guess this suitcase is big enough," Carly said, returning downstairs. "It's not like I can bring my best wardrobe, right? Oh, hey Melanie!"

"Hi Carly," Melanie smiled. "Looking great."

"Thanks," Carly said.

"Hey Carls, what are you doing this weekend?" Sam asked.

"Um, nothing, why?" Carly said.

"Well, um, I-I was thinking we could catch a movie," Sam said. "So um, come over here on Saturday around…"

"Four," Melanie finished.

"Yes, four works," Sam said.

"Okay, sounds fun," Carly grinned. "What movie are we gonna see?"

"Oh, um, we'll figure that out when we get to the theatre," Sam said.

"But wouldn't it make more sense to-"

"That suitcase isn't gonna pack itself, Carly!" Sam cut her off. "Bye!"

"Okay, okay, I'll go pack," Carly said, giving Sam a weird look. "I though I was supposed to be acting like the crazy one."

"Okay," Melanie said once Carly had left. "Let's get to work. I'll call Ella and tell her to come over, you start making a guest list. If we hurry, we might be able to pull this off."

…..

"Come on, Wendy! It's Carly! You have to come to her baby shower," Sam said into her phone the next morning as she fried bacon.

Freddie yawned as he came into the kitchen with Jason, setting the toddler in his high chair.

"Yeah, I know it's short notice," Sam said. "But I sort of forgot about it…just come will you? Olympia's not that far from Seattle! Besides, you can just crash at your parents' house. Okay, awesome! See you then, Wend."

"So Wendy's coming to the baby shower then?" Freddie asked.

"Yup," Sam nodded. "So with her, the other writers from the studio, me, Melanie, Tasha, and Ella, Andy's mom and sister, and Carly's female cousins that live in Washington, that gives us a grand total of…twenty guests. Not too shabby for a last-minute shindig, is it?"

"No," Freddie replied.

"And by the way, you need to take Jason somewhere from like four to eight on Saturday," Sam said.

"You're kicking us out?"

"Well, Jason can stay I guess," Sam shrugged. "So really, I'm just kicking you out."

"Well thanks, baby," Freddie said, rolling his eyes. "I guess I can take Jason to Funk E. Festers, I bet he'd like that place."

"Sure, do that," Sam said. "Anyway, now that I got the guest list handled, I just need to deal with food. Melanie and Ella are dealing with decorations…cool, looks like we're all set."

"Hey, baby?" Freddie said.

"Yeah?"

"Um…you-you could handle inviting one more person, can't you?"

"Yeah, I guess," Sam shrugged. "Why? Who do you want me to add?"

"Just-Just my mom."

"What? No way!"

"Oh come on, please?" Freddie pleaded.

"Why would she even want to come to a baby shower for Carly anyway?" Sam moaned.

"Because, I think she's starting to get pretty bored, living alone in her apartment…"

"She's been doing that for years!"

"Exactly," Freddie said. "I just want her to get out and spend some time with people. It'll be good for her."

"Yeah, but not for anyone else!"

"She won't be that bad," Freddie said, rolling his eyes.

"Ha!"

"Come on, Sam, can't you do it for me?" Freddie said.

"Ugh!" Sam groaned. "Fine! I'll invite her! Jeez…the things I do for your nubby butt!"

…

"So tell me again why Freddie's mom's here?" Ella whispered as Sam set out some drinks the day of the baby shower. "It's bad enough living across the hall from her!"  
"Freddie begged me to, okay!" Sam hissed. "He said she needed to be active and involved and blah, blah, blah."

"Samantha," Marissa said, hurrying over to her daughter-in-law. "I'm sure there must be some mistake…it seems you put onion dip out with the chips."

"Yeah, so?" Sam shrugged.  
"But-chips are already so unhealthy for you!" Marissa sputtered. "To sit there and allow all that extra fat and sodium to mindlessly be added under your own roof? You know my saying, never dip if it won't make you fit."

"I'm gonna go…over there now," Ella said, rolling her eyes.

"The onion dip's fine," Sam said. "No one cares about being fit when they dip."

"Sam!" Wendy called, looking out the front window. "Carly's car just pulled in!"

"Cool, thanks," Sam said. "Hey!"

Everyone fell silent.

"Remember, when Carly walks in, we yell surprise," Sam said. "It's not that hard, so don't screw it up."

"Hey Sam," Carly said, walking in as she was looking down at her Pearphone, texting. "You ready to go to the-"

"Surprise!" everyone shouted, causing Carly to nearly drop her phone.

"Oh my God!" she exclaimed. "What is all this?"

"This," Sam grinned, running over to hug her pregnant best friend. "Is your baby shower!"

"Aw, you didn't have to do all this!" Carly grinned. "You're the best! Oh, and everyone's here! Wendy! And my cousin Megan! Hey, Meg! And Jean from work, and-and even Freddie's mom…wow."

"Yeah, sorry about her," Sam whispered. "But you ready to baby shower it up? We have those cheesy baby games, food, presents, everything."

"Well you know I'm a sucker for cheesy baby games," Carly laughed.

"Cool," Melanie grinned. "Then you have to play this baby food game Ella and I found on the Internet. Come on!"

…

A little over four hours later the party had ended.

"I seriously don't know where I'm even gonna put half this stuff," Carly said, going through the pile of gifts she had received.

"Yeah, you and Andy might need to get a bigger place," Sam chuckled.

"Or give the baby your room and have you and Andy take the smaller bedroom," Ella nodded.

"Sam!" Marissa said, coming into the room, wearing her germ-defiant rubber gloves. "Where do you keep you pre-wash dish soap?"

"Ugh, I'd better go see what this crazy lady's done to my kitchen," Sam mumbled, getting to her feet.

"Now I know that mass media tells us we only need to wash our dishes one time," Marissa said as Sam returned to the kitchen with her. "But a smart mother knows a pre-wash and post-wash are also necessary in addition to the regular washing."

"Oi," Sam said, looking at her kitchen, witch was completely rearranged. "Er, um…you know what? I can handle the dishes, Marissa…I'll just throw them in the dishwasher, so you can, you know, go now."

"Hmm, yes, the dishwasher," Marissa said snippily. "The sign that a wife has given up."

Sam rolled her eyes and bit her tongue.

"You know," Marissa said as Sam began to cram dishes into the dishwasher. "With Carly having a baby, and Gibby somehow finding the competency to father a child as well, it sort of makes me miss the days when I too could be wrapped up in all the baby talk."

"Huh?" Sam frowned.

"When are you going to give me another grandbaby?" Marissa exclaimed, causing Sam to nearly drop the casserole bowl she was holding.

"W-What?" she stuttered. "I-I don't-Isn't Jason enough for your craziness right now?"

"Of course, Jason's darling," Marissa said quickly. "But as I was forced to realize with my Freddikins, children _age_. They don't stay small and innocent forever. Soon they'll be ripping your heart out as they go on to leave you for another woman who can't even wash dishes correctly!"

"So basically you want Freddie and I to supply you with a never ending chain of grandchildren, is that right?" Sam said, rolling her eyes.

"That would be nice, yes."

"You're crazy," Sam said bluntly.

"So I'm supposed to just watch Jason outgrow me like my Fredward did?" Marissa demanded.

"I guess so," Sam said.

"Ah!" Marissa cried. "You can't do this to me!"

And with that she stormed out of the kitchen, leaving Sam in a state of shock and amusement.

…..

"Your mom said she wants more grandkids today, by the way," Sam said simply as she crawled into her and Freddie's bed.

"You _told _her we were trying?" Freddie exclaimed.

"No, of course not," Sam said. "She was just getting antsy I guess because Carly and Gibby are getting ready to have their babies."

"Well hopefully she'll get her wish soon," Freddie said.

"Yeah, she likes me more when I'm pregnant, I realized," Sam grinned. "When I was pregnant with Jason she treated me like a princess."

"Well, you heard what that fertility doctor told us," Freddie smiled, moving closer to his wife. "If we want that baby, we're gonna have to keep trying."

"You know, we're real lucky that trying for a baby doesn't involve anything too horrible," Sam smirked. "Otherwise I'd be getting _real _annoyed by now."

"Yeah, as much as I can't wait for us to get it, I got to say, I enjoy all of the 'effort' we have to put in," Freddie said.

"You're so lame," Sam laughed as she began to kiss him. "But it's kind of working for me right now…"


	262. Chapter 262

"What up, Fredwash?" Sam said, walking into Freddie's office at the studio.

"Hey," Freddie smiled, looking up from his computer. "What are you doing here?"

"Eh, my office is all boring, now that Carly started her maternity leave," Sam shrugged. "So I had nothing better to do than come down here and bug you."

"Don't you have, oh, I don't know, _work_, to be doing?" Freddie asked, rolling his eyes.

"I'll get to it," Sam said. "You're telling me you'd rather play on your stupid computer than enjoy your wife's company?"

"Well now that's just ridiculous," Freddie grinned, getting to his feet so he could kiss her.

"Baby?" Sam said when they pulled apart.

"Yeah?"

"Can you believe that in one month, Carly's gonna have her daughter?"

"I know, it seems like the time just flew, doesn't it?" Freddie agreed.

"And in two months," Sam continued, sitting down on the corner of his desk. "Gibby's gonna actually be a father."

"Frightening, I know," Freddie chuckled. "Hey? You okay?"

Sam shrugged, looking down at her lap. "Yeah."

"Sam…"

"Okay," Sam sighed. "It's just…I'm happy for them and all, but sometimes it's really hard not be jealous. Right now I-I wish it was me getting ready to have a baby in one month…I'm a horrible person, aren't I?"

"Why? Because you want another baby?" Freddie frowned. "No, you're not. You think I don't get jealous sometimes? But, I mean, soon it _will _be us preparing for our baby. We have our second appointment at the fertility doctor's tomorrow, maybe we can get some more help then."

Sam nodded. "You're right…I just hate that place…"

"It's not exactly enjoyable, I know," Freddie agreed.

"What are _you _talking about?" Sam snapped. "Your part's easy! I'm the one who has to be poked and jabbed everywhere!"

"Come on," Freddie said, rolling his eyes. "It can't be that bad."

Sam leaned over and flicked his head.

"Ow!"

"Yeah, imagine that multiplied by thirty, and then maybe you'll have an idea," Sam smirked.

…..

"So what'd you tell your mom we're doing again?" Sam asked the next morning.

"Looking at patio furniture," Freddie replied. "She can only watch Jason until noon, though, so I told her if we weren't back in time, to just drop Jason off across the hall with Spencer and Ella."

"Okay," Sam nodded, pulling her shoes on.

"You ready?"

"I guess," Sam said. "Or…we do have a few minutes before we really need to leave, right?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Well," Sam said, reaching into the drawer of her bedside table and pulling out a single pregnancy test. "We-We could always see if we could save a trip, you know?"

"You sure?" Freddie asked.

Sam nodded. "Yeah…I mean, why not?"

"Okay, go ahead," Freddie said.

Sam headed into the bathroom as Freddie sat down on their bed.

"I sort of feel good about this one," Sam said when she came out, sitting down next to him.

"Really?" Freddie asked. "You-You feel, you know, pregnant?"

"I don't know," Sam smiled. "I just feel like this is going to be the winner."

"Oh baby, if it's positive, I think I'm going to literally jump for joy," Freddie grinned, pulling her closer.

"Yeah, it will be about time," Sam said. "Seven months of trying…that's crazy!"

"So what feels different to you?" Freddie asked.

"I don't know," Sam said. "I-I can't really explain it."

The five minutes had passed, and Sam, feeling confident, looked down at the test in her hand, only to feel her heart drop. "N-Negative?"

"It-It's okay," Freddie said, rubbing his wife's back soothingly.

"I-I was so sure," Sam whispered, tears beginning to fall from her eyes. "I thought I-, I guess my instincts are off."

"It was a mistake," Freddie said, wiping her tears away. "You-You were probably just nervous about the doctors or something."

"Mommy?" Jason said, standing in his parents' doorway. "Why mommy cry?"

"Oh, come here," Sam said, quickly wiping her tears as Freddie took the test and tossed in the trash.

"Mommy sad?"

"Yeah, a little," Sam said, giving him a small smile.

Jason gave her a big, wet kiss on her cheek. "All better!"

Sam and Freddie laughed.

"Yeah, you made mommy all better," Sam said, hugging him tightly.

…..

"Samantha Benson?"

"I guess I'll see you in his office again," Sam sighed, getting to her feet when the nurse called her name at the doctors'.

"I wish I could be in there with you," Freddie told her.

"Yeah, I bet," Sam smirked.

Freddie continued to wait in the waiting room once Sam left. About five minutes later his name was called.

"Okay, Mr. Benson," the grouchy looking nurse said. "You know the drill. Go in that room and get to it."

"Um…okay then," Freddie nodded. As much as he was sure this was better than anything Sam was enduring right now, he still felt a little uncomfortable during his part.

"Wait, wait, wait!" a younger, friendlier nurse said, hurrying over to him. "Good, I got you before you went it. Mr. Benson, Dr. Lophus wants you to go in with your wife right now."

"Why? Is she okay?" he asked.

"She's fine, but he just said he wants you both in there," the nurse said. "Follow me and I'll take you to her."

Somewhat relieved that he wouldn't have to do his part at that moment, Freddie followed the nurse back to one of the examination rooms, where Sam was sitting on a very odd looking chair.

"Hey, what's going on?" Freddie asked.

"I dunno," Sam shrugged. "Dr. Lophus started to do his annoying little examination on me, but then like, five seconds into it, he stopped, told a nurse to go get you and then disappeared…you-you don't think anything's wrong?"

"He-He said last time everything was fine," Freddie said, though beginning to feel a little anxious.

The two waited in silence for nearly ten minutes before Dr. Lophus returned.

"Okay you two," Dr. Lophus said. "Now that you're together…I have to tell you that I can't complete my examination on you, Mrs. Benson."

"What? Why?" Sam exclaimed. "You said there was nothing wrong with me last time?"

"Is she okay?" Freddie asked. "What did you find? Did-Did something happen between our last visit and now?"

"No, no," Dr. Lophus said quickly. "And I was very right when I said there was nothing wrong with you. In fact, it seems like you two have taken it upon yourselves to _prove _that."

"What do you mean?" Freddie frowned.

"Mrs. Benson," Dr. Lophus said. "I cannot perform a fertility examination on you because you are pregnant. Congratulations."

"I-I'm pregnant?" Sam stammered. She looked up at Freddie, who was just as shocked at she was. "Are you serious?"

"Very," the doctor nodded.

"But she took a test right before she came here," Freddie said. "And it came up negative."

"Yes, well most tests won't show up positive until the third week, at least," Dr. Lophus explained. "Your wife is at the most two weeks along. I only caught it because I was about to do a very complex examination."

"I'm pregnant," Sam said again, a wide smile appearing on her face where the look of shock had once been.

"I'll give you two a moment," the doctor smiled, heading out of the examination room.

"Oh my God," Freddie said, wrapping his arms around her. "We did it! We're gonna have another baby!"

"I knew I felt different," Sam said as Freddie kissed her deeply. "I _knew _it."

"We'll have to go make an appointment at your other doctor," Freddie said. "I-I still can't believe…wow, I-I forgot how amazing this feeling is."

"Me too," Sam nodded. She leaned up to kiss him again. "Freddie…I love you so much."

"I love you too, Sam," Freddie smiled, still holding her tightly.


	263. Chapter 263

"Well, there it is," Sam smiled, looking down at the pregnancy test, where a pink plus sign had appeared.

The doctor had suggested for them to take another pregnancy test a week later just to absolutely confirm that Sam was, in fact, pregnant.

"It's official then," Freddie said.

"So what do we do now?" Sam asked. "Who do we tell first? Do-Do we want to wait until after Carly and Gibby have their babies?"

"Maybe we should," Freddie nodded. "I wouldn't want to steal their spotlight."

"Yeah, same," Sam agreed. "Well what about our parents?"

"Well, my mom would probably be so happy she'd tell anyone she met," Freddie pointed out.

"Yeah, and my mom can't keep secrets," Sam said. "So they're both out I guess. What about Jason? We have to tell him he's going to be a big brother in nine months."

"I know, but do you really expect a _two-year old _to keep it a secret?" Freddie smirked.

"Good point…" Sam said. "I guess we can tell him right before we tell everyone else. So for right now…looks like it's our little secret."

"Looks like it," Freddie chuckled, pulling his wife close to him. "It'll be sort of fun, keeping such a big thing from everyone for awhile."

"Yeah, don't blow it, Fredbutt," Sam said.

"Why do you think _I'd _blow it?" Freddie frowned.

"Because out of the two of us, I'm the only one who knows how to keep a secret," Sam said, rolling her eyes.

"That is _so _not true!"

"Whatever you say," Sam said, rolling her eyes. "Anyway, I'm gonna go to Carly's. Andy's at work, and she just texted me that she _really _wants a smoothie, so I figured I'd be nice and get her one…I just hope she remembers this in a few months."

…

"Alright," Sam said, letting herself into Carly and Andy's apartment. "I have one Strawberry Mango Mambo for a Carly Danielson."

"Thanks, you're the best," Carly said, taking her beverage from Sam. She took a sip. "Oh my God, that's the stuff."

"So how is it being cooped up in this place?" Sam asked.

"Boring," Carly sighed.

"I'm sorry, kid," Sam said, sipping her own smoothie. "But hey, you have T.V., can't get too bored with that!"

"You'd be surprised," Carly mumbled. "So what's up with you and Freddie?"

"Nothing," Sam said simply. "Hey, if you're bored, why don't you try to start drawing like you've been saying you wanted to. I know you suck at it now and all, but since you've got nothing better to do, you can-Okay, um, why are you staring at me like that?"

"Because," Carly frowned, looking her best friend over. "Something seems…different."

"Different?"

"Yeah," Carly nodded slowly. "Something's different about you, but I just can't put my finger on-Oh my God!"

"What?"

"You're pregnant!" Carly exclaimed.

"Huh? Um, no-no I'm not," Sam said quickly.

"Yes you are!" Carly squealed, shaking Sam's shoulders. "You're totally pregnant, aren't you?"

"I-Okay, yeah, I am!" Sam grinned.

"No way!" Carly said, throwing her arms around the blonde. "This is unbelievable! When'd you find out?"

"Last week," Sam said.

"And I'm only finding out _now_?"

"Well, Freddie and I wanted to wait until after you and Gibby had your babies," Sam explained. "You know, because we didn't want to steal your spotlights."

"Sam, you're not stealing my spotlight!" Carly said, rolling her eyes. "I'm still having my baby! I'm just so excited for you and Freddie! You guys are already the perfect little family with Jason, now you'll be even happier. So when are you due? How far along are you?"

"Um, I'm just at three weeks," Sam said. "And I have my first appointment with my doctor tomorrow, so he'll be able to tell me a rough due date then, I guess."

"Well congratulations," Carly smiled. "And listen, if you guys want to wait to tell everyone else, I promise to keep it a secret."

"Thanks, Carls," Sam said.

"You think you're gonna have a girl this time?" Carly asked. "Or another boy?"

"I don't know," Sam laughed. "I'll find out in nine months, won't I?"

"You're gonna wait to find out the sex _again_?" Carly moaned. "You know there's only so many gender neutral things I can buy for your baby!"

"Freddie and I liked being surprised with Jason," Sam shrugged.

"Well, I would've exploded with anticipation," Carly said. "Besides, it's so much easier to plan when you know the gender. You know how to paint the nursery, what clothes to buy, you can get a better idea of names…oh! Speaking of which, Andy and I have officially narrowed it down to two names for our daughter."

"Oh, please share," Sam grinned.

"Claire," Carly said. "And Melissa. What do you think?"

"They're both really pretty," Sam said.

"Thanks," Carly said. "Claire is Andy's grandma's name, and-and Melissa was my mom's name."

"Aw, that's sweet," Sam said.

"Yeah," Carly nodded. "Of course we still have five pages of ideas for _middle _names, but that's another story. I mean, who knows? We could wind up giving her two middle names, I hear a lot of people are doing that now."

"Seems complicated," Sam said. "But whatever floats your boat."


	264. Chapter 264

"And I'm the one who's bad at keeping secrets?" Freddie smirked later that night when Sam had told him that Carly now knew she was pregnant.

"I didn't tell her!" Sam snapped. "She just knew all on her own; pregnant women must be able to sniff out other pregnant chicks, I don't know. But she said she wouldn't mention it to anyone."

"Yeah, well, it'll be good to have one person who knows, I guess," Freddie reasoned. "It'll make things easier."

Sam lay down on the couch and rested her hands on her flat stomach. "I'm so happy we're gonna do this again."

"Me too," Freddie smiled, resting his hand next to hers.

"What do you think it's gonna be like?" Sam whispered. "Having two kids?"

"Well," Freddie said. "I think it's gonna be a lot more work…but it's bound to be worth it. Jason will be a big brother…he'll be protective, but I'll bet we'll have to deal with fights sometimes. And we'll have two birthday parties to throw, two Christmas stockings to stuff, two kids to have run into our room when there's a thunderstorm…"

"Sounds fun," Sam said. She sat up and looked at Freddie. "I can't wait."

"Me neither," Freddie said. "But, we have a lot to do during that wait."

"That's true," Sam nodded. "Shopping, picking out names, finding all of Jason's old newborn stuff…I guess we'll be busy."

"Mommy!" Jason said, running into the living room with his favorite dinosaur stuffed animal. "Pay dino with me!"

"You wanna play?" Sam grinned, sitting Jason down on her lap. "Okay, how about we play 'make the dinosaur attack daddy'?"

"Ya!" Jason laughed, jumping up and tackling his father.

"Come here!" Freddie said, picking his son up and tossing him in the air. "Won't be that easy!"

…..

"Well, one week left!" Carly said, pouring her and Sam two cups of decaff coffee. "And then I'm gonna be a mom! You hear that little Claire/Melissa? I'm gonna meet you soon!"

"I can't wait to see her too," Sam said, sipping her coffee. "Just try not to explode from excitement during this next week, okay?"

"I'll try," Carly chuckled. "And my doctor told me that she can actually come at any time now. A lot of women don't actually make it to their due dates, but as long as it's within a few weeks of the date, the baby will still be healthy. I mean, you had Jason a little early, right?"

"Yeah, two weeks early, I think," Sam nodded.

"Right, so I'm actually hoping she decides to come any day now," Carly said. "I mean I love being pregnant and all, but I _will _be kind of nice to see my feet again…and sleep on my stomach instead of my back. And not have to wake up at the crack of dawn every morning to vomit. Or have my back feel like it just got slammed with a bag of bricks."

Sam laughed. "Being pregnant is a real blast, isn't it?"

"Totally," Carly grinned. "And you get to do it all over again."

…..

Freddie awoke to the sound of someone making an awful retching sound, and as he slowly opened his eyes, he found Sam's side of the bed empty.

"Morning sickness finally kicking in?" Freddie asked, quickly coming to his wife's side in the bathroom, pulling her hair back for her.

"Yeah," Sam mumbled, grabbing a towel and wiping her face.

"I'm sorry," Freddie said. "If I could do it for you, I would."

"I'll get over it," Sam smiled. "Oh, toss me my phone, will you?"

"Why?" Freddie asked, handing over her Pearphone from her nightstand.

"It's Carly's due date, remember!" Sam said. "I want to see if anything happened yet."

"I'm sure Andy's ready for this pregnancy to be over with," Freddie chuckled. "The other day he was telling me that Carly woke him up at three in the morning and asked him to make her a tuna fish sandwich, only to have her change her mind four times."

"Hey, Carls!" Sam said once her best friend answered. "Any baby yet?"

"No!" Carly said bitterly. "Nothing! I thought she'd be here by now, what's taking her so long? Huh?"

"Um…you-you must just be a really good home for her," Sam offered. "She doesn't want to leave."

"Well she better be getting ready to leave soon!" Carly exclaimed. "Because I'm hot, bloated, irritable-"

"Really?" Sam said, rolling her eyes.

"Don't start with me, Benson!" Carly snapped. "And I _really _want some onion rings right now. Hey! Andy!"

"Freddie and I will bring you some onion rings, Carls," Sam assured her.

"Aw, thanks!" Carly said. "You guys are the best. And don't worry, when you're in my position in nine months, I'll-Oh my God!"

"What?" Sam frowned.

"Yes! Finally! I-I think my water just broke!" Carly said.

"Whoa, holy chiz, are you sure?" Sam asked, her eyes widening.

"Yes, _very _sure," Carly replied. "Andy! Andy, it's time! It's finally-ow! _That's _what contractions feel like?"

"Just have Andy drive you to the hospital, and Freddie and I will meet you there as soon as we can," Sam said.

"Okay," Carly said. "Bye."

"Good luck," Sam said, hanging up.

"What's going on?" Freddie asked.

"Come on, let's go drop Jason off at your mom's really quick and then get to the hospital," Sam said. "Carly's finally going into labor."


	265. Chapter 265

"Hurry up, Fredward!"

"You know hospital's have a no running policy," Freddie said, rolling his eyes.

"Then power walk, will you?" Sam snapped. "221…221…Here it is!"

She quickly walked into the room, preparing herself to hear a lot of screams, but instead found Carly laying in a hospital bed, watching T.V.

"Oh, hey Sam!" Carly smiled, looking over at her best friend. "Can you believe it? She's finally coming! I'm gonna see my daughter!"

"You sure you're in labor?" Sam frowned as Freddie caught up to her and joined her in the room. "You seem pretty…relaxed."

"She just got her epidural," Andy explained.

"Ah," Sam nodded. "Well look what we got you in the gift shop!"

She set down a large bouquet of pink flowers and a pink stuffed bear on the table next to the bed.

"Oh, they're so cute, thanks!" Carly smiled.

"You know how far you are?" Freddie asked.

"Um, the doctor told me I was five centimeters dilated about ten minutes ago," Carly said.

"He said we'll have to wait at least another hour before the baby starts to crown," Andy said.

"Well, at least you got the drugs kid," Sam said. "Oh, and we called Spencer on our way over here, he should be here any minute."

"Thanks," Carly said.

"You feeling nervous?" Sam asked knowingly.

"A-A little," Carly nodded. "Mostly excited, though. But…the epidural's not really gonna be too much help when the pushing part comes, is it?"

"Um, why-why don't you cross that bridge when you get to it?" Sam said quickly.

"I'm here! I'm here!" Spencer exclaimed suddenly, rushing into the room. "Did I miss it? Did I miss my niece?"

"No, you're fine," Carly said. "I'm glad you could make it, Spence."

"No problem," Spencer said, kissing his baby sister on the cheek. "How you feeling?"

"Anxious," Carly sighed.

"Do you want anything, baby?" Andy asked his wife. "I can go get you some more of those ice chips? More pillows?"

"No, just stay with me, okay?" Carly said, taking his hand. "Believe me, you've done more than enough for me during this whole thing." She looked up at Sam. "So have you."

"Me?" Sam frowned. "Carls, what have I done?"

"You've just…been there," Carly said. "You were the one who answered all my questions, told me what to do, dealt with my mood swings. It's really meant a lot to me."

"I think these drugs are starting to make you a little loopy here, Carly," Sam smiled.

"Maybe," Carly yawned.

"You tired?" Freddie asked.

"A little," Carly nodded.

"We'll give you some peace and quiet then, and go down to the waiting room," Spencer said.

"I'll come and get you the second she's born," Andy promised.

"You better," Sam said warningly.

…

"Gibby said he's gonna stop by tonight to see Carly, since he can't get off of work right now," Freddie said, hanging up his Pearphone nearly two hours later.

"Melanie is too," Sam nodded.

"Man, what's taking so long?" Spencer moaned. "I've already colored Dina's entire coloring book I found out in my car!"

"There's some magazines over there," Freddie suggested.

"You want me to _read_?" Spencer scoffed. "Please."

"Exactly what I said," Sam grinned as the two knocked their knuckles together.

"But seriously though," Spencer said. "I thought it was only supposed to be another hour!"

"The baby must be taking longer to crown then the doctors thought," Freddie said.

"No duh, genius," Sam said rolling her eyes.

Just then Andy, wearing a set of hospital scrubs, finally ran into the waiting room.

"Well," he said, barely able to contain his smile. "She's finally here."

"Yes!" Spencer yelled, jumping to his feet.

"Well what the heck are we standing around here for then?" Sam said. "Take us to her!"

Andy led them up to the delivery room, where they all rushed in and saw Carly sitting on her hospital bed, looking exhausted but ecstatic, as she held a tiny bundle of pink blankets.

"Oh my God, Carls, she's so tiny!" Sam said as everyone gathered around her bed.

"Yup, seven pounds, ten ounces," Carly smiled.

"Wow, she's beautiful, Carly," Freddie said.

"Yeah, and look! She's opening her eyes!" Spencer said.

The newborn opened her dark eyes, looking around the room full of people.

"You guys wanna hold her?" Carly asked. She gently passed her daughter to Sam.

"Did you pick her name yet?" Sam whispered, looking down at Carly's new daughter. "Or are you still picking between Claire and Melissa?"

Carly and Andy looked at each other.

"Actually, we _couldn't _decide," Andy said.

"Yeah, while I was dozing off and on after you guys left earlier," Carly said. "We realized that we absolutely loved _both _names. And then it hit us…why not combine them?"

"What do you mean?" Spencer asked.

"We're naming her Clarissa," Carly told them. "Clarissa Sky Danielson."

"Well then hey there Clarissa," Sam said, grinning down at the newborn as Clarissa grabbed onto one of her fingers.

"My turn! My turn!" Spencer said impatiently, and Sam passed her to him.

"That'll be us again soon," Freddie whispered to Sam.

"I know," Sam whispered back, grabbing his hand. "Can't wait."

"Me neither," Freddie smiled.


	266. Chapter 266

"Look at her," Carly said, smiling down at her daughter as she gently placed her in her crib. "So tiny and helpless."

"And surrounded by pink," Sam added, looking around the nursery.

"It's her favorite color," Carly defended.

"_How _could you possibly know that?" Sam asked, amused.

"I just do," Carly said. "Now come on, I don't want to wake her."

"So when do you go back to work?" Sam asked as the two left the nursery.

"Um, eight weeks," Carly replied. "How's the place holding up?"

"Well I'm so bored half the time that I wind up going and bugging Fredward," Sam said. "So he'll probably be thrilled to have you back too."

"I don't know how I'm gonna leave Clarissa, though," Carly sighed. "I mean you have no idea how much I wanna run back in there now and just watch her sleep!"

"Well, you still have a while," Sam reasoned. "And do you know who's gonna watch Clarissa for you when you _do _come back?"

"Spencer told us she's more than welcome to stay with him, like Jason does," Carly said.

"That guy should open up his own daycare," Sam mumbled.

"But I think Andy's gonna stay with her instead," Carly told her.

"How?" Sam frowned. "He works at the vet's office."

"Yeah, and he still will," Carly said. "But he was talking to his boss yesterday, and apparently there's this new position available that would involve him working only the weekends. He'd be getting paid the same amount he gets now, but he'd be able to watch Clarissa while I go to work. He seems really into the idea. He said his dad didn't really have a chance to spend to much time with him when he was growing up because he had to work all the time, and he doesn't want to let that happen with him and Clarissa."

"Aw, that's sweet," Sam said.

"I know," Carly said. "I can already tell she's gonna be a daddy's girl. Andy's gonna spoil her worse than me."

"All dudes are like that with their daughters," Sam said. "Melanie said that ever since Nicole started to talk, Cody will take her to the toy store and buy her anything that she says 'want' to. And we both know that Dina has Spencer wrapped around her finger."

"Guys are such suckers for their daughters," Carly chuckled. "You think Freddie will be that way if you two have a girl this time?"

"Oh totally," Sam nodded. "I think he's actually hoping for a girl this time around."

"What about you?"

"Eh, it _would _be nice to have one of each," Sam shrugged. "But another boy would be cute too. Him and Jason could be all buddy-buddy."

"Well, if you would just _let _the doctor tell you-"

"No, Carly!"

…..

"I don't know, I think I'm taking her side on this one," Freddie said into his Pearphone as Sam returned home from Carly's later that day.

"Who you talking to?" Sam asked, throwing her jacket on the floor by the door.

"Gibby," he told her. "He's upset because Tasha wants to eat the last of his fancy peanut butter."

"Oh for the love of ham, give me that!" Sam said, grabbing her husbands phone. "Gibby! Let your wife eat the dang peanut butter!"

"But it's made from special peanuts from Spain!" Gibby argued on the other end. "And it makes my face feel all soft and nice. Besides, I offered to go buy her all the _normal _peanut butter she wants from the store, but she claims mine has a special taste."

"Gibby! Listen to the words coming out of my mouth," Sam said firmly. "Either you give your pregnant wife that peanut butter, or I will come over there and beat you up _for _her. Understand?"

"Freddie owes me more Spanish peanut butter," Gibby mumbled.

"I don't know how many times I can say this, but _how _is that guy gonna be a dad soon?" Sam asked, tossing Freddie his phone back.

"Hey, I think he'll rise to the occasion," Freddie said. "He was over here earlier and I left him alone with Jason so I could run to the bathroom, and when I came back, Jason was still in one piece and Gibby wasn't crying like last time."

"Well that's a start I guess," Sam shrugged.

"Yup," Freddie agreed. "So, how are you feeling? Any cravings yet? Do your feet hurt? Want me to give you a massage?"

"I'm barely a month along, Fredwad, that stuff doesn't start happening for another few weeks," Sam reminded him. "But I won't say no to that massage."

"How were Carly and Clarissa doing?" Freddie asked as he began to rub his wife's shoulders.

"They're still in that honeymoon phase," Sam grinned. "I had to actually talk Carly out of waking Clarissa up before I left because Carly said that she missed her."

"Did you tell her that soon she'll be praying for Clarissa to stay asleep for more than a few hours at a time?" Freddie chuckled.

"She didn't believe me," Sam said. "But we were the same way with Jason, weren't we?"

"Think we'll be the same way with baby number two?" Freddie asked. "I mean with Jason we were fresh and well rested when we started out. This time we're already going to be beaten down by a two year old."

"Jason's gonna be three by the time we have the baby, remember?" Sam said. "Three and a half, actually, my due date's in June."

"Well I'm sure we'll still be exhausted from just handling him," Freddie said.

"Especially if he keeps up this 'wake up at six' routine of his," Sam nodded.

"We'll manage," Freddie said.

"I know we will," Sam smiled.


	267. Chapter 267

"Hey, mom?" Sam said, walking into her mother's house. "Do you have any old pictures of me when I was like, two years old?"

"I dunno," Pam shrugged. "Why?"

"Because Jason's supposed to bring in pictures of his parents when they were his age for show and tell at that pre preschool place," Sam replied. "So do you have any pictures or not?"

"If I do, they're in one of those photo albums over there in that pile by the litter box," Pam told her. "Hey, did you bring Jason with you?"

"Nah," Sam replied. "Freddie's mom's watching him for me because I ran out to pick up dinner before I swung over here."

"You know, I was thinking," Pam said.

"Oh no," Sam mumbled, knowing from years of living under this roof that that was _never _a promising phrase.

"Why don't I ever get to see Jason?"

"What?" Sam said, still looking through the pile. "You see him all the time. Last week you came over for ribs, remember?"

"Yeah, but why don't I ever get to be _alone _with him," Pam asked. "You know, babysit for a few hours, like Benson's mom does."

"Um, well…" Sam started. "Freddie's mom lives-lives a little closer to us, so-"

"You said the other day it was about the same distance from here," Pam said, crossing her arms.

"Did-Did I?" Sam frowned. "Well, um…hey you know who lives even _closer _to you? Melanie! I figured you got your grandma fix out of the way with Nicole."

"Melanie never leaves me with Nicole either," Pam said, crossing her arms. "I know what it is…my own kids don't trust me enough to watch my grandchildren."

"What? Pfft, that-that's crazy," Sam said lamely.

"Well then let me babysit Jason for a couple of hours," her mother said simply.

"Er…well, I-Hey look! I found the photo album!" Sam said quickly. "Well later, mom!"

And with that she quickly ran out of the house.

…

"See the baby Jason?" Sam said, setting the toddler on her lap so that he could get a better look at Clarissa, who was sleeping in Carly's arms. "That's Clarissa."

"She little," Jason stated.

"Babies are always little like that, sweetie," Sam explained. "You were too, you know?"

Jason's mouth dropped in shock.

"Hard to believe, isn't it?" Carly chuckled. "Because you're such a big boy now."

"Mommy? I show baby Dino?" Jason asked.

"Who's Dino?" Carly asked.

"His stuffed dinosaur," Sam replied. She turned back to Jason. "Clarissa's sleeping right now, but why don't you go get it so you can show her when she wakes up?"

"Okay!" he said happily, running up to his room.

"He's still into dinosaurs?" Carly asked.

"_Really _into them," Sam nodded. She picked up the photo album she had gotten from her mother's house and began flipping through it. "Man, my mom _sucked _at keeping pictures."

"At least she tried," Carly pointed out. "That's something."

"Yeah, I guess," Sam nodded. "But she barely has any of me or Melanie in here where we're not together."

"There's one," Carly said, pointing to a picture of a small, blonde girl playing with some blocks. "Is that you or Melanie?"

"No idea," Sam said.

"You can't tell?" Carly asked, amused.

"We're little here!" Sam defended. "Besides, my mom could barely tell us apart when we were kids. I mean, for all I know, she wound up mixing us up and _I'm _really Melanie…Man, now _that's _a scary thought."

Just then the Benson's door opened and Melanie came in.

"Hey, Mel," Sam said, holding up the picture for her sister. "You know if this is me or you?"

"No clue," Melanie said.

"Eh, I'll just say it's me," Sam shrugged. "Jason needs these pictures tomorrow. At least we had no trouble finding one of Freddie when _he _was little. Do you know his mom has five photo albums of him for each year? And that's including his high school years too."

"Wow, that's some dedication," Carly commented.

"Hey, Sam, do you have any idea why mom just called me claiming that she never gets to spend anytime with her grandkids?" Melanie asked.

Sam groaned. "Is she still on that?"

"What's going on?" Carly asked.

"When I was over there today she asked why Freddie's mom always babysat Jason instead of her," Sam replied.

"Yeah, and she wanted to know why she never got to spend any one-on-one time with Nicole too," Melanie said.

"Come on," Carly said, rolling her eyes. "I'm sure she's spent time with Jason and Nicole by herself."

"Nope," Sam said.

"She hasn't," Melanie echoed.

"Really?" Carly frowned. "Why?"

"Um, because I _like _Jason," Sam said.

"Yeah, don't get us wrong, we love our mom," Melanie said. "But she doesn't have the best track record with kids…"

"Yeah, when we were four, she tried to get us to perform in a circus to make a few extra bucks," Sam said.

"And then there was the time she sold all our toys and gave us kitchen appliances to play with for the next few months," Melanie added.

"Oh, and remember the time she made us chug six packs of Peppy Cola and entered us in that race?" Sam recalled.

"I really don't know how we turned out normal," Melanie frowned.

"Well you guys," Carly said. "If your mom's this upset about not getting to spend any quality time with her grandkids, it could be because she's matured. I mean, I'm sure she wouldn't do any of that stuff with Jason or Nicole."

"Then why don't you leave Clarissa with her for an afternoon?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Er…well, like I said, she's interested in spending time with her _grandkids_," Carly said quickly. "Not random babies."

"You know…" Melanie said thoughtfully. "Maybe she's got a point."

"What?" Sam exclaimed.

"Come on, she's our mother," Melanie said. "And I mean, sure she's not a traditional care-giver, but she _does _love Jason and Nicole. I'm-I'm sure maybe letting her babysit one afternoon wouldn't be so bad."

"Are you hearing yourself?" Sam frowned.

"Yeah, and I thought you weren't exactly Freddie's mom's biggest fan," Carly added. "So wouldn't it be nice to try a sitter who _won't _give your son tick baths every time he comes over?"

"I may not be _crazy _about her, but at least I know _she _won't try and enter Jason in a roller derby!" Sam snapped. "I'd rather have him take tick baths than go through any of _my _mom's little stunts."

"How about this?" Melanie suggested. "We drop Jason and Nicole off for just an hour with her one afternoon? An hour, that's it. No more."

Sam didn't say anything.

"It'll be fine," Carly assured her.

"Okay," Sam sighed. "We'll leave them there for one hour. But that's it! And if Jason comes back to me with green hair, both of you are getting it."


	268. Chapter 268

"So we're really doing this?" Sam asked as she walked up to her mom's door with Jason.

"Yes," Melanie nodded, shifting Nicole in her arms. "We're gonna drop them off, go get lunch, and then come pick them up. It'll be fine."

She knocked on her mother's door, and a second later Pam appeared.

"Ganma!" Jason said happily.

"Hey, Jason," Pam grinned. She looked up at Sam. "See? He's _happy _that I'm babysitting him."

"He's also happy when I let him play with a roll of toilet paper," Sam mumbled under her breath.

"Right, anyway," Melanie said, giving her twin a warning glance. She handed her mother a diaper bag. "Here are all of Nicole's things. I put two jars of baby food in there for lunch, a bottle and some of her toys. She'll probably fall asleep right after you feed her."

"Yeah, and Jason has a peanut butter sandwich and some juice in here for him," Sam said, handing over another bag. "He brought some coloring books and a DVD he likes…unless you sold the DVD player for a bikini again."

"Well this one is very slimming on me," Pam defended.

"Yeah I doubt that," Sam said, rolling her eyes. She kneeled down and gave Jason a quick kiss on the head. "Okay Jason, grandma's gonna watch you for a little bit. So just…be careful."

"Bye mommy!" Jason smiled.

"Bye Nicole," Melanie said, handing her daughter to her mother. "Be a good girl, okay? I'll see you in an hour."

"I can't believe I let you and Carly talk me into this," Sam mumbled as her and Melanie headed back to their car.

"It-It will be nice for her," Melanie said, though she looked over her shoulder at the house somewhat nervously.

…

"How much longer until the hour's up?" Sam asked.

"Thirty-eight minutes," Freddie told her as him, Sam, Carly, and Melanie sat down at table at the Groovy Smoothie with their food.

"Its really only been twenty-two minutes?" Melanie frowned. "Dang…"

"Someone regretting her little idea now?" Sam smirked.

"Guys, Jason and Nicole are fine," Carly said, gently lifting Clarissa from her stroller and placing a bottle into her tiny mouth.

"Think mom would get upset if I called and checked up on them?" Melanie asked Sam.

"Relax, your mom _did _raise two kids of her own," Freddie reminded the twins.

"How can you be so calm when your son's probably being forced to witness my mom giving herself another tattoo or something?" Sam snapped.

"She's your mother," Freddie reasoned.

"Exactly, I'm familiar with her work," Sam muttered as Freddie's phone rang.

"It's Gib," Freddie said, looking at his caller ID. He picked up. "Hey Gib, what's-what? Really? How is she?"

"What happened?" Carly frowned.

"Tasha just went into labor," Freddie whispered quickly. He went back to his call. "Okay, can she walk to the car? No! I don't expect her to drive! Help her out to the passenger side and then _you _drive her to the hospital. I'll-huh? I don't _care _about your current standings with those nurses! You get your wife to the hospital so she can deliver your son! I'll meet you guys there."

"Tasha's really gonna have their baby?" Carly grinned excitedly.

"Wow, that poor kid has no idea what he's getting himself into, coming out to a Gibby," Sam said.

"I'm gonna get over to the hospital," Freddie said, getting to his feet.

"Tell Gibby and Tasha good luck from us," Melanie said.

"Yeah, tell him I'll be over there as soon as Andy gets home to watch Clarissa," Carly said.

"Yeah, and I'll come over once your mom gets home to watch Jason," Sam said. "Because an hour's _more _than enough time for my mom to be watching him."

"Okay, I'll call you guys if anything happens," Freddie said, giving his wife a quick kiss as he ran out.

"Wow, it's finally happening," Carly said, sipping her smoothie. "Our little Gibby…he's gonna be a daddy."

…

"See, they're both in one piece," Pam said proudly as Melanie and Sam arrived back at their mother's doorstep exactly an hour later.

"Yes…they are," Melanie said, quickly looking over her daughter. "Well…thanks mom."

"Yeah, I guess they don't look like they were entered into any mud fights," Sam said. She looked down at Jason. "You have fun with grandma?"

"Ya!" Jason smiled. "We pay!"

"I taught the kid how to play Go Fish…the Vegas way," Pam said.

"The Vegas way?" Melanie frowned. "How do you play-?"

"I don't really want to know," Sam said quickly, scooping Jason up in her arms. "Okay, well mom, you didn't do half bad…I guess if you wanted to…we could do this again some time."

"Sweet!" Pam said. "Just make it on a day where my Plastic Surgery group's in town, so I can show off my grandmaing skills."

"Um…we'll see," Melanie said. "Bye mom."

…

"I wonder how Tasha's doing right now," Carly said a few hours later as her and Sam sat in her apartment.

"She's probably fine," Sam said, looking up from the picture she was helping Jason draw on the kitchen table. "Gibby's the one who's probably freaking out."

"I can't wait to see him, though," Carly said. "You excited to see the new baby too, Jason?"

"I like baby," Jason said, happily coloring.

"So," Carly whispered as Sam got up to pour herself a bowl of chips. "You and Freddie gonna tell Jason soon about the baby?"

"Yeah, maybe tonight or tomorrow," Sam nodded. "Now that Gibby and Tasha are having their baby, we'll probably tell everyone soon, so we won't have to worry about him spilling the beans."

"He's gonna be such a good big brother," Carly chuckled.

Just then Sam's phone rang, and she looked down at it to see it was her husband.

"Hey," she said, answering, putting it on speaker so Carly could hear too. "How is everything over there?"

"Well, Gibby passed out exactly three times," Freddie said. "But Tasha just delivered their baby. They're now the parents of a healthy six-pound eleven ounce baby boy."

"Aw! How adorable!" Carly smiled.

"Yeah, he's really cute," Freddie chuckled. "And Tasha and Gibby even already named him. You ready for this?"

"Lay it on us," Sam said.

"Quincy," Freddie told them. "Quincy Lawrence Gibson."

"Well that's…unique," Carly said.

"Yeah, I know," Freddie said. "Anyway, if you guys want to come see him, you should try and get here soon; visiting hours all almost up. Sam, my mom should be back by now so she can watch Jason. I'm sure she wouldn't mind watching Clarissa either for you, Carly, if Andy's not back."

"Okay, we'll be there in a little," Sam said.

"I want see baby!" Jason pouted.

"You will, just not right now," Sam told him. "Come on, we're gonna go see your other grandma right now, okay? You know, the one who _won't _teach you to gamble with Go Fish?"


	269. Chapter 269

"Isn't he adorable?" Tasha smiled as she showed Carly and Sam her newborn son. "He looks just like his daddy."

"Let's hope he outgrows that then," Sam mumbled under her breath, earing her a glare from Carly.

"He's perfect, you guys," Carly said.

"Yeah, he's really cute," Sam nodded.

"Thanks," Gibby said. "And when I was feeding him a few hours ago, I think he was really close to saying 'daddy'."

"Gib…babies don't talk for at least eight or nine months," Carly said. "And even then, it's just baby gibberish."

"Well maybe _Quincy's _a genius," Gibby said.

"Um…okay," Sam said, giving him a strange look.

"Him and little Clarissa can have play dates soon," Carly said, cooing over the infant. "And in a little bit, so can-"

"Not now," Sam hissed.

"Oh, right, sorry," Carly whispered.

"I've got to remember to get some pics for my blog," Gibby said.

"You still have that rag?" Sam frowned.

"Um, _yeah_."

"So you feel any different, you guys?" Carly asked before Sam could further insult Gibby's blog.

"Definitely, it's such a wonderful feeling to have that sweet little baby boy look up to you," Tasha said.

"Yeah, it's been a lot of fun so far," Gibby nodded.

"Excuse me, Mr. and Mrs. Gibson?" a nurse said, poking her head into the room. "Visiting hours are nearly up."

"We'll get going then," Carly said. She looked down at the infant in Tasha's hands. "Bye Quincy. I'll be seeing you again real soon."

"Yeah, good luck with your Gibby," Sam smiled.

….

"Mommy!" Jason said, running over to Sam as she walked through the front door after getting back from the hospital.

"Hey, what are you still doing up?" Sam asked. "It's almost ten o'clock."

"He fell asleep at my mom's around seven, so he's full of energy," Freddie sighed as Sam sat down next to him on the couch. "So did you see Quincy?"

"Yeah, good thing Tasha's a model," Sam said. "So her looks canceled out Gibby's and the kid wound up looking normal."

"Baby?" Jason said, climbing up onto Sam's lap.

"Yeah, you wanna see pictures?" Sam asked, pulling out her Pearphone. "See? That's Quincy. He's really little, like Clarissa, isn't he?"

"Baby nice," Jason said.

"Yeah, babies are nice, aren't they?" Freddie chuckled. "Hey? You wanna go show mommy the cool new book grandma bought you?"

"Ya!" Jason said, hurrying off.

"Hey," Freddie said once Jason was out of earshot. "Now that Gibby and Carly both had their baby and we're obviously gonna tell everyone our news soon…"

"You wanna tell Jason now?" Sam asked knowingly.

"Come on, he's gonna be so happy!" Freddie said. "Don't you wanna see his little face light up? And it's not like he's gonna be falling asleep anytime soon."

"True," Sam nodded. She _had _been eager to see Jason's reaction to the news of his new sibling. "Okay, let's tell him!"

"Book," Jason said, returning to the room with a large board book titled _Cleaning is Calming_.

"Yeah, that book looks real…interesting," Sam said as she set Jason down on the couch between her and Freddie.

"Read?"

"In a little bit, buddy," Freddie said. "Right now mommy and daddy want to talk to you about something important."

Jason looked blankly up at his parents.

"Well…sweetie," Sam began. "You know how your Aunt Carly just had a baby? And your Uncle Gibby and Aunt Tasha had one too?"

"Baby!" Jason said happily.

"That's right," Freddie nodded.

"And well, your daddy and I," Sam continued, smiling at Freddie. "We're going to have a baby too."

"More baby?"

"Yeah," Freddie nodded. "We're gonna have a baby too. And he or she will be your new brother or sister."

"You get to be a big brother, baby," Sam grinned.

"I big!" Jason said, excitedly jumping up. "I want baby? Where baby? Where baby?"

"Well, you don't get to see the baby for about eight more months," Freddie explained.

"Why?" Jason pouted. "I want baby now. Where baby?"

"Your baby brother or sister has to grow a little first," Sam said. "So they'll be healthy enough to come live with us. Right now he or she is inside mommy. Right here." She patted her abdomen.

Jason's eyes widened. "Mommy eat baby?"

Freddie burst out laughing.

"No, I didn't _eat_ the baby," Sam said, glaring at Freddie. "All babies grow inside their mommies before they're born. You remember a couple of weeks ago before Clarissa was born how Aunt Carly's tummy was _really _big? Well that was because that was where Clarissa was."

"Baby?" Jason asked, touching his mother's stomach.

"Yeah," Sam smiled, rustling his hair. "Right there. You were there once too, you know, before you were born."

The toddler's eyes widened. "How?"

"Um…talk to daddy about that in a few years," Sam said quickly. "But aren't you excited, Jason?"

"Ya!" Jason nodded.

"And we know you wish you didn't have to wait so long to see your brother or sister," Freddie said. "But you know what? You can help us get ready for the baby while we wait."

"I help!"

"Good," Sam chuckled. She picked up Jason's book. "Now, we can either read this boring old book, or we can trash it and read a cool dinosaur one instead."

"Dino!" Jason said at once.

"Sam, my mom picked that out special for him," Freddie said.

"Well then _you _keep it and read it," Sam said.

"Um, no, let's trash it."


	270. Chapter 270

"Sam? Freddie?" Carly said, rushing into the Benson house with Clarissa in her arms and Andy at her heels.

"What?" Sam frowned, looking up from her Pearbook she was using at the kitchen table.

"Everything okay?" Freddie asked.

"No! Everything is _not _okay!" Carly exclaimed. "Andy and I woke up this morning and Clarissa was _coughing_!"

"Yeah, and her nose is all runny," Andy nodded. "She's sick!"

"Well did you call her doctor?" Sam asked them, getting to her feet.

"Yes, but it's Sunday, so his office is closed," Carly said frantically.

"Okay, okay, calm down," Freddie said. "Does she have a fever?"

"Um, no, her temperature's normal," Andy said.

Just then Clarissa gave a tiny sneeze.

"Oh my God!" Carly cried.

"Carls, relax, if she doesn't have a fever, then she probably just has a cold," Sam told her. "I mean it _is _getting colder now."

"A cold?" Andy repeated. "Well what do we do? Huh?"

"Just give her a little bit of medicine in her formula," Freddie said.

"Okay, which kind of medicine?" Carly asked, dumping the contents of Clarissa's diaper bag out onto the table, which included at least ten different brands of baby medication.

"Jeesh, what'd you guys do? Rob a convenience store?" Sam asked, rifling through the medicines.

"Well we were worried!" Carly defended.

"Here, give her this one," Sam said, handing Carly one of the packages. "That should help her."

"Okay, thanks so much," Andy said, sighing in relief.

"Yeah, we owe you," Carly nodded. "Oh, and did Spencer tell you guys him and Ella are having everyone over today for dinner?"

"Yeah, I've been thinking about those spaghetti tacos since I work up," Sam grinned.

"And since everyone's gonna be there…" Carly said. "Are you two gonna tell everyone your _news_?"

"What news?" Andy frowned.

"Um, nothing baby," Carly said quickly.

"Yes, Carly, we're gonna tell everyone tonight," Freddie said, rolling his eyes.

"Tell everyone _what_?" Andy asked.

"Oh, I can't wait!" Carly smiled, ignoring her husband's questions. "Everyone's going to be so happy for you two. Have you told Jason?"

"Yeah, last week," Sam nodded. "I'm actually surprised _he _hasn't let it slip, especially since Spencer watches him during the week."

"Yeah, well maybe you should've given your son more credit," Carly smirked. "Anyway, I'll see you guys tonight then. We should get back home and get Clarissa to sleep."

"See you," Freddie said.

"Speaking of Jason, where is he?" Sam asked as Carly and Andy left.

"Upstairs playing in his room," Freddie replied.

Right on cue, Jason ran into the kitchen with a bunch of papers. "Look!" he said proudly, handing them Sam. "Book!"

"Wow, you made your own book?" Sam smiled, sitting her son down on her lap. She looked through the pages, which of course, didn't have any words on them, but she was still impressed.

"Let me see," Freddie said, looking over Sam's shoulder. "Whoa, this is really good, Jason. What's it about?"

"Max and me," Jason said.

"Oh yeah, I see that," Sam nodded, looking at a page with a black blob on it. "You gonna go show this to Max?"

Jason shook his head. "He eat it."

"Yeah, he probably would," Freddie chuckled.

"For baby," Jason said, pointing to Sam's stomach.

"Aw, you made this for your baby brother or sister?" Sam asked.

"Ya!"

"Well he or she is going to _love _it," Freddie said.

"Yeah, you can show it to them as soon as we bring them home from the hospital, deal?" Sam said.

"Deal!" Jason nodded happily.

….

"So then I had no choice but to use the lemonade!" Spencer said as every piled spaghetti tacos onto their plates.

"Which is why we're no longer allowed back to the pet store," Ella finished, rolling her eyes.

"Weren't you already banned from the pet store?" Carly asked her brother.

"No, I was banned from that store in the mall that sells key chains that _look _like pets," Spencer corrected her.

"Let's not bring that up again," Ella mumbled. "So! What's been going on with everyone else?"

"Well today, when I was giving Quincy a bath," Gibby said. "I realized that baby soap makes my hands incredibly soft! Seriously, feel these babies, they're like silk!"

"Um, we don't want to feel any part of you," Sam frowned, wiping the corner of Jason's mouth with her napkin as the toddler sloppily ate his dinner.

"And I didn't think it was possible for his hands to get any softer," Tasha said, smiling lovingly at her husband.

"Okay…well," Carly said, giving the couple a strange look. "I think Sam and Freddie have some news they want to share! Right guys?"

"What's up, you guys?" Melanie asked.

"Yeah, hopefully your news doesn't involve pet store incidents or soft hands," Ella said.

"Well…thank you Carly," Freddie said, looking at Sam. "So, um, Sam-Sam and I, we're, you know, she's-"

"I'm pregnant," Sam finished for him. "You know…again."

"Oh my God! Are you serious?" Melanie exclaimed, jumping up to hug her sister.

"Ha! I knew it!" Spencer exclaimed triumphantly as Andy shook Freddie's hand.

"What?" Sam frowned.

"You _knew_?" Freddie repeated. He turned to Carly. "I thought you said you didn't tell anyone!"

"I didn't! I have no idea how he knew!" Carly said.

"It's because you're psychic, aren't you?" Gibby said. "That explains how why you always know it's me when I call!"

"Please tell me you're joking right now," Ella said.

"I-I don't think he is," Spencer whispered to his wife.

"Wait, Spence, how _did _you know?" Freddie asked.

"Oh, well a few days ago when Jason was here, Bryan gave Dina this 'best big sister' award he made at preschool, and he said that he was a big brother," Spencer explained. "And then what I asked him what he meant, he kept saying 'no tell, no tell'."

"Aw, Jason, you gave away our secret?" Sam chuckled.

Jason shook his head. "I no tell."

"Well congratulations, you guys," Ella said. "I hope you're ready for two kids, though, because I got to tell you, you can just kiss those few minutes of peace and quiet you manage to have now goodbye."

"Oh yeah, totally," Spencer agreed.

"We're ready for it," Freddie said, taking Sam's hand under the table.


	271. Chapter 271

"'Sup Gib?" Sam said as Gibby let himself into the Benson's house, carrying Quincy in a strap-on carrier around his waist.

"I haven't slept in nearly a month!" Gibby said.

"Yeah, you look disgusting," Sam nodded flipping through her magazine.

"I know!"

"Come on, you knew babies cry a lot at night," Sam said, rolling her eyes.

"Not as much as this kid," Gibby said. "You know how many times he woke up last night? Go on, guess!"

"I don't know, like-"

"Nine!" Gibby exclaimed. "Nine times! I didn't even get a full hour of sleep at a time. Do you know what that going to do for me? I'm gonna get _crows feet_!"

"So take a nap or something," Sam shrugged.

"So you'll watch Quincy for me?" Gibby said, quickly lifting his son out of his carrier and handing him to Sam.

"Whoa, I didn't say-Fine, whatever," Sam conceded.

"Thank you," Gibby said, relieved, heading towards the stairs.

"Where are you going?" Sam frowned. "I thought you were gonna take a nap!"

"I am," Gibby said. "What? You don't expect me to drive all the way back home to sleep?"

"Ugh, just-just don't sleep on our bed!" Sam told him. "Sleep in the guest room. And burn the sheets when you're done!"

She looked down at the infant in her arms, who was looking blankly up at her. "I'm so sorry you have to live with that," she said. She tossed her magazine down on the coffee table. "Okay, Quincy, what are we gonna do today? You up for some eating? Sleeping? Any other of the like, five activities that you can actually do?"

Just then the front door opened again and Freddie walked back in with Jason.

"Hey, what's Quincy doing here?" Freddie asked as Jason climbed onto the couch to get a better look at the infant.

"Gibby's sleep-deprived," Sam said simply.

"Ah," Freddie nodded. "Hey, did you call and confirm your doctors appointment for tomorrow?"

"Yes, Freddison," Sam said.

"Baby coming?" Jason asked hopefully.

"No, sorry kiddo," Freddie said, rustling his son's head. "You still have about six months to wait. Mommy's just going to the doctor tomorrow to make sure everything's okay with your brother or sister."

"But you know what?" Sam said, getting up to place Quincy in Jason's old playpen that they still had set up. "The doctor's going to give us pictures of the baby."

"I can see baby?"

"Yeah, won't that be cool?" Freddie said.

"Ya!"

"Hey you guys," Carly said, coming into the house, looking exhausted as she carried Clarissa. "Hey, is that Quincy?"

"Oh yeah, Gibby's upstairs sleeping while we watch him," Sam said.

"Oh my God! That's a great idea!" Carly exclaimed, handing Clarissa over to Freddie. "I could really go for a nap. Clarissa just wouldn't go down last night."

"When did we turn into a babysitting service?" Freddie asked.

"You guys are lifesavers," Carly said, hurrying upstairs.

"I hope you remember this in six months!" Sam called after her.

…..

"Make sure you're a good boy for grandma, okay?" Sam said to Jason as her and Freddie climbed the stairs up to apartment 8D of Bushwell Plaza. "And remember, if she tries to feed you any gross organic snacks, just stuff them in your pocket and we'll get rid of them later."

"Sam…" Freddie said, rolling his eyes. He looked at his watch. "We only have a half-hour until the appointment, so let's just drop Jason off with my mom and-Oh my God!"

"What?" Sam frowned, slightly startled.

"My mom!" Freddie said, his eyes widening. "We-We never told my mom you were pregnant!"

Sam gave a small chuckled. "Oh wow, you're right!"

"This isn't funny!" Freddie hissed. "How-How could we have forgotten? We told everyone else! We told _your _mom, how could we not have told _my _mom?"

"I dunno, she's been busy with her Aggressive Parenting group," Sam shrugged. "What's the big deal. We'll just tell her now."

"She's going to be crushed when she realizes that we waited three _months _to tell her!" Freddie said.

"She'll get over it!"

"No she won't, I know my mom," Freddie sighed as they knocked on Marissa's door.

"There's my little Jason!" Marissa said, opening the door and scooping Jason up. "Grandma's got some flashcards for us to play with, and then for a snack I made you some special gluten free, sugar free, low fat graham crackers!"

"Er…mom," Freddie said hesitantly. "Sam-Sam and I would like to talk to you about something…it's kind of important."

"Sam's going to quit work and dedicate herself full time to her family and house?" Marissa asked.

"Um, no, not-not quite," Freddie said. "See um, Sam and I-We're-She's-She's sort of-Now, please don't over react to this, but-"

"Baby!" Jason said, pointing to Sam's stomach. "I see baby today!"

"What does he mean?" Marissa frowned. "What is he-" But then her mouth dropped as she looked over at Sam. "You're not…are you?"

"I'm pregnant," Sam nodded, giving her a small smile as Freddie put an arm around her.

"Oh _yes_!" Marissa exclaimed, nearly jumping for joy. "Yes! Finally! I can expand my grandma abilities to _two _lucky children! This is _fantastic_! In just nine months I can have another tiny little grandbaby to-"

"Um…more like _six _months," Freddie corrected her sheepishly.

"Six months?" Marissa frowned. "How can that be?"

"I'm sort of just finishing up my first trimester," Sam told her.

"And I'm only just _now _hearing about this?" Marissa gasped.

"Mom, we're really sorry," Freddie started. "We just-"

"Oh that doesn't matter!" Marissa said, throwing her arms around the couple. "I'm getting a new grandbaby!"

"Okay…" Sam said, not use to having Marissa hug her like this. "Well, we've got a doctors appointment to get to…so bye!"

…..

"It doesn't look too much like a baby now," Freddie told Jason as he tucked him into bed later that night as Jason looked at the sonogram picture the couple had gotten earlier at the doctors. "But soon you'll really be able to tell."

"Yeah," Sam nodded.

"Mine," Jason said, clutching the sonogram protectively.

"You can keep it, sweetie," Sam smiled, kissing the top of his head.

Jason set the picture down on his pillow.

"You're going to be such a good big brother, we can already tell," Freddie told his son.

"I love baby," Jason said sleepily, laying down.

"We know you do, and the baby already loves you too," Sam told him, getting to her feet. "Night sweetie."

"He's real cute with this," Freddie grinned as they quietly shut Jason's bedroom door.

"I know," Sam said as they headed back downstairs.

"Anyway," Freddie said, grabbing a book from the coffee table. "How about we start going through this?"

"The name book?" Sam frowned. "You wanna start looking at names already?"

"It couldn't hurt," Freddie shrugged.

"Alright," Sam nodded, taking the book and flipping it open.

"So what do you think we're having?" Freddie asked his wife.

"What do you mean?"

"You know…boy or a girl?"

"How should I know?" Sam asked.

"Well you were so sure Jason was going to be a boy, and you were right about that," Freddie pointed out.

"Yeah, I know," Sam said. "But this time…I'm just not sure. What about you?"

"Well if you don't know, that I sure don't," Freddie laughed.

"Well…what do you _want_?" Sam asked, looking up at him. "Boy or a girl?"

"Sam, come on," Freddie said, rolling his eyes. "You know I don't care. I just want-"

"The kid to be healthy, yeah, I know," Sam said quickly. "But just between us…which are you hoping for?"

"I don't know," Freddie said.

Sam rested her head on his shoulder. "You want a little girl, don't you?"

"Again…I'm going to be thrilled either way," Freddie said, wrapping an arm around her. "But…you know, it would be nice to have a daughter."

"Yeah," Sam smiled. "That would be cute."

"Well what about you?" Freddie asked. "What are you hoping for?"

"Well…if we have another boy, it would save a lot shopping," Sam said. "You know, since he could just use all of Jason's old stuff. But…I _would _kind of like to have another girl around here. I mean it's not like _you're _the manliest guy around, but having a house full of dudes…that could be rough."

Freddie gave her a quick peck. "Which do you think Jason would pick if he could? A baby brother or sister?"

"I don't think he even cares," Sam said. "All he cares about is getting to be a big brother."

"I guess we're just gonna have to wait six more months before we find out," Freddie said, placing a hand on Sam's abdomen.

"I guess so," Sam nodded.


	272. Chapter 272

"Hey, Sam," Ella said, handing Sam her Pearphone as she sat on her couch, playing a videogame with Dina. "Uncle Carmine wants to say hi. And make it quick, he's only got another ten minutes of phone time left."

"Oh cool," Sam said. She handed Freddie her controller. "Here, take over for me, Fredrag."

"Uncle Freddie?" Dina asked as Sam headed into the kitchen to talk to her Uncle. "When the new baby comes, will you let me babysit it?"

"You still need a babysitter yourself, sweetie," Ella chuckled at her daughter. "Maybe when you get to be a little older."

"Yeah, but in the meantime, you can definitely come over anytime and play with the baby," Freddie told her.

"Cool!"

"Hey Ella, guess what?" Sam said, tossing her cousin back her phone. "Uncle Carmine stated a new tattoo business in prison."

"I want a tattoo," Dina said just as Spencer walked into the apartment.

"Um…please tell me I didn't hear my six-year old daughter asking for a tattoo," he frowned.

"Relax, she's afraid of _shots_," Ella told her husband. "You think she's gonna go through with getting a tattoo?"

"You don't use needles for a tattoo," Dina said. "You just stick the paper to your skin and get it wet. Aunt Sam puts them on me all the time."

"Yup, and those are the best kind," Sam said, high-fiving Dina.

"Oh…okay, you can get _those _tattoos," Spencer said. "But nothing else!"

"So you guys wanna stay for lunch?" Ella asked, heading into the kitchen.

"No thanks, Sam and I need to start cleaning out the office at home," Freddie said. "Or rather _I _need to start while Sam sits downstairs watching cartoons."

"Hey! They brought back _Girly Cow_!" Sam defended. "What? Am I supposed to _not _watch that?"

"Well since Jason and Bryan seem to be playing nicely upstairs, you guys can just leave him here if you want," Spencer offered.

"Cool, thanks," Freddie said.

Just then Carly came into the apartment, carrying a gym bag and wearing old sweatpants and a hoodie.

"Hey," she said. "Spencer, do you still have that little clip-on pearpod I could borrow."

"Um yeah I think," Spencer nodded.

"Okay, why are you dressed all sporty?" Sam asked. "This doesn't look like it came from your closet."

"Yeah, because I can't _fit _into most of the things in my closet, so I joined a gym," Carly said.

"A gym?" Freddie grinned. "Have you _ever _worked out before?"

"No!" Carly snapped. She turned to Sam. "How long did it take you to lose your baby weight? It definitely wasn't _this _long."

"I dunno, couple of weeks," Sam shrugged.

"What?" Carly exclaimed. "Its been two months since I gave birth and I haven't lost a pound, and you're telling me you lost your weight in a couple _weeks_?"

"I know, don't you hate her?" Ella said.

"A little bit," Carly nodded. "I mean Tasha already lost _her _baby weight, but she's a model, so she's not really normal on that part. But come on!"

"Sorry?" Sam said, slightly amused. "And anyway, Carls, you're totally overreacting. You don't look any bigger; you're still hot!"

"Oh don't give me that, Andy already gave me that stupid speech," Carly said, catching the Pearpod that Spencer tossed to her. "Alright, I'm off to the gym to run and stretch and get all sweaty and gross. Should be fun."

"No it won't!" Spencer laughed. "You're gonna be miserable!"

"Thanks," Carly said bitterly.

…..

"How many times have we seen this movie?" Sam asked as Freddie popped in Jason's favorite DVD, _Jurassic Junior Jamboree_.

"Way too many," Freddie said, sitting down in front of the television with Jason and Sam.

"I like," Jason said firmly.

"Yeah, we know you do," Sam chuckled. She turned to her husband. "Hey…you know what I'm in the mood for?"

"Oh…and now the cravings have officially begun," Freddie sighed. "What do you want, baby?"

"A peanut butter and jelly sandwich," Sam said.

"That actually sounds normal," Freddie laughed, getting to his feet.

"You didn't let me finish," Sam smirked. "A peanut butter and jelly sandwich with some hot fudge, and onion rings. Oh, and put some gravy on that sucker too."

"That's more like it," Freddie said, heading into the kitchen.

"Look at dinos!" Jason said, pointing to the T.V. screen as his movie begun.

"Yeah, they look really cool," Sam said. "They're-" she stopped as she put a hand on her stomach. She felt it again; a tiny little kick coming from inside her.

"Jason," she said gently, taking her son's hand and placing it on her stomach next to hers. "You feel that?"

The baby gave another kick, and Jason looked shocked. "What that?"

"That's the baby," Sam smiled. "He or she is saying hello. Freddie! Freddie get in here quick! The baby's kicking!"

"No way! Let me feel!" Freddie said, rushing into the room and quickly placing his hand next to Sam and Jason's. "Wow…that's amazing."

"Hi baby!" Jason said, moving his face closer to Sam's stomach. "I big brother!"

"Man, this kid's really kicking in there," Sam said, rubbing her stomach.

"Maybe we've got ourselves a little soccer player," Freddie grinned.

"Or future MMA star," Sam added.

"Well, either way, they're gonna be perfect," Freddie said as he felt another little kick beneath his hand.

…

"Okay, what about that one?" Sam said, flipping through a toy catalogue with Jason.

"That one," Jason said, pointing to a toy truck.  
"Nice pick," Sam smiled. "We'll add that to the list then."

"Hey, what are you guys up to?" Carly asked, coming into the Benson's house with Clarissa.

"Jason's making his Christmas list," Sam said.

"Santa bring me toys!" Jason told Carly happily.

"Yeah, he's gonna bring you a lot, I bet, since you've been such a good boy this year," Carly chuckled.

"So how has the gym been going?" Sam asked.

"Horrible! It's gross and smelly there!" Carly exclaimed. "And you would _think _there'd at least be some attractive eye candy there, but no, all they guys are disgusting. I think that's why Andy recommended _that _gym to me."

"Yeah well, if it makes you feel any better, I officially had to break out the maternity clothes this morning," Sam said. "It's weird, I don't think I was this big yet when I was pregnant with Jason; I'm barely four months."

"Eh, this baby's probably just growing a little faster," Carly shrugged.

"Dragon!" Jason said, pointing to a toy dragon in the catalog that was supposed to say four hundred different phrases.

"Whoa! That's so cool!" Sam said. "I might have to pick myself up one of those."

"You're really gonna go all out this year, aren't you?" Carly whispered knowingly.

"Well it's gonna be the first Christmas where he's really old enough to be excited about Santa and all that stuff," Sam said. "He can't wait until we go pick out a tree next week. And what about you? You can't tell me you don't plan on going all out for Clarissa's first Christmas."

"Of course I am," Carly said. "Are you nuts? I found this really adorable pink sparkly stocking online that I got for her and everything."

"Is that poor girl going to have _anything _that is all girly?" Sam asked, rolling her eyes.

"Nope," Carly said brightly.


	273. Chapter 273

**AN-Happy birthday, Hailey! Hope you enjoy it and have a good one!**

…

"Man, why can't people be responsible and not do all of their Christmas shopping two days before the stinking holiday?" Sam snapped, dragging her feet back into her home later that evening.

"You mean like you?" Freddie said, rolling his eyes, amused.

"Hey, I'm lazy all year round, those other people have no excuse," Sam said. "But I finally finished. We got everything."

"You didn't buy any more toys for Jason, did you?" Freddie sighed. "Because the garage is already filled with his presents."

"Excuse me, Toy Bin had a huge sale," Sam said. "I would've been loosing us money if I didn't buy stuff from there."

"Uh-huh."

"Just go get started wrapping," Sam said. "Jason's asleep, right?"

"Yeah, oh, but hold on!" Freddie said, jumping to his feet and pulling out a small video camera.

"What are you doing?" Sam frowned as Freddie began to tape her.

"Well, I realized that with Jason, we really didn't start taking any pictures or videos of him until we brought him home from the hospital," Freddie said.

"Yeah…and?"

"I thought we could start earlier with this one!" Freddie grinned. "Any words for our future son or daughter, baby?"

"I'm sorry your daddy's such a dork," Sam smirked.

Freddie turned the camera onto himself. "Don't listen to mommy. Daddy's not a dork."

"Yes he is!" Sam said loudly.

"I'm gonna go wrap presents," Freddie mumbled, rolling his eyes as he turned off the camera.

…

"Mommy?" Jason said the next day as him and Sam iced some Christmas cookies.

"Yeah baby?" Sam said.

"Santa get cookies?"

"Yup, we're gonna leave a whole plate of these for the big guy," Sam smiled, handing Jason a shaker full of sprinkles for him to have fun with.

"And I get toys!" Jason said happily, shaking sprinkles all over the table.

"Yeah, Santa's gonna leave you lots of cool toys," Sam nodded.

"Whoa…_someone's _been having a good time in here," Freddie said, coming into the house from the garage, where he had been wrapping the last of the Christmas presents. He picked up his icing and sprinkle covered son.

"Eh, he'll take a bath," Sam shrugged. "He wanted some cookies to leave for Santa tonight, and I decided to do what my mom never did with _me _and spend the afternoon baking Christmas cookies."

"My mom never went for baking cookies either," Freddie said, taking a bite of one of Jason and Sam's creations. "Well, except for those gross gluten-free no sugar ginger snaps she was a fan of…wow, these are pretty good."

"I make them!" Jason said proudly.

"You did?" Freddie grinned. "And mommy just helped, right?"

"Ya," Jason nodded.

"That's right, he did all the hard parts," Sam said, taking Jason from Freddie and giving him a kiss on the head. "So you wanna cook dinner and I give Jason or his bath or have me run out and pick something up real quick while you give him a bath."

"I'll give him a bath," Freddie said. "And um, Sam, you might not want to be lifting Jason right now. You know you really aren't to be exerting too much strength right now."

"Please, I can hold my little guy for at least a couple more months," Sam said, though handing him back over to Freddie anyway.

"I know, but let's just not take any chances," Freddie said. "So what are you going to pick up for dinner?"

"Eh, probably just Chinese food, everywhere else is probably closed, it _is _Christmas Eve, after all."

"Yeah, that's true," Freddie nodded.

"Santa coming tonight!" Jason said to his father, his eyes glistening with childhood excitement.

"That's right he is," Freddie said. "Which means that right after we eat dinner, you need to head straight to bed so that you'll be asleep when he gets here."

"Yeah, or you know what? If you're still up, Santa can't leave any presents," Sam told her son.

Jason's eyes widened. "No! I go to sleep!"

…..

"Sam, it's ten-thirty," Freddie said to his wife, who was busy playing with Max by the fireplace. "We should get the stuff out now and get to bed, since you know Jason will be waking us up at the crack of dawn to come down and open presents."

"He only went to sleep two and a half hours ago though," Sam pointed out. "What if he wakes up and sees _us _putting the presents out instead of Santa? He'll be crushed!"

"Baby, I'm sure he's fast asleep," Freddie told her. "But I'll go double check again."

"I'll come with you," Sam said as Freddie helped her to her feet. "I have some stuff in our closet for Jason's stocking I need to get."

The couple headed up to their son's room, and Sam poked her head in. Sure enough, Jason was curled up with his stuffed animals underneath his covers, fast asleep.

"Okay," she whispered, gently closing the door again. "He's out. You go start brining in the presents from the garage, I'll get everything from the closet."

"Got it," Freddie nodded.

Sam hurried into their bedroom, grabbed a large bag filled with toys from the top shelf of her closet, and then went back down to the living room, where Freddie was lugging in all of the presents he had wrapped the past few days, plus more things to stuff in Jason's stocking.

"Are you sure there were any toys left after you left the toy store?" Freddie asked, amused as he began to pile the wrapped presents under the tree.

"Don't start with me," Sam snapped, putting a few action figures into Jason's stocking.

"I wasn't," Freddie chuckled. He looked at one of Jason's presents. "No way! A remote controlled dinosaur?"

"Pretty cool, huh?" Sam grinned. "Think Jason will love it?"

"I know I will," Freddie nodded. "Man, I wish my mom got me presents like this when I was little."

"Yeah well," Sam said, taking the toy from her husband. "Don't get any ideas, nub. This is _Jason's _toy. Not yours."

"He's three! He doesn't know how to work a remote control dinosaur," Freddie pointed out. "How about I keep for just a year, until he gets a little older, and then I'll-"

"No!" Sam said firmly.

…

"Mommy! Daddy!" Jason said, running into his parents' bedroom the next morning. "Mommy! Daddy! Presents! Santa! Presents!"

"You want your presents?" Sam laughed as Jason began jumping up and down on the couple's bed.

"Presents! Presents!" Jason nodded.

"I think he's going to explode if he doesn't get downstairs," Freddie yawned. He looked at his phone. "Jason, do you know that it's 6:04 in the morning?"

"Oh wake up, Fredwad, it's Christmas," Sam said, pulling her covers back and getting out of bed.

"Yes, the one day of the year we can actually get you out of bed," Freddie chuckled, getting up as well. He scooped Jason up. "Alright, buddy. You ready to go see what Santa left you?"

"Yes!" Jason said anxiously.

"Come on, then," Sam said. "Lead the way, sweetie."

Freddie set Jason down, and the boy ran at top speed downstairs, Sam and Freddie at his heels, excited to see his face when he got his first glance at his presents.

When Jason reached the living room, his mouth dropped open.

"Wow!" he said, looking around. "Toys! I got toys! Santa give me toys!"

He ran right to his stocking and began looking inside.

"Slow down, Jason!" Freddie laughed, turning the video camera on his phone towards his son. "Actually _look _at what you got."

"Banana Head!" Jason exclaimed, holding up a Mr. Banana Head toy. "Santa nice!"

"What else did you get?" Sam asked, sitting down next to her son.

"Truck!" Jason said, holding up a toy dump truck. "Blocks!" And then he gasped as he spotted the remote control dinosaur. "Dino! More dino!"

"Come show daddy that," Freddie said. Jason handed him the toy. "Wow… How about you and I test this baby out?"

Sam rolled her eyes. "I bet Jason wants to finish looking through the rest of his toys first."

"Ya!" Jason nodded, running back over to his pile of toys.

"Well then maybe I'll just see how this thing works by myself-"

"Put it down, Fredgrunt!" Sam hissed.


	274. Chapter 274

"You feeling okay, Sam?" Carly asked her best friend as they sat in their office at work.

"Just nauseous," Sam mumbled. "I usually feel better after lunch."

"I'm sorry," Carly said sympathetically. "I remember how that feels."

"Yeah, but I never got nausea this bad with Jason," Sam commented, taking a swig of her water bottle. "And why is so _cold_ in here?"

"Here, borrow my jacket," Carly said, handing her garment over to Sam.

"Thanks," Sam sighed. "Man…this kid sure is giving me a harder time than Jason."

"You're halfway there," Carly reminded her. "You're due in June. Just, what, four more months?"

"I know," Sam said, giving her a small smile.

"And I still have some nausea medicine in my purse if you want some," Carly offered.  
"Thanks, but I took some of that stuff this morning, and the doctor said to make sure I waited at least six hours between doses," Sam sighed.

"Oh," Carly nodded.

"Yeah, so looks like I'm stuck feeling crotchety," Sam sighed. Then she snickered. "Crotchety."

"You're a child," Carly said, rolling her eyes, amused.

….

"So tomorrow I was thinking I'd get the last of the office cleared out," Freddie said as him and Sam went into their bedroom. "And then we can start setting up the changing table and the rest of the furniture. I'll just put them in the middle of the room so I won't have to move them again when I start painting after the baby's born."

"Okay," Sam yawned, climbing into bed.

"And my mom dropped off some baby hats she knitted," Freddie said, getting into bed next to his wife, picking up a book from his bedside table as Sam laid down on her pillows, turning off the lamp on her nightstand. "They're ugly, obviously, but we'll just bring the baby by once to her place wearing one and then we'll be good."

"Whatever," Sam said. "You going to sleep?"

"Nah, I'm just gonna read a little first," Freddie said. He leaned down and gave her a quick kiss. "Night, baby."

"Night," Sam said as she closed her eyes.

Freddie began flipping through his book, enjoying the relaxation that reading a good novel in bed brought a person. But just as he was about to finish his chapter, Sam bolted up and turned on her lamp again, glaring at him.

"Do you _think_," she hissed scarily. "That you could be _any _louder?"

"Huh? I-I'm not making noise," Freddie frowned. "I'm just reading."

"The way you're turning the pages, it's like a rocket's going off in here!" Sam snapped. "Some of us are trying to _sleep_, because, in case you've forgotten, I have to wake up five million times during the night to pee! Oh, but you know what? It's okay, because in the morning, I have vomiting my guts up to look forward to!"

"Oh, er, s-sorry," Freddie said, slightly taken aback by Sam's sudden outburst. "I-I'll just finish my book up tomorrow and-"

"Oh, no," Sam sighed. "Don't do that…I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you. You _never _yell at me…you're such a good husband and I'm such a-a mean wife!" She began crying and Freddie slowly put his arm around her, a bit unsure what was going on.

"Sam, baby," he said, stroking her hair. "You're not a mean wife at all."

"Yes I am!" Sam sobbed.

"No you're-"

"Yes I am!" Sam said loudly, narrowing her eyes.

"Okay!" Freddie said, holding his hands up in surrender. "You-You can be a little testy at times."

Sam gasped as she resumed crying. "How could you _say_ that?"

"I-But you-I didn't-" Freddie started as he wiped Sam's tears with a tissue. He sighed. "Stupid mood swings," he mumbled.

…

"Hey," Carly said brightly, walking into the Benson home with a smoothie and bag of pretzels. She handed them to Sam.

"Thanks," Sam grinned, popping the lid off the smoothie and dipping the salty pretzels into it.

"Yuk!" Jason, who was playing on the floor with Freddie, said.

"Try one," Sam said, offering the sticky snack to her son. The three-year old tasted it, and the broke out into a smile. "Yum!"

"At least she doesn't break _his _hand when he takes her food," Freddie said, rolling his eyes as Jason sat down next to his mother, eating their snack together.

"Jason's cute," Sam said simply.

"So how you feeling?" Carly asked. "Sore? Sick? Moody?"

"Eh, my back hurts a little, but I don't feel nauseous or moody," Sam shrugged.

"Ha!" Freddie scoffed. "An hour ago you were crying because you thought you lost the salt shaker and then you got mad at _me _because you claimed I hid it on you!"

"You did!"

"Why would I hide the salt shaker?" Freddie asked.

"Do you see what I have to deal with, Carls?" Sam said, shaking her head.

"You know I still love you," Freddie chuckled, getting up and giving her a quick peck. "Even if your pregnancy hormones are making you all moody."

"You want a smoothie on your head, baby?" Sam asked sweetly.

"Er, no thank you."

Just then Freddie's phone rang.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Hey, Freddie?" Gibby said on the other end. "It's Gibby."

"Yes, I know," Freddie sighed. "There's this magical thing called _caller I.D._"

"I don't have time for your Spanish right now," Gibby said. "I need a favor."

"What?"

"Well you know how I told you my cousin was coming up to see Quincy?" Gibby said.

"Sure," Freddie replied.

"Well it turns out she's allergic to my cat," Gibby sighed. "So she can't really stay at my place, and the Parker-Nichols hotel is booked until tomorrow. I was wondering if she could stay with you, just for tonight. She says she'll buy you and Sam a pizza."

"Hold on, let me ask Sam," Freddie said. He looked over at his wife. "Sam? Would you mind if Gibby's cousin stayed in the guest room tonight? Apparently she's offering pizza."

"Hey, I'm down for that," Sam nodded.

"Sure, she can stay, Gib," Freddie said into his phone.

"Sweet, I'll bring her by in an hour," Gibby said.

"Well, it's three o'clock," Sam yawned, heaving herself to her feet. "Nap time."

"No nap!" Jason pouted.

"For _mommy_," Sam laughed, kissing the top of his head. "You can stay up and entertain daddy and Aunt Carly."

"I'm actually going to go home too," Carly said. "Spencer's watching Clarissa, so Andy and I have the apartment for ourselves for the first time in like, forever!"

"Aunt Carly?" Jason said sweetly, holding up a puzzle box. "Play?"

"Oh…alright," Carly conceded. "Just because you're adorable, Jason."

…

"Sam still sleeping?" Carly asked about an hour later, helping Jason and Freddie build a huge block castle.

"She'll be out for at least another hour," Freddie said. "She doesn't sleep too well at night."

Just then the doorbell rang and Freddie went to open the door.

"Hey, Gib," Freddie smiled.

"Hey, you remember my cousin, right?" Gibby said.

"Um, no, I don't think I ever met-"

"Hey, Freddie!" an extremely tall woman said, coming up the walkway behind Gibby.

"Oh, S-Sabrina?" Freddie said, his eyes widening. "Wow…its been a _real _long time."

"I know, right?" Sabrina grinned, giving him a quick hug.

"Yeah…" Freddie said as the two walked into the house. "H-Hey Carly look…it's Sabrina. You remember her?"

"Oh…right," Carly nodded, shaking Sabrina's hand and looking up at the tall woman. "You crushed my Utopian Society."

"I still feel really bad about that," Sabrina said.

"Oh, it-it's fine," Carly said. "I mean, sure, I spent two weeks working on that so I could get an A to bring up my average in Mr. Hennings class after that Green Week Fiasco…but it's not like I'm still _bitter _or anything!"

She scooped Jason up in her arms. "Watch your blocks, kid," she whispered to him.

"Aw, who's this little guy? Your son?" Sabrina asked Carly, rustling Jason's hair.

"Er, no, he-he's mine," Freddie said.

"Oh you two got married?"

"No!" Carly and Freddie said at once.

"He's married to Sam," Gibby told his cousin. "You know, that aggressive blonde?"

"Oh right," Sabrina nodded. "Well good for you two. I'm glad you're happy together. Hey, do you think I could use your bathroom really quick?"

"Er, sure, it's that door over there," Freddie said quickly.

"Thanks," Sabrina smiled, hurrying off.

Freddie waited until Sabrina was out of sight before hitting Gibby's shoulder. "Dude!"

"Ow! What?" Gibby cried.

"You didn't tell me you were bringing _that _cousin!" Freddie hissed.

"What's the matter with her?" Gibby frowned.

"What's the matter?" Freddie exclaimed. "Gib! Sam's pregnancy hormones already have her acting all crazy! Do you know what she's going to do to me when she finds out that I'm letting a girl who I used to have a tiny, insignificant little thing with stay in our home?"

"Oh yeah, you're dead meat," Carly nodded.

"You _dated _my cousin?" Gibby said.

"No, we didn't _date_," Freddie said. "But don't you remember? In high school, before Sam and I got together, you gave me her screen name and we started web chatting, and then she came over in the middle of that insane heat wave?"

"I don't think _I _was invited to any heat wave," Gibby said, crossing his arms indignantly.

"Not the point!" Freddie snapped.

"Well fine, I'll just tell Sabrina she has to leave," Gibby said. "I mean, it's no big deal, she just drove five hours to see Quincy, only to find out she can't stay at my place. I'm sure she can just find a nice bus bench and-"

"Okay, okay, she doesn't have to leave!" Freddie sighed. "But you owe me big time, Gibby!"

"Awesome, thanks," Gibby said. "Tell Sabrina I'll see her tomorrow."

"Dude, what are you gonna do?" Carly asked as Gibby left. "Sam's going to be real mad."

"Not if she doesn't find out," Freddie said.

"Um, how is she not supposed to find out about Sabrina when she's staying in her _home_?" Carly frowned.

"Well, it's gonna be tricky," Freddie said. "But I _think _I can manage."


	275. Chapter 275

"-And so that's how my WNBA shot went out the window," Sabrina told Freddie later that evening as her, Freddie and Jason sat at the kitchen table, eating their pizza.

"Wow, that-that's nice," Freddie said, his ears still straining to hear any movement upstairs.

"You tall," Jason said to Sabrina, looking at the woman.

"Jason, that's-" Freddie began, but Sabrina just laughed.

"No, it's fine, I'm used to that," she said. She looked at her watch. "Hey, is Sam going to come down? I'd love to see her again. We never really got a chance to get to know each other during that heat wave."

"Yeah, um, well…she-she's resting…" Freddie said. "But you know what? I'll go check on her and see if she's up for coming down!"

Freddie quickly ran upstairs and reached his bedroom door just as Sam was coming out.

"Hey!" Freddie said, pulling his wife into an embrace. "Wow, that nap did _wonders _for you, baby, because _you _are looking fresher than ever!"

"I'm not in the mood for this," Sam said, rolling her eyes. "Hey, did Gibby's cousin ever come?"

"Er, well, y-yeah," Freddie nodded.

"And is she a total weirdo like him?"

"Yes!" Freddie said quickly. "Yes, a _total _weirdo; exactly like Gibby. And you know what? Why don't you just stay up here and relax in bed for the rest of the day so you won't, er, raise your blood pressure from dealing with her."

"Hmm, good thinking," Sam said. She started for the stairs.

"Wait, why are you going downstairs?" Freddie frowned. "I thought you just said you were gonna stay in bed."

"I know," Sam said. "But I smell pizza. So I'll just go down there and then fake sick or something so I can come back up here and get away from Gibby's cousin."

"Or," Freddie said, quickly blocking her path. "I could bring you up some pizza so you can eat in bed. Huh? How's _that _sound?"

"Aren't you the one who's always giving me lectures about not eating food in bed?" Sam pointed out.

"Well, Sam, you're _pregnant_, you get whatever you want," Freddie said. "What kind of husband would I be if I made you trudge all the way down those stairs just to get pizza when I should be the one running up and down the steps for you."

Sam gave him a strange look. "You feeling okay, nub?"

"Never better!" Freddie said, leaning down to kiss her quickly. "So you just go lay back down in bed, and I'll bring you up your pizza."

"Okay, I'm not gonna argue this," Sam shrugged, turning to head back into the bedroom.

"Yes!" Freddie quietly congratulated himself as he rushed back down to the kitchen.

"Hey, is Sam up?" Sabrina asked.

"Um, well, she-she isn't feeling too good, I think she has a bug," Freddie said, placing a few slices of pizza on a paper plate. "So I'm just gonna bring her up some pizza and let her sleep it off."

"Mommy sick?" Jason asked.

"Yeah, but don't worry, Jason!" Freddie said. "She'll be fine."

"Are you sure you don't want me to go up and take a look at her?" Sabrina asked. "I _am _in medical school."

"No, no, that's not necessary," Freddie said. "Like I said, I think sleep's really what she needs. In fact, she'll probably just sleep until tomorrow, so I don't think you'll get a chance to see her while you're here. But hey, next time you're in town, you give her a call okay? Great!"

….

"So here's the guest room," Freddie said, later that evening, leading Sabrina to her room.

"Wow, it's really nice," Sabrina smiled. "Thanks again for letting me stay."

"Oh, it-it's no problem," Freddie said. "Well, um, sleep tight!"

He hurried back to his own bedroom, where Sam was sitting in bed with Jason watching T.V.

"Jason? I put you to bed an hour ago!" Freddie frowned.

"He missed me," Sam said, cuddling her son. "Hey, is Gibby's cousin asleep? I'm kind of craving some of those popsicles I just bought."

"Er, yeah, she-she is, but why don't you wait a little bit before you go down there," Freddie said. "Just to be safe."

"Is she really that…Gibbyish?" Sam asked.

"Oh man, carbon copy," Freddie nodded.

"She tall!" Jason said.

"Well yeah, of course she is, to you," Freddie chuckled, quickly scooping Jason up in his arms before he could rat him out. "You're only like, three feet tall, buddy! And you know what? It's real late. Time for bed, Jason! Say good night to mommy."

"Night baby," Sam said to her son.

"Okay, Jason," Freddie said as he carried the toddler back to his room. "Let's have a little talk…father to son." He set Jason down on his proton cruiser bed. "See, the thing is…how about we not mention anything about Sabrina to mommy, okay?"

"Why?" Jason asked.

"Um, well, because…mommy-mommy's-hey, how about this?" Freddie said. "If you can keep this secret from mommy, I'll let you help me paint the baby's room when it's time! Huh? You like that?"

"Yes! I want to paint!" Jason nodded excitedly.

"Good!" Freddie grinned. "But remember, we don't tell mommy about Sabrina, okay? Or else she's gonna yell at daddy."

Jason put a finger to his lips. "Shhh!"

"That's right," Freddie said, high fiving his son's tiny hands. "Oh…I'm a terrible father."

After he tucked Jason into bed, Freddie quietly headed out of Jason's room, shutting the door behind him.

"Alright," Freddie mumbled to himself as he started for the stairs to get Sam her Popsicle. "Just a few more hours…Then Sabrina will be staying at her hotel, and Sam will never have to know-Ah!"

Just as he turned the corner in front of the stairs, he spotted Sam, standing there with Sabrina, chatting.

"Oh, hi baby," Sam said in a falsely nice voice that told Freddie he would definitely be getting it later. "Look who I just ran into…Gibby's cousin, _Sabrina_."

"I-Oh! How-How nice," Freddie said, plastering a smile onto his face.

"Yeah, you know, her and I were just talking about the _last _time we saw each other," Sam said. "Remember? During that heat wave at Carly and Spencer's place? When you invited her over because you had that little _thing _with her?"

"Oh, well I didn't even _remember _that, but now that you bring it up," Freddie said, laughing uncomfortably.

"Yeah, we used to spend _hours _web chatting back then, didn't we?" Sabrina nodded.

"Wow, _hours_," Sam smiled at Freddie.

"Well I wouldn't say it was _hours-_"

"Hey, I'm sorry, I'd really love to stay and chat some more with you two, but I need to be up early tomorrow to check into the my hotel room, otherwise, they'll give it away," Sabrina said. "Don't worry, I won't wake you two when I leave. But again, thanks so much for having me!"

"Oh it's our _pleasure_," Sam said. "Come back any time."

She waited until Sabrina had shut the guest room door before spinning around towards Freddie. "Oh you are _unbelievable!_"

"What? Sam! I-I can explain!" Freddie said as Sam stormed back to their bedroom.

"Explain what?" Sam snapped, sitting down on their bed. "How you jumped at the chance to have your ex-girlfriend sleep in _our _house?"

"Okay, first of all, she was never my girlfriend," Freddie said. "We never dated. We just talked for a little in high school and-"

"Oh for a nub like you that pretty much qualifies as dating," Sam said, rolling her eyes.

"And I didn't jump at the chance to have her here!" Freddie said. "Gibby asked me to do him a favor, I _asked _you if his cousin could stay here, and then told him I'd help him out. And-And Gibby never told me it was _Sabrina_. I thought it was just some random cousin of his. If he told me it was her, I would've put my foot down and said no! But I didn't know it was her until she got here with her bags and everything, and by then she had nowhere else to go, and I-I could just let her wander the streets all night, now could I? So, you see, baby, this whole thing is _really _Gibby's fault, so if you want to strangle anyone in their sleep, it should be him!"

Sam just continued to glare at him.

"Oh…come on, Sam, please don't be mad," Freddie begged. "I know I'm a total-"

"I'm not mad!" Sam snapped, crossing her arms.

"Er, you're not?" Freddie frowned.

"No!"

"Okay, well um, that-that's great," Freddie said, slightly confused. "But then why are you acting just a tad bit…yellish."

"I don't know!" Sam moaned, laying back on the bed. "I don't freakin' know!"

"Hey, it's okay," Freddie said, quickly putting his arms around her as she began to sob.

"No it's not," Sam cried. "I'm a mess! These stupid hormones are making me act all crazy!"  
"What? No, I-you're fine," Freddie said. "Hey, you just wait up here and I'll go get you that Popsicle you wanted, okay?"

"I don't want a popsicle anymore," Sam sniffed.

"Well then what do you want?"

"Some Caesar salad with chocolate chips and ketchup," Sam told him, drying her eyes.

"You got it," Freddie said, cringing slightly.

_June cannot come quick enough_ Freddie thought to himself as he headed downstairs to fulfill his wife's strange request.


	276. Chapter 276

"Okay," T-Bo said, setting five smoothies down for Carly, Sam, Freddie, Gibby and Jason as they sat in the Groovy Smoothie. "Notice anything different about me?"

The adults looked up at him as he posed for them.

"You got your teeth whitened," Gibby said, adjusting the straps of the carrier he had around him that was holding Quincy.

"What? No!" T-Bo snapped. "My teeth have always been this pearly white since I was in preschool!"

"I dunno then," Carly sighed. "You…got a new shirt?"

"Have all these dang babies ruined your eyesight?" T-Bo frowned, shaking his head. "I got my eyebrows waxed!"

"Dude, that's something _girls _do," Sam said, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah," Freddie nodded in agreement.

"Well," T-Bo said indignantly. "I can see I just served smoothies to a group of closed minded snobs! I'll have you know Spencer and I had a _delightful _day getting our brows all sophisticated."

"You know, he's right," Gibby said as T-Bo stormed off. "Eyebrow waxing isn't just for girls anymore. Every third Saturday of the month, Tasha and I go to the spa and get his-and-her wax treatments."

"You must use up a lot of wax," Sam mumbled as she turned back to her laptop.

"What are you looking up?" Carly asked, sipping her smoothie as she checked on Clarissa, who was sitting in her stroller.

"I found this website last night that sells some pretty cool baby stuff," Sam said.

"I big brother in three months!" Jason said proudly.

"That's right, buddy," Freddie said, wiping a trickle of smoothie from his son's chin.

"Oh, send me the link, will you?" Carly said. "Maybe I can find some cute things for Clarissa on there."

"Will do, Carly-O," Sam said. "Let me just-Oh my God! No way! No way!"

"What?" Freddie asked, looking over at Sam's computer.

"I don't believe it!" Sam said, looking as though she had just been told she won a million dollars. "It actually exists!"

"What exists?" Carly asked. "Don't just keep us in suspense."

"Oh no," Freddie said, spotting the item that he knew was causing his wife so much joy right now. "You've got to be kidding me. They can't _really _be selling-"

"-Bacon flavored baby formula," Sam said breathlessly, turning her laptop so Gibby and Carly could see. "It's like the heavens have answered my prayers at least!"

"Well, now I've officially seen everything," Carly said.

"How do they make _bacon _flavored baby powder?" Gibby asked. "Or _any _powder for that matter…Hmm."

"Get your credit card out, Fredhead, before I explode!" Sam said.

"Sam, you can't seriously be considering buying this for our _infant_," Freddie said, shaking his head.

"Why not? It's _formula_!" Sam said. "You know, just not gross tasting like usual baby formula."

"She's right," Gibby nodded. "Because that stuff tastes _awful_!"

"Baby, come on," Freddie sighed. "You know that bacon flavored formula can't be healthy for newborns."

"He's got a point," Carly nodded. "Just think of how many toxins and chemicals have to be added to the formula to give it that flavor. Do you really want your baby drinking all those?"

"But-But they wouldn't sell it if it wasn't safe, right?" Sam said.

"Sam…"

"But-I-Oh all right," Sam conceded. "We'll feed the baby _boring _formula. But hey, how about this? I buy this formula, and then _I _drink it after the baby's born?"

"You're gonna sit there and drink bacon flavored baby formula?" Freddie asked, amused.

"I'll eat anything if it's bacon flavored," Sam said.

"It's true," Carly grinned. "In fourth grade she got sent to the nurse for trying to eat Bill Bumble's bacon scented eraser."

"Oh yeah," Sam said, smiling fondly at the memory. "Poor Bill…"

"Fine," Freddie said, handing Sam his credit card. "Drink all the bacon flavored formula you want."

….

"What about Victor?" Freddie asked, as him and Sam sat in their bed, flipping through the baby name book.

"No, that sounds a little…old, for a baby," Sam said. "What about…Harvey?"

"I dunno…maybe," Freddie said. "When I was looking through here earlier, I also really liked Mark for a boy."

"Not bad," Sam said thoughtfully. "I liked Chance too. Hey, did you pick any girl names?"

"I did," Freddie smiled as they flipped to the other half of the name book. "Did you?"  
"A few," she smiled.

"Well let's hear them," Freddie said.

"Okay," Sam said, taking the book from her husband. "I really like Dakota."

"Cute," Freddie nodded.

"Yeah, I thought so too," Sam said. "Let's see, I also like Noelle, Bridgette, Kaylee, Heather, and Clara. What do you think of those?"

"They're nice," Freddie said. "Do you want to hear the names I picked?"

"Sure."

"Okay," Freddie said. "If we have a girl, I like the names Beth, Sarah, Kristen, Elizabeth, Jessica and Catherine."

"Oh," Sam said. "Well those are…good."

"You don't like them?" Freddie frowned.

"Well…it-it's not that I don't like them," Sam said slowly. "It's just that they're a little…plain."

"Plain?"

"I mean, they're good names," Sam said quickly. "But I mean…they don't really stick out too much."

"They're traditional," Freddie said. "Besides, I didn't tell you the two names that I _really _liked."

"Oh, okay," Sam said. "Well what are those?"

"Ashley," Freddie said. "And Emily."

"Ashley and Emily?" Sam repeated.

"You don't like those either, do you?" Freddie sighed.

"Well I mean, it's like I said, they don't really stick out," Sam told him gently. "There are always a hundred Ashley's and a hundred Emily's in a school. I mean, my name's _Samantha _for crying out loud! In kindergarten there were four other Samantha's in my class. And then on top of that my teacher wound up mixing me up with Melanie half the time, but that's another story. But between all of that I had no real identity in there. Well, granted I made myself _very _well known in the principal's office…but I just think that a kid's name should give him or her at least a little sense of individuality."

"I get that," Freddie nodded. "But…I dunno. I just think that in this crazy world, sometimes it's _nice _to have something simple in your life."

"Well…I guess," Sam sighed. "At least we still have three months to figure this out."


	277. Chapter 277

**AN-Forgot to mention this last chapter, but apparently that bacon flavored baby formula Sam found on the Internet is actually real. I was looking up random stuff online one day and found it. I guess they really will make anything!**

…**..**

"Okay," Freddie said, heaving down a large box he had gotten from the attic and setting down in the living room with Sam. "Here's the last of Jason's old baby stuff."

"Cool, I'll go through everything and pick out all the gender-neutral things we can use," Sam said. "You still going bowling with Gibby and Spence?"

"Yeah, unless you want me to stay here and help you," Freddie said.

"Nah," Sam smiled. "Go have fun. Just make sure you pick up more pickles and cashews on your way home."

"Got it," Freddie said, giving her a quick kiss. "Call me if you need anything."

As her husband headed out the door, Sam opened up one of the boxes. She fished through Jason's old onsies and booties and toys, separating them into things that could be used for the new baby, and things that she'd bring down later if they wound up having another boy.

Once she had a sizable pile of things that could be set up right now in the baby's half-finished nursery, Sam started up the stairs to put the items away. She went into the office, which was now empty, except for a dresser, Jason's old changing table, and a brand new rocking chair that her and Freddie had just bought. She set the pile down on the changing table and then walked over to the dresser so she could begin putting in some of Jason's old clothes.

"What you doing?" Jason asked, coming into the room.

"I'm just putting some of your old things away for your brother or sister," Sam said.

Jason looked up on his old changing table.

"Blankie!" he exclaimed, grabbing his old baby blanket from the pile. "My blankie!"

"You want that?" Sam frowned. "I thought you stopped using that thing a year ago."

"My blankie," Jason pouted.

"Oh, well…okay," Sam said. "If you still want to keep that, you can."

"Binkie!" Jason said, taking his old pacifier from the pile as well. "My binkie!" He stuck it in his mouth and began to suck on it.

"Jason, come on, you're too old for that," Sam said, taking the pacifier from the three-year old. "That's for little babies. Not big boys like you."

"Mine!" Jason said again, grabbing his rattle and bib from the pile too. "My stuff!"

"No Jason, these are for the baby now," Sam explained. "You don't need these things anymore."

"But they mine!" Jason sobbed.

"Jason, why do you want a bunch of old baby stuff?" Sam asked, sitting down on the rocking chair and patting her lap for Jason to sit.

"Mine," Jason said weakly, burying his head in his mother's shoulder.

"But now your brother or sister need them, honey," Sam explained. "See, he or she gets this boring old rattle and you get _cooler _toys for big kids, like your dinosaurs and your action figures."

"No!" Jason said loudly, scrambling off Sam's lap, still holding his old rattle in his hand. "My toy!" And with that he scrambled out of the room.

…..

"He wants to keep all his old baby stuff?" Freddie frowned later that evening after he had gotten home.

"Yeah, weird, right," Sam nodded.

"A little," Freddie agreed. "Maybe we should go talk to him and see what's up with him."

"Yeah," Sam nodded as Freddie helped her to her feet. "Let's go."

The couple headed up to Jason's room and went in, where their son was playing with his toy cars, sucking on his pacifier.

"Jason, why do you have that old thing?" Freddie asked, gently taking it from the child's mouth.

"No! Mine!" Jason said loudly.

"Sweetie, what's going on?" Sam asked, sitting down on her son's bed. "Why do you want to take back all your old baby stuff? Your little brother or sister's going to need them more than you do."

"I don't want baby to take my toys," Jason pouted.

"Well Jason, that-that's how it works," Freddie explained. "When you outgrow your things, sometimes you'll have to let the new baby have them after-"

Jason shook his head and crossed his arms. "No."

"Jason, don't be like this," Sam said. "You never use any of your old stuff. They were sitting in the attic. So why do you want them back all of the sudden?"

Jason didn't reply.

"Come on, Jason, we need to start getting ready for the baby," Freddie said. "He or she's going to be here in only three months, and-"

"No baby," Jason said. "I don't want baby."

"What?" Sam frowned. "Honey, I thought you were so excited to have a baby brother or sister."

"Yeah," Freddie nodded. "You get to be a big brother, remember?"

"No big brother," Jason said. He clutched tightly to Sam's arm. "I want to be the baby."

Sam and Freddie exchanged glanced.

"Jason?" Sam said, pulling her small son onto her lap. "Is that what's going on? Do you think that when the new baby comes, that mommy and daddy will spend all their time with him or her?"

Jason nodded. "I want to be the baby," he said again.

"Oh, Jason," Freddie said, sitting down next to him and Sam. "That's not true at all."

"Yeah," Sam said, kissing the top of his blonde head and putting her arms around him. "Not even a little bit. Listen, when the new baby comes, mommy and daddy might be a little more busy than usual, but that does _not _mean that we're just going to forget about you or replace you or anything."

"Right, we're going to love you just as much as we love you now," Freddie said. "Which you know is a whole lot, don't you?"

Jason nodded as Sam wiped his tears with the corner of her shirt.

"And we're going to love the new baby the same amount," Sam continued. "And the new baby's going to _really _love you, Jason, because daddy and I both know that you're going to be the best big brother out there. This baby in here is going to want to be just like his or her big brother."

Jason looked up at his mother. "Really?"

"Yup," Sam smiled.

"So do you think you want the baby again?" Freddie asked, rustling Jason's hair.  
"Ya! I love baby," Jason said, kissing his mother's abdomen.

"Good," Freddie said, hugging his son. "And Jason, if you ever feel a little nervous or scared about something like this again, you know you can come right to your mommy and me, right?"

"Okay," Jason nodded.

"Alright," Freddie said, heaving himself off the bed. "I'm gonna go down and start dinner. Chicken good for you, Sam?"

"Yeah, and a side of macaroni and cheese and marshmallows," Sam said.

As Freddie headed downstairs, Sam turned back to Jason.

"Hey," she said softly. "You know what, Jason?"

"What?" Jason asked.

"No matter what, no matter how many other babies your daddy and I may have, no matter how old you get, you're always going to be my baby," Sam said softly.


	278. Chapter 278

"Hello Samantha, dear," Marissa said, letting herself into Sam and Freddie's home.

"Oh…hey," Sam mumbled, looking up from her laptop.

"How are you feeling?" Marissa asked, sitting down next to her daughter-in-law on the couch. "How often are you using the restroom? How many calories a day are you eating? Are you over-exerting yourself? You better not be over-exerting yourself."

"That's never been a problem, believe me," Sam said. "And I'm _fine_ right now. Just a little sore and nauseous, but that's normal."

"Well here," Marissa said, pulling a box out of the bag she had been carrying. "I picked this up for you on my way here."  
"Whoa!" Sam exclaimed, taking it from her mother-in-law. "A foot massager?"

"I thought it might relax you, and a relaxed mommy means a relaxed baby," Marissa said.

"Sure, let's go with that," Sam said tearing open the box and turning the foot massager on. "Oh man, this thing is amazing! Thanks, you're officially not irritating today."

"Hi grandma!" Jason said, coming into the room, his hands covered in paint.

Marissa gasped. "What is that all over your hands?"

"Paint," Jason replied.

"He was finger painting out in the garage with Freddie," Sam said.

"I make really pretty picture!" Jason said proudly.

"But your hands!" Marissa cried. "Do you know how many chemicals are in that paint? My poor grandbaby's hands are probably withering away before our eyes!"

"It's safe paint, Marissa," Sam said, rolling her eyes. She turned to Jason. "Go wash your hands off in the bathroom, sweetie."

"Oh, hey mom," Freddie said, walking into the room. "I didn't know you stopped by."

"Didn't I teach you _anything_, Fredward Benson?" Marissa snapped at her son. "_Finger painting_? Remember the rhyme? Hands are meant warm your heart, not create messy art!"

"How can hands warm your heart?" Sam frowned.

"Mom, it's no big deal," Freddie sighed. "Finger painting's totally safe."

"Well," Marissa scoffed, getting to her feet. "I hope you get your safety standards straight before the baby comes!"

"She's just as psycho as ever," Freddie said, shaking his head.

"Yeah, but she just bought me a foot massager, so right now, I don't even care," Sam said.

…..

"Okay," Sam said, collapsing into a kitchen chair. "I did the laundry, helped Jason clean his room, and gave Max a bath. Am I good or what?"

"Impressive," Freddie grinned, closing his Pearbook. "And I just got all our bills paid and took care of the rest of our financials for the next too months. Are we a productive couple or are we a productive couple?"

"Well there's no way I'm cooking tonight," Sam laughed. "So either you can or we can order a pizza or something, because I'm _beat_."

"Actually," Freddie smiled as the couple heard their front door open. "I already have something planned for dinner."

"Hey, hey," Spencer said, walking into the kitchen.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Sam asked.

"Freddie asked me to babysit for you guys," Spencer replied.

"Huh?" Sam frowned, looking up at her husband. "Why do we need a babysitter?"

"Because we," Freddie said, helping his wife to her feet. "Are going out to dinner. Just you and me."

"What? For real?" Sam said, smiling widely.

"Yeah," Freddie nodded. "I just got to thinking, in a few months we're gonna be pretty much trapped in the house again, so why not have one night out, just the two of us? Come on, let's go."

"But I have to get changed," Sam said, looking down at her ratty old jeans and t-shirt.

"Baby, please," Freddie said. "Do you really think I would take you to some snooty restaurant with a dress code and food portions so small they couldn't fill a mouse on our romantic night out? You and I have reservations at your favorite fried chicken place."

"Clucky's?" Sam exclaimed.

"You got it!"

"Aw, you're the best!" Sam said, throwing her arms around her husband.

"How sweet," Spencer said. "Okay you two, go have fun. And bring me back some Clucky's!"

….

"Wow, he took you out to dinner? That's so sweet," Carly said as her and Sam got out of her car and headed up the Benson house.

"Yeah, and afterwards we went and saw a movie and he bought me _two _boxes of Ju Ju Bees," Sam grinned. "Oh, crab, Carly! Hurry and get in the house! Now!"

"Why?" Carly frowned.

"Because!" Sam hissed. "She's on her-"

"Yo-hoo! Sam!" Jill said, running over from across the street. "There you are! You know, we really don't get together enough. I swear, the last time I saw you was during that fun camping trip we took awhile back. It's almost like you're avoiding Jack and I!"

"Yeah, well, apparently we aren't doing a very good job," Sam said under her breath.

"Sam," Carly whispered.

"Oh, and I can see baby number two is growing very nicely," Jill said, rubbing Sam's stomach, earning her a glare.

"So Jill! Your hair looks nice!" Carly said quickly before Sam could open her mouth.

"Thank you, I just got it done," Jill grinned, fluffing her hair. "Maybe one day I could take you to my salon so you can get yourself a quality hairstyle. You really deserve more than what your stylist is giving you now, dear."

"What?" Carly frowned.

"Hey, well, Carly and I need to get inside and, um, do some things," Sam said. "See you, Jill. Maybe in another few months we can say hi at the mailbox or something."

"I'll put that down on my calendar!" Jill called after the two as they retreated into the house.

"When are those two going to move already?" Sam moaned, slamming the door behind her.

"Does my hair really look that bad?" Carly frowned, looking in the mirror near the entrance way. "I mean I know I was taking a risk with my new side bangs, but everyone else thought it looked cute!"

"You look fine, Carls," Sam said, rolling her eyes. She pulled out the foot massager that Marissa had brought over. "Oh man," she sighed as she turned it on. "That's some good stuff."

"Oh, paint samples?" Carly said, reaching for a booklet that Freddie had picked up from the hardware store of different color choices for the nursery.

"Yeah, we picked out the ones we like," Sam said. "See, we're gonna use this blue right here if it's a boy, and then this lavenderish color if it's a girl."

"Cute," Carly grinned. "Have you two made any progress with the name yet?"

"Nah, Freddie still wants more of a traditional name, but I want something a little more modern," Sam shrugged. "But I'm only six and a half months along. We still got time. We'll probably wind up thinking of a name right after the kid's born, like with Jason."

"Where _is _Jason anyway?" Carly asked.

"Freddie took him to Funk E. Festers with some kids from his pre preschool place," Sam said. "That's the good thing about being pregnant; I can pass unpleasant things off to him to do without him being able to fight back. Like I was going to sit in a pee-soaked kid trap where your eardrums literally feel like they're going to burst."


	279. Chapter 279

"I can't believe Spencer, Gibby and I got tickets to go see the original cast of _Galaxy Wars _do a Q&A next week," Freddie said excitedly as him, Carly and Sam ate their lunches in the studio cafeteria.

"Yeah, sounds real riveting," Carly said, rolling her eyes.

"I'll have you know it was nearly _impossible _to get these tickets," Freddie said. "The three of us had to stand in line all last night."

"You let your husband do that?" Carly asked, turning to Sam. "Sam? Hey, are you okay?"

"Huh, oh. Yeah, I'm fine," Sam mumbled, picking at her food.

"Baby, what's wrong?" Freddie frowned.

"I just feel a little sick," Sam said. "Cramps, upset stomach…the usual."

"Yeah, but you look out of it," Freddie pointed out.

"It'll pass," Sam shrugged.

"Still, maybe you should go home and rest for the rest of the day," Freddie said, getting to his feet. "Come on, I'll drive you home real quick before my break ends."

"Yeah, and I'll let everyone know where you went," Carly assured her. "Just go get some sleep, okay?"

"Well if you guys are insisting on me lounging in bed for the rest of the day, who am I to refuse?" Sam said, offering a small smile as Freddie helped her up.

"You'll probably feel a lot better after a nap," Freddie told her as they headed out of the cafeteria towards the parking lot.

"Too bad I don't start my maternity leave for another month," Sam sighed. "Man…I didn't feel this bad with Jason."

"Every pregnancy's different," Freddie reasoned. "The baby's probably positioned different or something."

"Yeah, I guess," Sam said. "But all I know is that I just want to get home and try not to puke up my stomach."

…..

"Hey, feeling any better?" Freddie asked a few hours later, returning home and coming up to his bedroom with Jason.

"A little," Sam nodded. "I think the sleep really helped."

"You sick, mommy?" Jason asked, crawling onto the bed.

"No, mommy's fine," Sam assured her son.

"Jason made you a picture at school today," Freddie told her. "Go on, Jason. Show her."

Jason handed her a sheet of construction paper.

"See? Family," he said. He pointed to a stick person with long, wavy blonde hair. "That you."

"Oh is it?" Sam chuckled. "Wow, you even made me purple."

"That one is daddy," Jason said, showing her a blue stick person with what looked like a computer in his hand. "And that one me. And that Max. And that one is baby!"

He had drawn a tiny little baby standing next to him, holding his hand.

"Jason, this is _so _good," Sam said, kissing the top of his head. "You're a little artist, aren't you? Hey, you know where I think I'm going to hang this? Right here, above my bed, so I'll see it first thing when I wake up every morning."

"I'm going to go fix you some soup, okay," Freddie told his wife. "And I'll bring it up here for you. You want me to bring Jason down?"

"No, he can stay with me," Sam said as Jason curled up next to her.

"Okay," Freddie nodded.

"Mommy?" Jason asked as Freddie left the room.

"Yeah honey?" Sam said.

"Is baby a boy or a girl?"

"Well, we won't know until he or she is born in about two more months," Sam said.

"Oh," Jason said.

"Hey, want to look at some of the names mommy and daddy picked out for the baby?" Sam asked, picking up the name book that was sitting on her bedside table.

"Okay!"

"See, here are some of the names we picked out if you wind up getting a little brother," Sam said, opening the book. "What do you think of Jeremy?"

"Yuck."

"No?" Sam laughed. "Let's see, there's Ivan…no way. Jared, maybe. Jacob…hey, look sweetie. It's your name, Jason!"

"My name!" Jason said excitedly.

"Yeah, daddy and I used this book to pick out your name when you were first born," Sam explained. She flipped to the girl names. "What about for a sister? Right now daddy really likes Ashley and Emily, but mommy's not so sure."

"Good names," Jason said.

"You think?" Sam smiled. She closed the book. "Well, we'll figure out what the heck we're gonna name this kid later. Right now, though, why don't you and I just sit here, watch some T.V. and wait for daddy to bring us some soup?"

"_Girly Cow_!" Jason exclaimed, picking up the remote that way laying by Sam.

"I've taught you well," Sam laughed.


	280. Chapter 280

"Okay, just breathe baby," Freddie told Sam the next morning as he held her hair back while she vomited into the toilet.

"You don't tell someone who's puking her guts up to just breath!" Sam snapped, wiping her mouth.

"Do you feel any better now?" Freddie asked as Sam went and sat down on their bed.

"No," Sam mumbled, laying back down against her pillows. "I feel like butt. My stomach's all gross, I'm all crampy and I've got a pounding headache. There's no way I can make it into work today."

"Alright," Freddie nodded. "But you know, I think we should maybe make an appointment with your doctor for tomorrow. Maybe he can prescribe you something that can ease up these symptoms."

"Yeah, okay," Sam nodded. "Can you bring me the prenatal vitamins before you leave though so I can take them?"

"Of course, do you want any breakfast?" Freddie asked.

"I'll get something later, once I feel like I can walk again," Sam moaned.

"I'm going to call you throughout the day to make sure you're okay," Freddie told her. "If you need anything, you know I'll come right over."

"I'm not dying, Fredwad, I'm just pregnant," Sam smirked. "It's not exactly funnest thing all the time."

"Two more months," Freddie told her, giving her a quick kiss. "I'll be right back up with your vitamins."

"Thank you, baby," Sam said, curling back underneath her covers.

…

"Hey there, kid," Pam Puckett said, walking into Sam's bedroom.

"Mom?" Sam frowned, looking up from her Pearpad. "What are you doing here?"

"Benson called me and asked me to come by and check on you," Pam replied. "He said you weren't feeling too hot."

"No," Sam sighed. "I feel like my stomach and every other part of my body hates me right now."

"Hang in there, kid," Pam said. "By the way, that annoying neighbor of yours tried to follow me in here, but I told her to get lost. She's a real nut job."

"Oh, Jill?" Sam said, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, her and her husband Jack are insane. Freddie and I try to avoid them if we can."

"I'm just glad I don't have any whackos like that living near me and Lewbert," Pam said.

"Mom," Sam said. "You do all your yard work in your bikini and Lewbert sits on the front porch putting ointment on his insanely large wart. I think you two _are _those whackos."

"Hey, a name book," Pam said, picking up the baby name book from Sam's bedside table, ignoring her daughter's comment. "You two pick a name yet?"

"Nope," Sam said. "But we still have time. Right now we can't really find something we both agree on. We don't know whether to give the kid a simple name or try to come up with something just a little bit more modern."

"Hey, I remember having that problem when I was trying to come up with names for you and Melanie after you guys were born," Pam said. "Since your _father_ was no help once so ever with that…So I wound up picking Samantha because it was simple and pretty, and Melanie because it was a little bit more original. See, I gave you Samantha because when you girls were babies, Melanie was always more loud and outgoing, and you were the quiet once…look how well that turned out."

"Yeah, real smart parenting there, mom," Sam said.

"Oh come on, you know you're a way better Sam than Melanie," Pam said.

"I guess," Sam shrugged.

"Well," Pam said, getting to her feet. "I need to get to my waxing appointment. Here, I brought this up for you." She handed her daughter a loaf of bread.

"Thanks?" Sam frowned.

"Well I started to make you a sandwich, but then I got sort of lazy," Pam said. "Anyway, Benson said he'll try to get home a little early tonight and to call him if you need anything."

"He's already called five times today, I think I'm set," Sam said. "I swear, he worries way to much about little things."

….

"Do you want me to make you some tea to go with those Saltines?" Freddie asked Sam later that evening as he was preparing to go to bed. "We have that kind that's supposed to be good for pregnant women."

"No," Sam said, stuffing one last cracker in her mouth. "That stuff has a funny after taste. Besides, I feel a little better than I did this morning. I can probably go to work tomorrow."

"Okay, well don't push yourself, you have plenty of sick days you can use if you need to," Freddie said, getting into bed next to her.

"I won't," Sam said, grinning. "I mean, it's not like ever exactly thrilled to go to work when I'm one hundred percent."

"Good," Freddie said, leaning over to give her a quick kiss. "Night, baby."

"Night," Sam yawned, turning off her lamp.

….

Nearly five hours later, Sam found herself woken up, feeling much worse than she had earlier that day.

_What is this kid doing to me_? Sam thought miserably as she slowly heaved herself up out of bed so she could go to the bathroom. She dragged her feet towards the toilet, but then, suddenly, she felt a sharp, searing pain shoot through her abdomen, making her let out a gasp, and she quickly grabbed the nearby dresser, trying to balance herself.

_What was that_? Sam thought to her herself, attempting to steady herself. But before she could even do that, another pain seared throughout her body, and she reflexively let go of the dresser to clutch her abdomen, which sent her falling to the floor.

She knew something was wrong, and she was more scared than she had ever been in her life.

"Freddie!" she called out, wincing and breathing heavily. "Freddie!"

"Huh?" Freddie said, groogily sitting up in bed. "Sam? Sam where are you-Sam!" he spotted his wife on the floor and rushed over to her. "Sam? What's wrong?"

"I-I don't know," she gasped. "I-I got up to go to the bathroom, and-"

Her eyes went wide, and she slowly looked up at Freddie. "Freddie," she whispered as the pain in her body began to escalate. "My water just broke."

"What?" Freddie yelped. "But-But you're barely seven months along. The-The baby can't be coming now!"

"It is!" Sam moaned as she felt what must've been another contraction. "Ow! Freddie, something's wrong!"

She looked down at her lap and saw that a pool of blood was forming around her.

"We got to get you to the hospital," Freddie said, trying to stay as calm as he could for Sam's sake, but he was really terrified out of his mind. "I'll call the ambulance…"

"Just drive me there!" Sam said desperately. "It will be quicker. And-And call your mom or-or someone! To watch Jason!"

"We don't have time to wait for my mom to get here!" Freddie said. "I-Sam, I'll be right back, okay. I'll be back in a second."

Sam nodded, trying not to look down at the pool of her own blood. Maybe this was just a nightmare…the baby couldn't be coming now at only seven months…it wasn't ready.

Nearly two minutes later, Freddie rushed back into the room, followed by none other than Jack and Jill.

"She-She's in labor," Freddie explained breathlessly. "Can you just please stay here with Jason while I get her to the hospital? Please?"

"Of course, of course," Jill nodded, her usual annoying perk gone from her voice.

"Sam? Baby? Do you think you can stand up?" Freddie asked.

Sam nodded. "I think."

Freddie and Jack helped her to her feet. She let out another cry of pain as yet another contraction rippled through her body.

She didn't even know how she managed to get down the steps and out to Freddie's car. All she knew was that her contractions were getting closer and closer together…

Freddie sped to the hospital, all the while trying to offer comforting words to his wife.

"It's okay, it's going to be okay," he said anxiously, looking over at Sam, who he knew was in more pain that he could ever imagine right now. "It'll be okay."


	281. Chapter 281

"She's in labor!" Freddie yelled as he led Sam into the hospital. "My wife…she's in labor."

"We need a chair!" a nurse said loudly, running from behind the front desk. "We need to get this woman up to delivery!"

Another nurse quickly raced over with a wheelchair and Sam fell into it at once.

"She's only seven months along," Freddie said breathlessly as he ran alongside the group of doctors who were now rushing Sam down a hallway. "What's going to happen? She-She can't have the baby now!"

"She might have no choice, sir," one of the doctors said as they turned into an empty delivery room.

The doctors got Sam into the hospital bed as Freddie stood motionless by her side, feeling hopelessly useless.

"The baby's already starting to crown!" the doctor announced, quickly looking Sam over as he pulled on a surgical mask and rubber gloves.

"No!" Sam moaned as Freddie took her hand. "No, it-it can't come now!"

"Ma'am, there's no other choice, you need to deliver this baby now," the doctor said firmly as another group of nurses rushed in with a plastic crib that was used to house newborns.

"But-Will it be healthy?" Freddie asked desperately.

"Infants born at the seven month mark usually have respiratory problems," the doctor said bluntly. "The lungs aren't finished fully developing, and of course they have low birth rates. But they have a fighting chance. Now ma'am, I need you to push with all your might, okay? We need to get this baby delivered as soon as possible at this point."

Sam nodded, though Freddie could tell she was positively frightened right now.

"You-You can do this," Freddie said shakily as Sam tightly gripped his hand.

Sam let out a loud groan as she began to push, squeezing Freddie's hand as hard as she could.

"Good, keep going, keep going!" the doctor encouraged. "The head's out, and here comes the torso and the legs…it's a girl."

Freddie quickly craned his neck to try and get a glimpse at his newborn daughter, but the second he laid eyes on her, he nearly passed out.

She was small; less than half the size that Jason had been when he was born. She was so pale too, and her face looked as though it was flushed blue. And instead of loud cries filling the room as had happened with Jason, all Freddie could hear were choppy, raspy cries.

"She needs a respirator, now!" the doctor ordered as Freddie watched, motionless, as doctors and nurses began to surround his daughter. "Rush her up to NICU!"

"Freddie!" Sam said, panting. "Freddie…what's wrong with her? Is she okay? I want to see-Ow! Ow!"

"Sam?" Freddie cried, tearing his eyes away from his daughter.

"Get another crib in here!" the doctor yelled, rushing back to Sam. "There's another head!"

"What?" Sam yelled.

"Did you know you were pregnant with twins?" the doctor asked as even more doctors rushed in as the first baby was hurriedly wheeled out.

"No!" Freddie said, his heart pounding.

"I need you to push one more time!" the doctor told Sam. "Now!"

Sam gripped Freddie's hand again as she pushed once more.

"It's another girl," the doctor announced after another minute.

But this baby didn't even emit the weak, broken cries that her sister had.

"She's not breathing!" the doctor yelled frantically as tubes and wired were quickly attached to the newborn.

"No…" Freddie whispered as he felt his legs shake. He looked down at Sam, but saw that her eyes were closed.

"Sam!" Freddie yelled. "Sam!"

"Sir, you need to leave," another doctor said as the second baby, attached to more beeping machines than Freddie could even count at that moment.

"But…my wife," Freddie said desperately. "The babies."

"We'll do our best with them, but you need to let us work," the doctor said firmly, all but dragging him out of the room. As Sam was blocked from view as she too became swarmed by masked professionals.

Freddie didn't know what to do with himself. Sam had just given birth to twins who were in a very critical condition, and now she too was in the same dangerous state.

He leaned against a wall, burying his face in his hands.

"Freddie? Freddie! What are you doing here?"

Freddie looked up and saw his mother, wearing her hospital scrubs, running over to him.

"Mom," Freddie said, his voice cracking. "Sam…she-she just gave birth."

"What?" Marissa gasped. "She gave birth? But he due date's not for another two months!"

"I know…something went wrong," Freddie mumbled. "And-And it was twins. Two girls…but-but one of them could barely cry, and the other one-the other one couldn't breathe at all. And now something's wrong with Sam, and I-I don't know what to do."

And then suddenly forgetting that he was a grown man in his twenties, he fell into his mother's embrace, sobbing.

"Shh, come on, Freddie," Marissa said soothingly, leading her son to a room behind the nearby nurse's station. She sat him down on a sofa and handed him a box of tissues.

"I can't believe-I didn't even think of something like this happening," Freddie said, wiping his eyes. "The babies…they were so little. _So _little. What if-what if they don't make it, mom?"

"Don't think like that, Freddie," his mother said firmly.

"And Sam…what if-what if she-" Freddie whispered.

"Freddie," Marissa said. "Everything will be-Everything will be just _fine_. This hospital has one of the best NICU's in the country. The babies are in good hands. And Samantha is a very strong woman."

Freddie nodded, but he didn't say anything. He could still feel cold sweat on his brow.

"Mom," he said suddenly. "I-Can you do me a favor?"

"Of course," Marissa nodded.

"Jason's at home," he said softly. "I-I ran across the street and got the neighbors to come and watch him while I took Sam here. But he's going to be up in a few hours, and I-I'd really rather have someone he knows better there with him right now when he starts asking questions. Don't tell him anything right now! Just-just tell him that Sam had a doctor's appointment or something."

"Okay," Marissa said softly, getting to her feet. "I'll tell the nurses at the desk to send the doctors back here when they have news for you."

"Thanks," Freddie muttered.

Once he was alone, Freddie leaned back on the couch, deep in thought.

This was all his fault…it had to be. How could he have let this happen? He should've known something was wrong; this pregnancy had been a lot harder on Sam than her first one. She had been feeling sicker and weaker. He should've insisted she go to the doctors yesterday instead of telling her to just relax in bed. If only he had done that, then whatever it was that had caused this horrible thing to happen might've been caught earlier, and Sam would have given birth in June, like she was supposed to.

For close to an hour, horrible thoughts continued to circle poor Freddie's head until the doctor who had delivered the babies walked into the room.

Freddie jumped to his feet. "What's going on?" he asked at once.

"Your wife is stabilized," the doctor said. "She went into a state of shock, which was caused by her blood loss. But we've given her a blood transfusion, and she will make a full recovery."

"And what about the babies?" Freddie asked.

The doctor sighed. "Right now…right now both of them are hooked up on respirators; they can't breathe on their own. Their lungs are not very strong right now. And of course we need to get their body weights up. Baby A weighs two pounds six ounces, and her sister weighs two pounds two ounces."

"But…but they'll start to breathe on their own soon, right?" Freddie said, his voice dripping with hope and desperation. "And they'll gain weight. And then they'll be fine, right?"

The doctor sighed. "I'm afraid it's not that simple. We are doing everything we can right now for the girls, but sometimes, that just isn't enough. I'll be able to give you a better prognosis if they can make it through the first twenty-four hours."

"If?" Freddie repeated. "_If_? No! They-They can't-"

The doctor put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Let me take you to your wife right now."

Freddie silently followed the doctor upstairs to a small room.  
"She's right in there," the doctor told her. He started to walk away, but then stopped and turned around just as Freddie was about to go into the room.

"Mr. Benson, it's a miracle that your twins have made it past this one hour after birth," he said. "In cases where the babies are born this prematurely, there is always a good chance that the infant is still born. And then throw in all the complications that always accompany multiple births…I can tell that your girls are strong. They're fighters."

Freddie nodded. "I know. They're bound to be tough…just like their mother."

And with that he turned the doorknob and let himself into Sam's hospital room.

"Sam," he said softly, looking at his wife, who appeared to be completely drained and exhausted. "Are you-"

"I'm fine," Sam said quickly. "Don't worry about me. Freddie, the doctor wouldn't tell me anything when he was in here, but I know he must've told you something. What's going on with the babies? Are they okay now?"

"Sam," he sighed, sitting down in the chair next to her bed. "I-You don't-You should-"

"Tell me," Sam said firmly. "Don't sugarcoat anything, don't try and keep me in the dark about anything. Just tell me; _how are my babies?" _

Freddie nodded. "They're both having trouble breathing; they're hooked up on respirators right now. And they're small…both just a little over two pounds. Their lungs are really weak and underdeveloped right now."

A few tears fell from Sam's eyes and Freddie put one shaky arm around her.

"Will they be okay?" she whispered.

"I don't know," Freddie answered truthfully. "The doctor said…the doctor said that he can tell us more after twenty-four hours."

"Oh God…Freddie," Sam sobbed. "How could this happen?"

"I don't know," Freddie said, tears falling from his eyes too. "I just don't know."


	282. Chapter 282

**AN-Hey Seddielover945, I couldn't PM you, so I decided to just write you back here. I'm glad you connected so well with the last chapter, but I'm sorry to hear about your brother.**

"Can we at least see them?" Sam asked, breaking the silence that had haunted her hospital room for several hours.

"I-I don't know," Freddie said, slowly getting to his feet. "I'll try to find someone and ask…I'll be right back."  
Sam nodded, and Freddie headed out of the room. Just then, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, and when he pulled it out, he saw it was Carly.

"Hello?" he answered softly.

"Hey, Freddie," Carly said brightly. "I was just wondering where you and Sam were. I've been waiting in the cafeteria with our lunches for twenty minutes. Is Sam still feeling sick? Did you stay home with her?"

"Um, C-Carly," Freddie said. "Last night, um, Sam-Sam went into labor."

"She _what_?" Carly exclaimed, her cheerful voice gone instantly. "Oh my God…but she's only seven months. Is she okay now? What's going on?"

"She gave birth," Freddie said. "We-We had twins. Two little girls…but-but Carly, it's bad."

"Oh no," Carly breathed.

"They can't breathe on their own, they're only a couple of pounds each…Sam and I…we couldn't even hold them."

"Freddie…I'm so sorry," Carly said. "What about Sam? Is she okay?"  
"Um, now she is, but she's still just…you know. She just wants to see the babies and know that they're going to be okay…same as me."

"I'll try and get over there as soon as I can," Carly said.

"Um, listen Carls, not-not that I don't appreciate that," Freddie sighed. "But, um, I-I don't think we're ready for visitors just yet."

"Oh, okay," Carly said. "I completely understand. Just…Just tell Sam that I called. And you guys know if you need _anything _at all, you can come to me, right?"

"Thanks," Freddie said. "I-I'll talk to you later."

He hung up the phone and headed out to the nurses station.

"Um, excuse me," he said to the nurse behind the desk. "Hi, um, I-I was just wondering if there was anyway that I could talk to Dr. Norman? I wanted to ask him if-"

"Mr. Benson," said a voice behind him and Freddie turned and saw that Sam's doctor was standing behind him. "I was just about to come check in on your wife."

"Doctor, how are the girls?" Freddie asked desperately. "Are they breathing okay yet?"

"No," the doctor sighed. "Baby A has made a bit of progress. She's still not out of the woods by any means, though, but her breathing has strengthened slightly since birth."

"And the other one?"

"I'm afraid she's still completely dependent on the respirator," the doctor said gently.

"L-Look," Freddie said. "Is there _any _way for my wife and I to just _see _them? Please? Even if it's only for a minute."

The doctor looked thoughtful.

"I can arrange that," he said, after a minute. "I need to check your wife's vitals first, of course, but once I do, I can bring you both up to the NICU."

"Thank you," Freddie said.

…..

"You'll need to put these on," a kind nurse told Sam and Freddie, handing them each a surgical mask.

"Okay," Sam said, tying it around her ears.

"We have them right over here," the nurse said as Freddie pushed Sam in her wheelchair past the rows of scarily small babies. He saw groups of parents, just like them, huddled around the plastic box cribs.

The nurse led them over to a set of two cribs, where their newborn daughters laid, both hooked up to machines.

"Oh my God…" Sam whispered. "They-They're so _tiny_."

"We have them hooked up to a feeding tube, where they're being given all the nutrients they need, so they will hopefully begin to gain weight soon. Of course, when you are able to nurse them, Mrs. Benson, their body weights should increase significantly."

Freddie respected how the nurse said 'when' and not 'if'.

"Can we-Can we hold them?" Sam whispered.

"No, I'm afraid you can't just yet," the nurse said gently. "But all newborns need as much human contact as they can get. You can poke your hand through this opening right here and touch them. And you're both highly encouraged to talk to them."

"Okay," Freddie nodded, sitting down in the chair next to Sam.

"I'll give you two some time alone," the nurse smiled, as she headed off to check on the rest of the babies.

"H-Hi," Sam said, sliding her hand into the opening of one of the girls' cribs. Freddie slid his hand into the other. "I'm your mommy."

"And I-I'm your daddy," Freddie said.

Sam looked over at him, fear and uncertainty etched onto her face. Freddie did his best to give her an encouraging smile.

"Um, I-I know you must be really scared right now," Sam continued. "But-But you girls are going to get better, okay? And then you're going to come home with us."

"Yeah," Freddie whispered. "You'll get to meet everybody who's so excited to see you. Especially your big brother, Jason. He-He can't wait to meet you guys. And you're going to have a pretty purple room, and lots of toys. And we have a dog, too, that you'll love."

Sam and Freddie sat there for hours, switching off and on so that they got a chance to interact with each of the twins.

"I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave for just an hour now," the nurse, said, returning to the couple. "The doctors need to run a few more tests now, but I'll be sure to let you know when you can come back in."

Sam nodded. She looked at each of the girls, lying in their cribs so small and helpless. "We'll be back in a little bit, okay?"

"Yeah, the doctors are going to look at you know, and-and they're going to help you get stronger so you can get out of here as soon as possible."

"We love you," Sam said. "So, so much.

Freddie wheeled Sam back to her hospital room, and tried to help her into bed.

"I can do it, I'm fine," Sam said, shaking his helping hand off her.

"Sam, you've been through a lot; your body's still recovering," Freddie began. "You need to-"

"What did I do wrong?" Sam asked, cutting him off. "I've been going over everything in my head since I woke up, trying to think of what I could've possibly done to make this happen…do you think it's because I didn't eat one hundred percent healthy? Or maybe it's because I accidently forgot to take the prenatal vitamins that one day. Or-"

"This wasn't your fault," Freddie said firmly.

"I'm the one who was carrying them!" Sam said. "I-I didn't even know there were two in there!"

"The doctors never knew either," Freddie pointed out. "No one ever told us that we were having twins during any of those doctor appointments. I'm guessing their heartbeats were perfectly in sync or something…But-But you can't blame yourself, okay? These things…they-they just happen, sometimes."

Sam shook her head. "But I never thought it would happen to us." She let out a soft sob. "Oh God…what-what are we going to tell _Jason_ if-if something-"

"Don't think about that," Freddie said. "And right now, my mom's with Jason. I told her not to tell him anything yet."

"He's going to know something's wrong soon…" Sam mumbled.

"Jason's a strong kid; he-he'll understand," Freddie assured her.

"He's three," Sam sighed. "All he wants right now is to see the babies…" She began to sob harder. "We can't even _hold _them!"

Freddie wanted to comfort her, but it was hard, when he was barely holding himself together at the moment. So he silently held her hand out for him as his own tears began to fall.


	283. Chapter 283

**AN-Hey seddieforver16, I'm really sorry to hear about your brother. I can't imagine having to go through that at such a young age. **

…

"I don't know if I should call," Carly sighed, pacing back in forth in Spencer and Ella's living room. "I really want to know if they know anything yet, but at the same time I'm sure they just want their space right now…"

"I can't believe this," Ella mumbled, shaking her head.

"Me neither," Melanie said heavily.

"How could it have happened?" Spencer frowned. "I mean, Sam didn't have any problems when she was pregnant with Jason."

"Maybe because it was twins," Gibby suggested.

"Yeah, did they really not know they were having twins?" Ella said.

"Well if they knew, they kept it a secret from everyone else," Carly said.

"The second baby must've been right behind the first one," Spencer said.

"I should've known something was wrong," Carly said, sitting down next to her brother. "I mean, Sam was getting sick a lot more...She would tell me how bad her morning sickness was or something, and I would just brush it off."

"Carls, it's not your fault," Spencer said, putting arm around her.

"Have they told Jason yet?" Ella asked.

Carly shook her head. "He's with Freddie's mom; she just told him that Sam had to go to the doctor's. I-I think they're trying to hold out for better news before they tell Jason anything."

"I hope they get it soon," Spencer said.

"Me too," Gibby nodded.

"So do I," Melanie agreed.

"Same here," Ella said softly.

…

"The good news," Doctor Norman told Sam and Freddie as they sat with the twins in the NICU. "Is that there's not brain abnormalities or any other problems with them…it's just their lungs."

"Well when are their lungs going to start getting stronger than?" Sam asked.

The doctor sighed. "Normally, babies with lung problems after birth will begin to strengthen twelve to sixteen hours after birth."

"Well its been almost twenty-four hours," Freddie pointed out.

"Yes," the doctor nodded. "And unfortunately, we-we haven't seen the progress we'd like to."

"So then what's going to happen?" Sam questioned softly.

Freddie looked up at the doctor. "Please…just tell us. We want to know."

The doctor let out a deep breath. "Baby A has made slight progress. It's still not what we'd hope for at this point, but she _is _getting a bit stronger. Baby B, though, has made almost no progress on terms of her lung development. Right now…Right now I'd give your first daughter about a sixty percent chance, and your second daughter about a twenty percent chance."

Sam let out a sob, and Freddie gripped her shoulder tightly.

"I'm very sorry that I can't be bringing you better news," the doctor said sympathetically.

Freddie nodded, but did not reply, and the doctor gave them a small, encouraging smile before he left them.

"Freddie…" Sam said shakily.

"I know," Freddie mumbled.

"Mr. and Mrs. Benson?" one of the nurses said, walking over to the couple. "I'm sorry, but we need to change their respirator tubes now, so I'll have to ask you to leave. But you can come back shortly."

"Thank you," Freddie said weakly. He helped Sam to her feet and the couple went back to Sam's room.

For nearly ten minutes, the two sat in silence, and then Sam spoke.

"Freddie," she said. "We need to give them names."

"Huh?" Freddie said.

"We've both been avoiding it," Sam said. "And we both know why…but we need to do it. How-How can we expect those two little babies to get stronger if their parents don't even have enough faith in them to name them."

"You-You're right," Freddie said, sitting down on the edge of her bed. "Let's give them names."

"I think we should go with your idea," Sam said. "You know, sticking with traditional names…after all they've been through, they need some simplicity in their lives. You said you liked Ashley and Emily? I think those would be nice. I know I wasn't too on board with them before, but I really _did _think they were pretty names."

"But Sam," Freddie said, giving her a small smile. "It's like you said…they've already been through so much; they're fighters. They need names that match that."

"Well then what do you have in mind?" Sam asked.

Freddie thought for a moment. "What about instead of Ashley…we add a little bit of a twist to it? What do you think of…Ashton?"

"Ashton…" Sam repeated. "I like that. Kind of new take on an old name."

"And how about instead of Emily," Freddie continued. "We name the second baby…Emma?"

"Emma, Emma…Ashton and Emma, Emma and Ashton," Sam said. "It works. That-That's it. Those are their names."

"You really like them?" Freddie asked.

"I love them," Sam said, grinning.

"Mr. and Mrs. Benson?" the nurse said, poking her head into the room. "You can head back to your daughters now, if you'd like."

"Yes, we'd like that, thanks," Freddie said.

The couple quickly returned to the twins, taking their seats once again.

"Hi again," Sam whispered, gently stroking each of the girls' hands through the holes on the sides of the cribs. "So guess what? You both officially have names. Isn't that exciting?"

"Yeah," Freddie smiled, stroking each of them too. He turned to the first twin. "You're name is Ashton, sweetheart." He turned towards the second baby. "And your name is Emma, honey. Do you guys like your names?"

"I bet they do," Sam chuckled.

Sam and Freddie sat between their two daughters for hours. Sam could feel her eyelids growing heavier, but she had no intentions of moving anytime soon. She wanted to be around her babies for as long as she could.

Just then, though, they heard a small cry. Sam and Freddie looked at each other, startled, as the cry sounded again. The looked over at the first twin, the one they had just named Ashton.

"She-She's crying!" Sam said, hardly daring to believe what she was hearing.

"I-I know," Freddie said in disbelief, hearing his daughter's cries becoming more and more strong.

"Is that crying I hear?" the nurse asked, hurrying over.

"What does that mean?" Sam asked.

The nurse smiled at both of them. "That is a _very _good sign. That means her lungs have strengthened…though I've never seen anything like this before. According to her progress from just a few hours ago, she should be nowhere near strong enough to be crying. Something _amazing _must've happened for her since then."

"So she's going to get better now?" Freddie asked.

"I can't tell you that for sure," the nurse said. "But I will say this…if her lung functioning continues to improve at this pace, I'd say she won't be needing the respirator for much longer."

Sam gasped turned to her husband, throwing her arms around him. It wasn't the best news she could be hearing, but it was certainly a step in that direction.

"I'm going to bring her over to have a few more tests done on her," the nurse said. "Just so we can get an exact idea of where her progress is at. Don't worry, though. I'll try to have her out to you again as soon as possible."

Freddie and Sam watched as Ashton's crib was wheeled away, and then turned back to Emma.

"Okay, Emma," Sam whispered, brushing her finger against her small palm. "You can do this too. I know you're smaller than your sister, but you're just as strong, sweetie. Mommy and daddy know you're going to get better too."

"That's right, Emma," Freddie nodded. "Come on, baby. Don't give up."


	284. Chapter 284

"We need to tell him," Sam sighed, watching Emma and Ashton sleeping, still both hooked up to their respirators. "He can't just keep thinking I'm at the doctors…"

"I can have my mom bring him over," Freddie said.

Sam nodded. "Yeah, do that."

"I'll be back in a second," Freddie said, getting to his feet and heading out of the NICU into the hallway. He pulled out his cellphone and dialed his mother's number.

"How is everything?" Marissa asked after only one short ring.

"Sam's fine now," Freddie said. "And we-we named the twins. Ashton and Emma. But, um, they-they're still pretty small. Ashton's breathing's getting a little strong, though, and she's gained a few ounces…And Emma…well, we're not giving up on her. How's Jason?"

"He says he misses you two," Marissa told him.

"Have you told him anything?"

"No…I just told him that you and Sam had to stay overnight at the doctor's just to make sure that everything was okay."

"Well…Sam and I want to tell him what's going on," Freddie said. "He needs to know. Do you think you can bring him by the hospital?"

"I'll have him there in ten minutes," Marissa said.

"Okay, thanks mom."

Freddie returned to his wife.

"Jason will be here in ten minutes," he told her.

"What are we going to say to him? Are we going to take him in here?" Sam asked.

"We're going to tell him that he has two beautiful baby sisters who…who have a few problems right now, but are trying really hard to get better," Freddie said, taking her hand. "And I think it will be good for him to see them. You know he's going to love them no matter what."

Sam nodded. "Yeah…he will."

About ten minutes later, Freddie received a text from his mother, who had just arrived downstairs at the front desk.

"I'm gonna go bring him up," Freddie told Sam.

"I-I'll wait for you in the hallway," Sam said.

Freddie quickly took the elevator down to the hospital lobby, where he immediately spotted his mother and son.

"Daddy!" Jason exclaimed, rushing over to his father.

"Hey, Jason," Freddie said, pulling a smile onto his face.

"Where is mommy?"

"Mommy's upstairs, she can't wait to see you," Freddie said.

"Um, Freddie?" Marissa said. "Now I know you probably want some alone time with you three, but, when do you think I would be able to-"

"Maybe…Maybe tonight, during your shift," Freddie whispered. "Thanks again for watching Jason for us."

"Bye-bye grandma!" Jason said, waving as Freddie began to carry Jason back upstairs. "Daddy?" Jason asked.

"Yeah Jason?"

"Why we in a hospital?"

"Um…" Freddie began, turning the corner of the hallway. "Well, we-Look! There's mommy!"

"Mommy!" Jason grinned as Freddie brought him over to Sam.

"Hi sweetie,' Sam smiled, sitting down on a nearby bench. Freddie put Jason down next to her and she gave him a hug and kiss.

"Mommy?" Jason frowned, looking down at Sam's stomach, which was now missing the bump he was so used to seeing. "Where did baby go?"

"Well…Jason," Sam said, glancing up at Freddie. "That's-That's sort of why daddy and I have been here. You see, mommy had the baby."

Jason gasped. "Baby was born!"

"Babies, actually," Sam nodded. "There were two inside of me; twins. Like me and Aunt Melanie."

"Two babies?" Jason said, his face lighting up.

"That's right, you have two baby sisters," Freddie said. "Their names and Ashton and Emma."

"I see them?" Jason asked excitedly.

"You can see them, yes," Sam said. "But Jason…we need to talk to you first."

"You know that we told you that you wouldn't get to see the baby until June, right?" Freddie said, placing Jason on his lap. "Well, that's because babies need to live inside their mommies for about nine months. They need to get big and strong before they can be born. But-But your sisters came two months early. Right now…right now they're not as big and strong as Clarissa and Quincy were after _they _were born."

"Are they sick?" Jason asked.

"Sort of," Sam explained. "Their lungs, which help them breathe, are very weak right now. Right now they need a machine to help them breathe. And they're very, _very _small."

Jason's face fell.

"But you know what? They're trying as hard as they can to get better," Freddie said.

"Yup, and who knows," Sam smiled. "Maybe meeting their big brother will help them." "I help them get better," Jason said.

Sam chuckled and kissed the top of his head. "I know you will. So do you want to go see them now?"

Jason nodded.

Freddie helped Sam up and then the two of them led Jason back into the room where his new sisters were waiting.

"Right over here," Freddie said, leading Jason over to the girls. "These are your sisters."

"This is Ashton," Sam told him. "And this is Emma."

Jason looked back and forth between the two babies.

"You can talk to them," Sam said softly.

"Hi babies," Jason said quietly. "I'm big brother. My name is Jason."

"Here, you can put your finger through these little holes right here," Freddie said, helping him place his small hand into Emma's crib. "And you can hold their hands."

"They really little," Jason commented.

"Yeah, but they-they're going to get bigger," Sam said firmly.

"I hold them?"

"No, baby, not yet," Sam said. "Mommy and daddy can't even hold them yet. We need to wait until they can start breathing a little bit on their own."

Jason nodded, and then let go of Emma's hand. He then stood on his toes and kissed the plastic side of her crib, and the turned around and did the same thing for Ashton.

"I love you, babies," Jason whispered.

…..


	285. Chapter 285

"Her breathing's really come a long way," the nurse told Sam and Freddie as they sat with their twins three days after their birth. "She's still going to have to spend a good deal of time here in the NICU, but soon the doctors are going to try and take her off the respirator. And that means you can hold little Ashton here very soon, hopefully.

"Good," Sam said. "But what about Emma?"

"Well her lung functioning has improved to about where Ashton's was two days ago," the nurse said. "She's still nowhere near ready to be off the respirator, but the point is that she's beginning to make progress."

"She'll get there," Freddie said, gently stroking Emma's hand.

The nurse gave them a kind smile before she headed off.

Freddie put an arm around his wife. "They've come a far way, you know."

Sam nodded. "I know. I just wish both of them could get off those stupid respirators already…"

"Me too," Freddie sighed. "But you heard what the nurse said. They're going to see how Ashton does without it soon. And Emma-She-She'll be off it soon too. She's already gained some weight, it's only a matter of time before she catches up with her sister."

Sam didn't say anything.

"It shouldn't be like this," Freddie said gently, squeezing her shoulder.

"I know that," Sam mumbled. "But it is."

She got up and headed out of the room. Freddie frowned and followed.

"Sam?" he called, catching up to his wife. "Sam? What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" Sam repeated. "What's _wrong_? How can you be asking me that?"

"Look, I know what you're feeling right now," he sighed. "It's hard. But it's going to get better, and-"

"Jason's not here right now," Sam snapped, narrowing her eyes. "You don't have to put on that fake 'everything's going to be alright' act. All I know is that when the doctor came in there this morning, he still said that Ashton's still only got an eighty percent chance of getting better, and Emma a forty percent chance! Everything's not going to be alright until he tells me that they both have a one hundred percent chance of getting better!"

She shook her head catching her breath. "Do you know what I dreamed last night?" she continued. "I dreamed that-that all the sudden all those dang machine's they're hooked up to started going off and beeping and-and that we _lost _them! Do you know how horrible that feeling was, even when I woke up and realized it was only a dream? It was worse than anything I ever felt! And it can still happen! What do we do then? How could we ever get past that? So I don't know how you can just _sit there _and be so optimistic when your daughters are-"

"That's all I know how to do right now!" Freddie exclaimed loudly, taking Sam by surprise. "Don't you dare think for a _second _that I'm not _filled _with those same exact thoughts you're having. I've had that dream too. Every time I close my eyes, that's what I see! It _kills _me that our daughters are three days old and I haven't gotten to hold them yet. That we don't have them at home right now, fighting over who has to wake up with them in the middle of the night! But I keep thinking that if I tell myself over and over again that they'll be okay, maybe I'll actually start to believe it! But it's not working! I'm still scared. I still-"

"Mr. and Mrs. Benson!" the nurse said suddenly, rushing into the hall. "You'll want to come in here!"

Sam and Freddie exchanged confused glanced as they hurried back with the nurse, who led them over to the twins.

"Oh my God…" Freddie said softly.

Ashton was crying loudly and strongly, but that's not what was shocking Sam and Freddie right now.

Right next to her, Emma was crying too, for the first time in her short life. The doctors were beginning to surround them.

"What's going on?" Sam asked as a doctor began to fiddle with the respirators.

"We're going to check their lung functions and capacities right now," he told her. "Because from the strength of their cries, they've both improved since we last checked."

"Yes," Doctor Norman agreed. "It looked like their finally showing the progress that we've been hoping for."

Sam glanced up at Freddie. She knew it wasn't exactly a clean slate of health, but somehow the doctor's words eased the tension inside of her a little bit. "Maybe it was your optimism after all," she said softly.

"Or maybe they both just got their strength from you," Freddie said. He took her hand. "You haven't eaten all day…you need to get something in you from the cafeteria."

"Yeah, you too," Sam said. "So let's go grab something real quick and then run back up here."

…..

"Their progress these last few hours have been incredible," Doctor Norman told Sam and Freddie a few hours later. "Medically, neither of them should be here right now…yet they've both exceeded expectations. Honestly, I've never seen anything like this in my twenty years here."

"Yeah, well," Freddie said softly, his arm around Sam as they watched a team of doctors remove Ashton's respirator. "I guess they're pretty incredible."

The doctor walked away, and they both watched anxiously as they saw their daughter take her first breaths on her own.

"She's doing it!" Sam whispered.

"Breathing seems steady," one of the doctors said as he listened to her chest with a stethoscope.

"That means that she's ready to be held," the nurse to the couple, smiling over at them.

Sam blinked. "R-Really?"

"Go on," Freddie told her, giving her an encouraging smile.

Sam quickly sat down, and then very gently, the nurse lifted Ashton from her crib and carefully handed her off to Sam.

It was a magnificent feeling; Sam was overwhelmed with emotion as she looked down at the tiny infant who was finally in her arms.

"Hi Ashton," Sam said shakily, tears falling from her eyes. "You did it. Daddy and I are so proud of you."

"_So _proud, sweetheart," Freddie agreed, stroking Ashton's soft head.

"Sit down," Sam said to her husband, nodding over to the empty chair next to her. Freddie did, and then with the help of the nurse, Sam passed Freddie his daughter.

"Hey there," Freddie said softly as Ashton opened her small brown eyes, looking up at him. "Wow…you're perfect, aren't you?"

"The doctors are predicting that Emma will be able to be off her respirator either tomorrow or the day after," the nurse told the parents, watching the beautiful scene.

"Thank you," Sam said sincerely, poking a finger through the side of Emma's crib, letting her tiny hand curl around it. She wished more than anything that she was holding her too, but for the time being, she realized, as she watched Freddie and Ashton, she needed to focus on the positives. Both of the girls were far from perfect now, but the point was, they were both striving to get there.

….

"Do you think we should call everyone now?" Sam asked as her and Freddie sat in her hospital room later that evening.

"What?" Freddie frowned.

"You know," Sam said. "Call Carly and Spencer and my mom and all of them."

"Oh, right," Freddie nodded. "Yeah…we should. They've all been in the dark long enough."

"I'll call Carly," Sam said. She looked down at the empty stand next to the bed. "Oh, yeah…I guess I didn't grab my phone before I came here."

"Here," Freddie said, handing her his own phone. He leaned back in his chair. "I can't believe we finally got to hold Ashton."  
"It was pretty amazing," Sam smiled.

"I just wish-"

"I know," Sam said, squeezing his hand. "And…look. I'm sorry for going off on you earlier. I was just-"

"I know," Freddie nodded. "Call Carly, though, baby."

Sam went through Freddie's contacts and quickly pulled up Carly's name and dialed. She picked up on the first ring.

"Hi, Freddie," she said at once.

"It's Sam," Sam replied.

"Sam! I didn't-How are you? Is-Is everything okay?" Carly asked anxiously.

"I'm fine," Sam said. "And the twins…well, they-they're doing better than they were earlier."

"Good. I can't tell you how worried we've all been over here. We all want to come see you guys, but I know that you and Freddie probably wanted to be by yourselves for right now and not have everyone rushing around you."

"Yeah, and thanks for giving us our space, Carls," Sam sighed. "I know that must've been real hard for you…But, um, maybe tomorrow if you wanted to all swing by…"

"You bet."

"We named the girls," Sam continued. "Ashton and Emma."

"Oh! Those are such pretty names!" Carly breathed.

"Thanks," Sam replied. "And we just picked their middle names a few hours ago, actually, so their full names are Ashton Marie Benson and Emma Hope Benson."

"I love them," Carly said.

"Freddie and I got to hold Ashton today," Sam told her. "They took her off the respirator. They said that they still need to monitor in the NICU, but they think that she's almost made a full recovery. I even got to nurse her."

"Wow, you two must've been so happy."

"We were," Sam nodded. "And-And they're almost positive Emma's going to be there too real soon."

"Well I can't wait to meet them tomorrow," Carly said.

"You'll love them, they're adorable," Sam smiled. "Anyway, I'll see you then. I should probably try and sleep a little."

"Oh, okay," Carly said. "Well sleep tight, then. Tell Freddie I said hey. And Sam? I'm glad everything's coming along for you guys."

Sam glanced over at Freddie. "Me too."


	286. Chapter 286

**AN-2000 reviews? What?! Oh my goodness, thank you guys all so much for the support you have been giving this story! It means so much to me and really helps motivates me to keep this story going. **

"Wow, she's precious," Carly said softly, looking down at Ashton. Since Ashton was now able to breathe on her own, her crib was able to be wheeled into Sam's room for a few hours, so that everyone could finally see her. Emma was still in the NICU, but Freddie had shown everyone pictures of her.

"Yeah, she's up to three pounds, one ounce," Sam said. "And Emma's at two pounds twelve ounces."

"So can you take them home soon?" Spencer asked.

"They said they'll probably have to spend five more weeks here, just to be safe," Freddie replied. "The doctors need to be absolutely positive that they can breathe on their own."

"Well, that will give you time to get things ready at home, won't it?" Ella pointed out.  
"I guess so," Freddie nodded. "Sam and I decided last night that I would go home tomorrow. You know, to stay with Jason. I'm gonna start getting their room painted, and I guess we'll need to out and buy another car seat so we'll actually be _allowed _to take them home when they're ready."

"When do you get to leave?" Gibby asked Sam.

"Two days," Sam replied.

"They won't let you stay longer to be with the twins?" Melanie frowned.

"I wish," Sam sighed. "But they need my room I guess. We'll be here pretty much around the clock, though, so they'd be better off just letting me stay."

"Well, we'll help you out in any way we can," Carly told her best friend. "You guys can drop Jason off with me whenever you need to, I can help set up for the girls back at your place, whatever you need."

"Thanks," Sam said, giving her a small smile.

…

"Alright, Jason," Freddie said, prying open a can of purple paint. "I promised you that you could help me paint, so let's get going, okay buddy? You have your face mask on?"

"Yeah!" Jason grinned happily, picking up a paintbrush.

"Here, you start on this little area here," Freddie said, guiding his son over to one of the corners of the room. "Hopefully we can have this all done for when mommy comes home tomorrow."

"Are the babies coming too?"

"No, remember what we talked about last night?" Freddie said. "Your sisters have to stay in the hospital for another few weeks. But you'll get to visit them a lot. In the meantime, though, let's focus on making sure they have a really great room waiting for them here."

The two painted for nearly an hour, Freddie smiling as he looked over at Jason's childlike strokes, knowing that he'd have to paint over them once he went to bed.

Freddie's phone then rang, and he quickly set his paintbrush down and answered.

"Hey, Sam," he said.

"Hey," Sam said on the other line. "How is everything over there?"

"We're just working on the twins room," Freddie said. "Jason's helping me out a lot, aren't you Jason?"

"I like painting!" Jason smiled.

"Make sure he has a paint mask on or something," Sam said.

"He does, baby," Freddie assured her. "So how are Emma and Ashton doing?"

"I just nursed Ashton, and Emma's sleeping right now," Sam said. "You're going to try and get here around four, right? Because that's when they're going to take Emma off the respirator and see how she does without it."

"Of course, I wouldn't miss that. Carly's going to come by to watch Jason."

"Good. Hey, I have to go, I'm starting to lose my signal again. You'd think a fancy pants hospital like this would have better phone reception. Tell Jason I'll call again and talk to him before he goes to bed, okay?"

"Okay. Love you," Freddie said, hanging up.

"Daddy?" Jason asked.

"Yeah Jason?"

The toddler reached into his Boogie Bear backpack, which he had gotten into a habit of carrying everywhere with him, stuffed with all his favorite toys. He pulled out his stuffed dinosaur that he slept with every night and handed it to Freddie.

"Yeah, this is Dino," Freddie nodded. "Is he going to watch us paint?"

Jason shook his head. "I want babies to see him."

"Oh, you want me to take him to the hospital when I go and see the twins later?"

"Dino will make them better," Jason said.

Freddie chuckled. "I'm sure your sisters are going to love him. But won't you miss Dino? You always sleep with him."

"No, I'm a big boy!" Jason said proudly.

"Yeah," Freddie smiled, giving his son a one-armed hug. "You are."

….

"I don't believe it," Freddie said for the tenth time that hour, as him and Sam sat, watching both their daughters sleep, neither of them hooked up to a respirator anymore.

"I know," Sam said, resting her head on his shoulder. "Pretty amazing, huh?"

"They went from barely having a chance to this," Freddie said. "I don't know how they managed that, but I am _so _glad that they did."

"Hey," Sam said softly, smiling up at him. "We didn't make two quitters, now did we?"

"Definitely not," Freddie grinned. He leaned down and gave her a quick kiss. "Oh! I almost forgot." He reached into the bag of pink teddy bears and other newborn paraphernalia that Carly had dropped off to 'spruce up the twins cribs' and pulled out Jason's stuffed dinosaur. "Jason wanted Dino to stay with the girls while they're in the hospital."  
"What? Are you serious?" Sam said. "He loves this thing!"

"I know, pretty cute, huh?"

"Um, insanely cute," Sam nodded. "I miss that kid. Make sure you bring him with you tomorrow."

"Hopefully I'll have the paint out of his hair by then," Freddie said. "I swear, by the time we finished doing the first coat in the twins' room, his entire t-shirt went from being blue to purple."

"Well, you need all the help you can get with any sort of home improvement project," Sam laughed. "So you're lucky he's willing to help his nubby dad out."


	287. Chapter 287

At last the day that Sam and Freddie had been waiting for had arrived; they were bringing their twins home for the first time.

Both of them knew how overjoyed and relieved the other was that there were now loading two healthy baby girls into their car.

"You all set?" Freddie asked Sam, checking Emma and Ashton's seatbelts on their car seats.

"Yup," Sam nodded from the front seat. "Let's get these babies home, Fredward."

"Spencer said he just picked Jason up from the community center, and he should have him back at our place in a little bit," Freddie told Sam as they began to drive home.

"He's probably been excited all day about his sisters finally coming home," Sam grinned.

"Yeah, when Spencer texted me, he said Jason was practically bouncing off the walls," Freddie chuckled.

A short while later, Freddie pulled into their driveway. "Welcome home, girls," he said, parking the car. "This is where you're going to live now."

"It's a lot nicer than the hospital," Sam said, getting out to unload the twins. She picked up Emma, and Freddie picked up Ashton, and they began walking up towards the house. Suddenly, thought, they heard a squeal behind them.

"Oh!" Jill exclaimed, running over with Jack. "This must be baby number two!"

"And three!" Jack grinned.

"Holy Timberlake, are those twins?" Jill cried.

"Um…yeah," Freddie nodded. "Two babies."

"And you didn't _tell _us?" Jill gasped.

"We didn't know," Sam said. She looked at Freddie and then took a deep breath. "Um, so…listen. We-We just wanted to thank you guys, you know, for coming over in the middle of the night like that when I…well."

"Oh it's nothing," Jack said. "That's what neighbors are for!"

"It was definitely something," Freddie said. "If we had to wait for my mom to get over here, or anyone else, we-we may not have made it to the hospital in time. We really owe you guys."

"Well we know you'd do the same for us," Jill smiled.

"Yeah…" Sam nodded. "You can-You can definitely call us if you ever need us. Any time."

"Oh! That means so much to us!" Jack said excitedly. "I know! To celebrate this, we should have wacky game night!"

"Er, we're sort of busy tonight, you know, getting the twins situated," Freddie said quickly. "But, um…we're planning on having everyone over here next weekend for a little barbeque, if-if you wanted to come and stop by, we'd really like that."

"Well you know there's nothing we love more than a friendly barbeque!" Jill said. "So of course we'll come!"

"G-Great," Sam said. "Well…we should get the twins inside. We'll see you later, then!"

"You know, I don't think we'll ever be best friends with them," Freddie said as him and Sam walked into the house. "But I think they _do _seem less aggravating now, don't you think?"

"Yeah…unfortunately," Sam sighed. "Anyway, we should get these two down."

"Right," Freddie said.

The couple headed up to the purple nursery and gently laid the girls down side by side in Jason's old crib.

"We can probably get by with them sharing a crib for a few months, but eventually we're gonna have to get a new one," Sam pointed out.

"We're gonna have to go out and buy two of everything, pretty much," Freddie chuckled.

"Well Carly and I are supposed to go shopping this weekend, so I'll look at some stuff then," Sam said, still staring down at her newborns in their crib.

"They're perfect, aren't they?" Freddie smiled, putting his arm around her.

Sam nodded. "Yeah…God, I'm so glad they're finally home."

"So am I," Freddie said.

Just then they heard their front door open up downstairs.

"Babies!" Jason exclaimed loudly. "The babies are here!"

Sam and Freddie looked at each other and laughed.

"Jason's home," Sam grinned, grabbing the baby monitor. Her and Freddie quickly went back downstairs, where their three-year old was excitedly jumping up and down in the living room.

"Hey, sweetie," Sam smiled. "You have fun at school?"

"Where are the babies?" Jason asked, looking around.

"They're upstairs, sleeping, so you have to be quiet, okay?" Freddie said, lifting him up. "But you can see them when they wake up in a little bit."

"Okay," Jason pouted, disappointed.

"Um, Spence?" Sam frowned, looking over at the man's shirt, which was plastered in pink paint. "What's up with the shirt?"

"Ah, well, Dina's class made surprise homemade t-shirts for their parents," Spencer explained.

"Nice," Freddie nodded.

"Yeah, but the paint seeped through and now I think this shirt's stuck to my chest hair," Spencer cringed.

"Since when do you have chest hair?" Sam smirked.

"Since forever!"

"Well thanks for picking up Jason," Freddie said.

"Oh, no problem," Spencer said. "And Ella wanted to know if you guys wanted us to bring over some of Dina's old baby stuff."

"Yeah, that'd be great," Sam said. "They really don't have too much to wear right now; just a few of Jason's onsies that weren't too boyish."

"Mommy?" Jason said, tugging at Sam's arms. "When are the babies going to wake up?"

"Probably in another hour," Sam replied.

"How long's an hour?"

"Sixty minutes," Freddie told him.

"How long's a minute?"

"Well, I'm gonna go try and peel my shirt of my chest," Spencer said. "Because I've already got two kids who pelt me with nonstop questions. This morning Bryan asked me how spoons were invented…"

"Didn't you try and figure that out like, ten years ago?" Sam pointed out.

"Well it's a hot topic!" Spencer defended, heading out the door.

"Is an hour over now?" Jason asked.

"Jason, you've been home for like, three minutes," Sam said, rustling his hair. "Chill out, kid. You want me to make you a snack?"

"Yeah!" Jason grinned.

"Distracting him with food, very clever," Freddie said, rolling his eyes. "You're going to make _sure _he winds up with your appetite, aren't you?"

"He's sleeping in a _Galaxy Wars _filled room, I need to make my mark somewhere," Sam said. "Come on, Jason. I'll get you some crackers and peanut butter."

"And while you're doing that," Freddie said. "I'm going to finish baby proofing this place again. I just need to find all those gates…I think they're in the garage."

"Don't kill yourself," Sam mumbled.

"Why do you say that _every time _I work with tools?" Freddie frowned.

"Because every time you work with tools, you either break something, nail your shirt to something, or get stuck somewhere," Sam said, giving him a quick kiss.

"I do not!" Freddie said indignantly.

"Baby…" Sam said, giving him a small smile.

"Well I won't this time!" Freddie defended, heading out to the garage.

"Is daddy going to get hurt?" Jason asked as him and Sam went into the kitchen.

"Probably," Sam sighed.


	288. Chapter 288

_Sam lay on the hospital bed, gasping, her brow drenched with sweat, her body still in pain from giving birth. _

"_Where are they?" she asked breathlessly, but none of the doctors around her seemed to hear her. _

"_Where are my babies?" she asked loudly. She looked around at Freddie, who was standing off to the side of the room, staring at something in the distance. _

"_Freddie?" she said, breathing heavily. "Freddie, what's going on? Where are the babies?" _

_But he didn't respond. _

_Sam tried to move and sit up so she could see what all the doctors were huddled around across the room, but her body was like stone. _

"_Hey!" she said, as loudly as she could in her condition. "Someone tell me what's going on!" _

"_Mrs. Benson," one of the doctors said, finally acknowledging her as he approached her. "We're so sorry." _

"_W-Why are you sorry?" Sam frowned. "What's happening? Freddie? Freddie!" _

_But her husband was now collapsed in a nearby chair, sobbing. _

"_I want to see my twins!" Sam yelled. "Give me my babies!" _

"_We can't give you your babies, Mrs. Benson," the doctor said coldly. "You're babies didn't make it." _

"_B-But, no!" Sam exclaimed. "No! Freddie, tell him he's wrong! Freddie, tell him!" _

_But Freddie was still ignoring her as she felt herself grow._

_The doctors were clearing away now, and as they left the room, she saw two of them each carrying a small, covered, bundle in the arms, shaking their heads sadly. _

"_No!" Sam yelled. "No!" _

Sam jerked awake, and as her body took a second to take in her new surroundings, she realized that she was not in the hospital, but safe in her bed, Freddie sleeping soundly next to her.

She pushed back her blanket and slowly got to her feet, careful not to wake her husband as she padded out of the bedroom down the hall.

She quietly pushed open the nursery door and sat down in the rocking chair next to the twins' crib, where both girls were sleeping peacefully.

It was the third night in a row that Sam had had that dream. She hadn't told Freddie about it, but every night she would come into the nursery and just sit for an hour, until one of the girls woke up to be fed or changed, and she would just let Freddie assume that she had woken up before him and gotten there first.

She didn't understand why she would be having these dreams now; the doctors had given Emma and Ashton a clean bill of health. But for some reason, every time after the nightmare, she would find it absolutely necessary to prove to herself that what she had just imagined was not true; that it was just, in fact, a dream.

"What are you doing up?" Freddie whispered, startling Sam as she turned around to see him standing at the doorway, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "I didn't hear them cry on the monitor."

"I couldn't sleep," Sam mumbled.

Freddie helped her to her feet and then sat down on the rocking chair and pulled Sam onto his lap.

"You wanted to watch them sleep too?" Freddie asked knowingly. He wrapped his arms around her waist.

"You'd think we'd want as much sleep as we could get right now, considering the fact that they're waking up every two hours," Sam said softly.

"I know," Freddie nodded. "I've actually been waking up every night since they've been home to come in here and do this…"

"You have?" Sam said. "So have I."

"I just…I just want to make sure that they're okay," Freddie sighed. "I mean, I know they're home now, and the doctors told us they're going to be fine, but it's like I still think back to the hospital, when we didn't know if…"

Sam gripped his hand tightly, saying nothing, but Freddie knew she understood.

…

"Can you run to the store after work?" Sam asked, sliding a plate of waffles in front of Jason. "We need stuff to cook for dinner for the rest of the week."

"Sure," Freddie nodded, pouring himself a cup of coffee. "Jason, eat quickly okay? We're running late."

"When are you going back to work mommy?" Jason asked as Sam began to cut his waffles into little pieces for him.

"Six weeks," Sam told him.

"Did you get fired?"

"No," Sam chuckled. "I get time off because I just had the twins."

"So what do you plan on doing today?" Freddie asked.

"I dunno," Sam said. "If I felt like being responsible I guess I _could _clean up Jason's room, but that's not really how I roll, now is it?"

"Nope," Freddie smiled, rolling his eyes. He finished off his coffee and grabbed a piece of toast. "You ready Jason?"

"Uh-huh," Jason nodded, hopping down from his chair.

"Bye sweetie, have fun at school, okay?" Sam said, giving him a kiss on top of his little head.

"Okay," Jason nodded, hugging his mother. He then went over to the portable playpen, where Emma and Ashton were laying. "Bye Emma. Bye Ashton. I'm going to make you a picture at school."

"I bet they'll love that," Freddie said. He gave Sam a quick kiss and then bent down kiss each of the girls. "I'll see you later."

"Bye baby," Sam said as her husband and Jason headed out the door.

She looked down at the twins. "Okay guys. What are we going to do today?"

The girls stared blankly up at her.

"We should probably get you fed before we do anything crazy, huh?" Sam smiled.

She brought them into the living room and sat down on the couch, where she began to nurse them, one at a time.

Just then, she heard her door open, and Carly walked in with Clarissa.

"Hey," Carly said brightly.

"Hey," Sam said. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at work?"

"No, the writers have today off, remember?" Carly said. "So Clarissa and I thought we'd swing by and keep you guys company."

"Aw, thanks," Sam yawned.

"The twins keeping you guys up all night?" Carly asked.

"Sort of," Sam nodded. "Plus, well…I've been having trouble sleeping."

"How come?" Carly frowned.

"I keep having this nightmare," Sam mumbled, setting Ashton, who she had just finished nursing, down in the playpen with Emma. "About-About back when the girls were in the hospital."

"Oh," Carly said softly.

"Yeah," Sam sighed. "And-And in the nightmare, it didn't end so well…"

Carly nodded. "But it-it _is _just a dream."

"I know," Sam said. "But it still scares me."

"Of course it scares you!" Carly said. "What you and Freddie had to go through…no parent should have to deal with that. But everything's _fine _now."

"But what if it wasn't," Sam pointed out. "I-I can't get that out of my head."

Carly put her arm around her best friend. "Look, I'm not a psychiatrist or anything, but this is probably normal. It's natural for you to feel like this right now. But you've just got to let yourself feel what you're feeling right now, and as Emma and Ashton get bigger, you'll finally let yourself accept that they really _are_ going to be okay."

Sam raised an eyebrow. "Um, have you been watching Dr. Phylis reruns or something?"

"Well there was nothing on last night," Carly shrugged.

Sam laughed. "Well still, thanks."

"No problem," Carly smiled. She looked in the playpen at the girls. "So…help me out here. How do you tell them apart? They're completely identical!"

"Freddie has trouble telling them apart sometimes too," Sam said. "But Emma's on the right, and Aston's on the left. Ashton's a tiny bit bigger, and Emma's got this cute little freckle between her toes here."

"Man, they'll be able to have a lot of fun with you and Freddie when they get older," Carly chuckled. "They can just switch places and confuse you guys. Or well, Freddie at least."


	289. Chapter 289

Sam felt something stir next to her, waking her from her sleep. She slowly opened her eyes a bit and turned her head over towards Freddie's side of the bed.

He was quietly getting to his feet, rubbing his eyes and muffling a yawn as he slid on his slippers and shuffled out of the room without a peep.

Sam sat up, frowning. She hadn't heard the girls crying on the baby monitor. And then she remembered a few nights ago how Freddie admitted to her that he would wake up in the middle of the night to watch the girls sleep sometimes, just like her.

Sam had already been jerked awake by her recurring nightmare just a few hours ago, and then she wondered…was Freddie waking up for the same reason?

She had only told Carly about her nightmare so far, and while she had been a comfort, there was no way she could understand exactly what she was feeling when she woke up every night. She couldn't imagine the terror and helplessness that overcame her each time.

But Freddie could. Of course he could.

Sam kicked back her covers and headed out of her room, seeing the twins nursery door wide open. Freddie was standing at the crib, looking down at Emma and Ashton.

"We meet again," Sam smiled, wrapping her arms around his waist, giving him a quick kiss.

"Did I wake you?" Freddie whispered.

Sam nodded. "It's fine though, don't worry about it."

"Who are you and what have you done with my wife?" Freddie chuckled.

"Yeah, yeah," Sam grinned, looking down at her daughters as well. "Hey, you know how you told me the other night how you've been waking up a lot just to come be in here with the twins?"

Freddie nodded.

"Well…why?" Sam asked.

Freddie sighed. "I've just…I've been having this nightmare."

"About them being back in the hospital?" Sam questioned knowingly. "And this time, not getting a happy ending?"

"How'd you-"

"I've been having that same dream," Sam told him.

Freddie moved closer to her, putting an arm around her.

"I thought it'd stop by now," Sam mumbled. "I-I told you that I was having nightmares like that back when they were only a few days old, and still hooked up to those respirators, but then once the doctors finally told us they'd both get better, they stopped."

"And then started up once we brought them home," Freddie finished for her, squeezing her hand.

"I just-I keep thinking about the what ifs," Sam said. "I know that they're both healthy now, but still, what if something else goes wrong? And then sometimes I think about Jason, and if something happens to him..."

"I think this is the worst part about being a parent," Freddie said quietly, kissing the top of her head. "Worrying…But I think this, _talking _to each other, might actually be helpful. Just knowing that we're going to have go through this whole thing alone."

"Yeah," Sam said softly. "Maybe you're right."

…

"Alright, well, these girls can finally have some decent clothes to wear," Sam said the next morning, heaving two large bags in with her as she came into her house. "Instead of Jason's old hand-me-downs."

"Um, how much did you _buy_?" Freddie asked from the sofa, where he was feeding Ashton.

"I don't even know," Sam sighed collapsing next to her husband, picking up Emma from the nearby playpen.

"Hi, mommy," Jason said, running into the room.

"Hey, Jason," Sam grinned. "What did you and daddy do while I was gone?"

"We colored," Jason said, sitting down in between his parents. He looked back and forth at the twins. "When do I get to hold them?"

Sam and Freddie exchanged glances.

"Um…well how about right now?" Freddie asked. Sam smiled and nodded.

"Really?" Jason gasped, his face lighting up with excitement.

"You need to be very, _very_ careful, though," Sam told him. "They're still really little."

"Okay," Jason said at once. "I'll be careful!"

"Hold out your arms," Freddie said.

Jason did as his father told him, and slowly, Freddie transferred Ashton into his arms.

"Here, make sure you support her head," Sam told him, shifting Emma in her arms a bit so she could help him. "Because her neck's not strong enough yet to hold it up on her own."

"I'm holding her!" Jason beamed.

"Yeah, you are," Freddie chuckled, pulling out his phone to take a picture.

Just then Ashton's eyes opened, and she looked up at her big brother's face.

"She woke up for me!" Jason said proudly.

"Give her your finger," Sam said. "And she'll hold it. Like this…"

Jason placed his finger in Ashton's palm, and the infant immediately grasped it.

"She's doing it!" Jason said happily.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Sam laughed.

"Yeah!"

….

"Hey," Sam said, later that evening as her and Freddie were changing the twins. "I was thinking today, you know, while Carly was shoving every frilly little dress at the baby store in my cart."  
"Yeah?" Freddie chuckled.

"What are we going to do when I have to go back to work?" Sam asked. "I mean, we have _two _babies right now. Plus Jason. Do you really think Spencer can handle watching them, _plus _Dina and Bryan every day?"

"Oh man, you've got a point," Freddie sighed. "It really wouldn't be fair if we made him watch five kids. He'll go nuts!"

"But who else is there?" Sam asked. "Your mom still works a few days a week at the hospital, my mom jets off to Vegas or somewhere without any notice…"

"We could maybe hire a sitter," Freddie suggested.

"Maybe," Sam said slowly. "Or…this is just a thought, but, um, what-what would you think about _me _maybe staying home with them?"

"You?" Freddie frowned.

"Y-Yeah," Sam said.

"But you work," Freddie said.

"No chiz," Sam chuckled. "But um…maybe-maybe I need to listen to your mom, you know? Give that up so I can stay home full time with the kids."

Freddie nodded. "But…is that what _you _want?"

He watched his wife's expression. They had never talked about one of them giving up their job to stay with their kids. It had just never come up.

Sam shrugged. "I mean…I never would've imagined myself saying this ten years ago, but I-I _do _sort of like my job. But then again, ten years ago…I wouldn't have expected to have three kids already."

"You don't have to be the one who gives up their job, Sam, if we decide to have one of stay home with the kids," Freddie said. "I-I could do it."

"How noble of you," Sam smirked. "But come on…I know you make more than me. If we were to go down to a one-income household, it would make more sense for you to keep your job."

"But I don't want you to think that you have to be forced to this," Freddie said.

Sam gently placed Ashton in her crib. "I wouldn't feel forced…I'm not saying I wouldn't _like _staying home and taking care of Jason and the girls full time. I'd love it, actually. But, you know, I just never really-"

"-Thought about it," Freddie finished knowingly.

"Exactly," Sam sighed.

"Well," Freddie said rationally. "You still have another month of maternity leave. So we do have time to figure something out."

"I guess," Sam nodded.

…

"Hey, hey," Spencer said, lugging a large box into the Benson's house.

"What's that?" Sam asked, looking up from the board game she was playing with Jason.

"Some more baby stuff for the twins," Spencer replied.

"Oh, nice," Sam said, getting up and opening the box. "Thanks."

"I win!" Jason said proudly, moving his game piece on the board. "I beat you, mommy!"

"Oh man, that's three times in a row," Sam smiled. "Now go clean it up and put it back in your room, okay? I can't handle loosing anymore today."

"You cooking bacon?" Spencer asked, sniffing the air as Jason packed up his game and headed up to his room.

"Yeah, this foreign meat place opened up next to the studio last week, so Freddie picked me up five pounds of some Swedish bacon…not exactly Bolivian bacon, but it gets the job done," Sam said. "Plus I saw this cool thing on _Extreme Recipes _where this dude sucked all the filling out of a Fat Cake and filled it back up with bacon fat, so I _have _to try that."

"Cool," Spencer said. "Sneak me over some leftovers if you can. Ella's on this new thing where she's trying to get me healthier so she's making me eat all this weird food. Can you believe that? I'm in perfect shape!"

"Dude, you barely made it upstairs yesterday when Dina screamed for you to kill a spider in her room," Sam grinned.

"Aw man, Ella told you that?"

"No, Dina did."

"What?!"

"Or maybe you were going so slow and huffing and puffing because you didn't _want_ to get upstairs quickly," Sam chuckled. "Because we all know how you feel about spiders…"

"There's no reason for anything to have that many legs!" Spencer snapped.

"I'm kidding," Sam said, rolling her eyes. She stood up and patted Spencer's stomach. "I'm sure all this fluff right here's on the verge of being muscles and abs."

"You better believe it," Spencer said.

Sam laughed, then her face turned serious. "Um, hey, Spencer? Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," Spencer shrugged. "What's up?"

"Well, um…do you ever regret being a stay-at-home parent?"

"Well, come on, it's not like I had a real job before Dina and Bryan were born," Spencer pointed out.

"Yeah," Sam nodded. "But do you ever…wish you could do things sometimes that you can't because you have to be home all the time?"

"Eh, sometimes," Spencer nodded. "I mean, I got kicked out of my book club because I couldn't keep up with all the reading, and I don't get to work on my sculptures as much as I'd like to, but…I don't think I'd be as happy any other way. Wait, why are you asking me this? Are _you _thinking of leaving your job?"

"It's just something Freddie and I talked about last night," Sam mumbled. "We're not really sure of anything yet…"

"You'll figure it out," Spencer told her. "Just do what you think is right for you guys."

"Thanks," Spencer smiled.

"No problem," Spencer said. "Now do you have a spray bottle? I need to spritz myself to make it look like I'm all sweaty, because Ella thinks I'm at the gym right now…"


	290. Chapter 290

**AN-Hey, so to the person who asked me if there's going to be anymore drama or anything in this story…I don't really know right now. I think for the time being, I'm going to try and keep things calm, and let Sam and Freddie adjust to their new family, maybe have them deal with some issues every now and then, but down the road…not sure yet, lol:) **

…**..**

"Hey, Sam," Melanie said brightly, letting herself into her sister's home.

"Oh, hey," Sam said. She was sitting on the living room floor, playing with the twins, who were laying on a blanket next to her. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought I'd stop by during my lunch break and see how you guys were doing," Melanie replied. She sat down next to Sam. "Hey Emma, hey Ashton."

"Hey, you can tell them apart!" Sam laughed.

"Yeah," Melanie shrugged. "Why, nobody else can?"

"Let's see…Carly can't, Spencer can't, Ella can't, Gibby can't, but then again, that's no surprise," Sam said. "And when we wake up in the middle of the night all tired to feed them, Freddie even has trouble sometimes."

"Well maybe we can because we're twins too," Melanie suggested.

"Or maybe _I _can because I'm their _mother _and you can because you have some weird freakish gift with babies," Sam said, rolling her eyes.

"I dunno…I was reading an article online the other day about twins, and-"

"Ugh, you're not going to start going on about that twin telepathy chiz again are you?" Sam moaned. "Because for the _last _time, we didn't read each others minds when we were six. I got locked in the garage, and you just so _happened _to go out there and-"

"Oh calm down," Melanie said. "I wasn't going to start on that…but for the record I think it's funny how you won't believe in twin telepathy, but you believe in Bigfoot."

"Oh, Bigfoot's real, and he married that really hairy lady from _Jersey Valley_," Sam said. "I saw it on the cover of some magazine by the register at Hey Foods."

"Right…" Melanie said. "Anyway, are you busy tomorrow?"

"Kind of," Sam nodded. "We've got to take the twins to the doctors for a check-up to make sure everything's going well with them, and then I promised Jason I'd take him to the park to play with one of his friends from preschool. Why?"

"Because I had lunch with mom yesterday and she wants to get some new wallets of Nicole, Jason, and the twins because apparently grandmothers get discounts at her tattoo parlor," Melanie explained.

"Does that woman have anything left to tattoo?" Sam frowned.

"Well you know she gets them removed every other week," Melanie pointed out. "Anyway, I was thinking we could take the kids and go to the mall to get their picture taken for her, but we can do it next weekend if that'd be better for you."

"Yeah, that'd probably work better," Sam nodded, getting to her feet. "Stay here with the twins, will you?"

"Why? Where are you going?" Melanie asked.

"To go get you my Bigfoot magazine!" Sam said. "I'm not going to have my own sister not believing in one of my idols!"

….

"Oh, maybe we can do this class together," Carly said to Sam, showing her a page she had just pulled up on her laptop. "Baby yoga."

"Baby yoga?" Sam repeated.

"Yeah," Carly nodded. "It's supposed to help the babies develop their motor skills while giving the moms a soothing yoga workout."

"I'm not really the biggest fan of bending my body into painful positions," Sam said. "Besides, it says that the babies need to know how to sit up on their own. Emma and Ashton can't do that yet."

"Oh yeah," Carly sighed. "I guess I should wait to do that one later too…Clarissa _just_ started doing that. Hey, this one is definitely one we can do; Baby Karaoke!"

"Okay, now this is just getting weird," Sam frowned. "What the heck is Baby Karaoke?"

"I dunno, you sing songs to your baby," Carly shrugged. "But everyone on this website gave it a good review. In fact, the only class that's rated above it is Baby Book Club."

"_Who _comes up with this chiz?"

"You went to some classes with Jason, didn't you?" Carly said.

"Yeah, _normal _ones," Sam replied. "You know, where Freddie and I didn't have to act like idiots."

"So I'm guessing you wouldn't be on board for Baby Dance Aerobics then?"

"And now you're officially banned from this site," Sam smirked, taking her best friend's laptop away from her.

"Cute," Carly chuckled. She looked at her phone.

"You expecting someone?" Sam asked. "You've been looking at your phone all day."

"Yeah, Danielle from work is supposed to tell me whether or not our new scripts got approved," Carly said. "We've been working on them nonstop for the past few weeks; it's exhausting! It makes me wish I was back on maternity leave with you."

Sam gave a small half-heart laugh. "Um, Carly?" she asked slowly, her voice serious. "Do you ever wish…never mind."

"Wait, what?" Carly said.

"Nothing," Sam said.

"Sam…"

"Okay," Sam sighed. "Do you ever wish that-that you could stay at home with Clarissa? You know, full time?"

"You mean give up my job to be a stay-at-home mom?" Carly asked.

Sam nodded. "Yeah."

"Well I mean I thought about it," Carly shrugged. "Right before Clarissa was born. Andy and I considered it."

"Well why didn't you decide to do it?"

"Honestly," Carly sighed. "It was kind of a shallow reason…Andy and I realized that I make more than him…like a lot more. If we were just live off of what he makes working as a delivery person for the vets office, we'd barely be able to make ends meet. And then Andy got that offer to become a weekends-only worker, and it just seemed like the best arrangement was for me to go to work during the week while Andy stayed at home with Clarissa." She looked over at Sam. "Wait a minute…you're not asking me this because-because _you're _thinking of becoming a stay-at-home mom?"

Sam shrugged. "It's just something I've had on my mind…I talked to Freddie a little about it, but not too much."

"I never knew you wanted to quit your job, though," Carly said.

"It's not that I want to quit," Sam said. "It's just…Spencer can't take care of Jason _plus _two newborns and his own kids everyday. Freddie's mom works, my mom's not going to be available all the time, what else is there?"

"That's true," Carly nodded.

"So…what do you think?"

"About you leaving work?" Carly asked. "Well, you know I obviously love working with you every day,"

"We do have some good times," Sam chuckled. "Remember when we switched the ink in that jerky guy's pen from the office next to us with jelly?"

"Still don't really know how you did that," Carly smiled.

"Well see, I-"

"No, no, I don't want to find out," Carly said quickly. "But anyway, I'd still support you if you wanted to give that up for your kids."

"Thanks," Sam sighed. "I dunno, though I still have to figure it out with Freddie."

….

"So I still don't get what the difference between a comic book and a graphic novel is," Carly frowned as her and Freddie sat in the studio cafeteria.

"Comic books are for children, graphic novels are for intellectual adults," Freddie said, taking a bite of his wedge salad.

"Don't they both still just have a bunch of pictures of guys in tights?" Carly pointed out.  
"No!" Freddie replied indignantly. "They do not-"

"Hey you guys," Sam said, coming over to the table and taking a seat next to Freddie.

"Sam?" Freddie said in surprise, giving her a quick kiss. "What are you doing here?"

"Your mom stopped by to watch the twins for me so I could pick up Jason from preschool," Sam explained. "But I had some time before I needed to be at the community center, so I thought I'd stop by and say hi."

"Well while you're here, you've _got _to try this new eggplant Parmesan the cafeteria's serving," Carly said. "It's to die for. Want me to grab you a plate?"

"When have I ever turned down something covered in cheese?" Sam grinned.

"I'll be back in a sec," Carly said, getting to her feet and heading away from the couple.

"You know," Freddie said, putting his arm around his wife. "I think this is the best surprise I've gotten in awhile. I miss having you around here, baby."

Sam sighed. "I didn't just stop by here to have lunch with you guys."

"Then what's up?" Freddie frowned. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah," Sam nodded. "I just…I just set up a meeting with my boss for this morning."

"What? Why?"

"Because, I-I just wanted to ask him some questions," Sam said.

"Is this about you leaving work?" Freddie whispered.

"Yeah," Sam nodded as Carly began coming back to the table. "Look, I-I'll talk to you about it tonight at home, alone. After we get the kids down, okay?"

"Well, okay," Freddie said. "But-"

"I even sprinkled extra Parmesan on this, just like you like," Carly smiled, sliding Sam's plate in front of her.

"Awesome," Sam said, grabbing Freddie's fork from his tray to try some of her lunch. "Oh my God, Carls, this is like, all the best flavors in the world threw up in my mouth! It's _so good_."

"Well, that's a, er, nice was of putting it, sure," Carly cringed.


	291. Chapter 291

"Jason? Do you have your pajamas on?" Sam asked as she dressed Emma in the nursery.

"Yeah," Jason nodded, coming into the room. He sat down on the rocking chair as Sam put Emma down in her crib. "Mommy?"

"What sweetie?"

"I'm not tired," Jason said simply.

"Really? Because I am," Sam smiled. "Come on, you know it's your bedtime in a few minutes."

"Alright, baths are done," Freddie announced as he came into the nursery with Ashton, who was wrapped in a baby towel, in his arms.

"Daddy? Can I stay up?" Jason asked.

"You've got school tomorrow, buddy," Freddie said as he began to put a clean diaper on his daughter.

"He claims he's not tired," Sam told him.

"Well remember that when you have three kids; you'll be begging to go to bed at eight o'clock," Freddie chuckled, looking over at his son.

"No I won't," Jason said.

"Jason, why don't you go pick out a story for us to read you, okay?" Sam said.

"Okay," Jason mumbled, realizing that he would have to go to bed soon.

"Did you feed Max?" Freddie asked.

"Yeah, and make sure you take him to get his nails cut…he almost ruined these jeans clawing at my leg," Sam said.

"I took him last time," Freddie moaned. "You know I hate going to the dog grooming place; the manager smells like cheese and always tries to get me to play checkers with him back in the dog washing room."

"Well isn't that sucky?" Sam smirked. "You're going, nub."

"You know I could say no if I wanted to," Freddie muttered as he put Ashton in her crib next to her sister.

"I know," Sam smiled, leaning up to give him a kiss.

"I picked a book out," Jason said, running back in with his parents.

"Do you?" Freddie said. "Well then go get into bed and mommy and me will be in there in a second to read it to you."

"Can I read to the twins?" Jason asked.

"Um…" Sam said. "Sure, Jason, go ahead."

"Since when can he read?" Freddie whispered.

"He can't," Sam replied back softly. "He probably just wants to show them the pictures in the book."

"Ah," Freddie nodded, dragging over the rocking chair so that it was right next to crib. "Alright Jason, hop on and read your sisters to sleep."

"Okay!" Jason said happily, sitting down on the chair and opening his book. " 'The Dinosaur School'."

"Whoa, he _does _know how to read!" Sam gasped, gripping Freddie's arm. "He's a genius!"

"Um, I think he just has the title memorized at this point," Freddie pointed out, amused.

"Oh…right," Sam said, releasing Freddie's arm, both of them watching their son.

"'Dinosaurs like to go to school, like me,'" Jason said, flipping the page in his book. "'But there school is cooler because it is a dinosaur school. I wish I went to a dinosaur school, because then I could have a big tail!'"

"Aw, he's making up his own story," Freddie said quietly to Sam.

"Well why aren't you recording this on your phone, Mr. I-Want-To-Document-My-Family's-Entire-Life-On-Vide o?" Sam hissed.

"Oh, right," Freddie said, grabbing his phone from his pocket.

"Dinosaurs play a lot at their school, because I don't think that they can hold pencils or crayons," Jason continued. "They play tag. That's my favorite game, because I'm really fast. Stegsars aren't that fast. That's this dinosaur right here, guys, see it? It's back is spikey!" He pointed to a picture in his book, showing it to Emma and Ashton.

"Stegosaurus," Freddie corrected him."

"Dude!" Sam snapped, swatting his arm. "Will you let the kid read? Go ahead, Jason. Mommy will make sure daddy won't interrupt you anymore."

"At snack, all of the dinosaurs eat chocolate chip cookies and gummy bears, because those are their favorite," Jason went on. "And then the teacher dinosaur reads them a story, and then all the mommy and daddy dinosaurs pick up the kid dinosaurs. The End."

"You know what, Jason?" Sam grinned. "I like your story way better than the original. Way more exciting."

"Yeah, I was on the edge of my seat," Freddie said, rustling Jason's hair. "Especially at the part where the dinosaurs ate that nutritionally terrifying snack. Man, what a rush."

Sam glared at him.

"Did Emma and Ashton like it?" Jason asked, standing on the chair so he could peer into the crib. "Hey! They fell asleep!" He looked thoroughly disappointed. "They didn't like it," he said sadly.

"Of course they did!" Freddie said quickly, scooping his son up in his arms. "But you read them a _bedtime _story. All good bedtime stories put you to sleep, and since the twins fell asleep, that means yours was _excellent_."

"Really?" Jason asked, perking up.

"Heck yeah!" Sam nodded. She looked over at the clock on the wall above the changing table. "Oh, and look at that. You managed to stay up a whole twenty minutes past your bedtime. Aren't you proud?"

"Yeah!" Jason said happily.

"I think we got played, baby," Freddie laughed.

"I don't think I mind," Sam said, kissing the top of her son's head.

….

"Alright," Freddie said about an hour later, coming into his and Sam's bedroom, where Sam was sitting on their bed, watching the video of Jason reading to the twins on his phone. "So what's up? You know, about the whole you talking to your boss thing today."

"I just wanted to know some things," Sam told him, giving him back his phone. "About how it would work if I wanted to, you know, leave."

"But Sam, you know we _do _still have options if you don't want to do that," Freddie told her. "I don't want to yank a huge part of your life away from you and make you just take care of the kids all the time. I agree that it'd be convenient for us, but if you don't-"

"Just shut up and listen to what he told me, will you?" Sam said. She took a deep breath. "He made me an offer to work from home."

"What?" Freddie said. "Really?"

"Yeah," Sam nodded. "Basically, if-if I decide to take him up on this, the other writers would send me their parts of the scripts, I would add my parts and send them back, and then I'd make any edits I need to from home too. I'd have to come in and meet with them all once or twice a month, but we wouldn't have a problem finding someone short-term to watch the kids then. I'd-I'd be taking a pay cut, but I think we'd still be really well off."

"Wow," Freddie said slowly.

"And I'd be able to come back full time in a few years too," Sam added. "You know, once the twins start school. What-What do you think?"

"I think that sounds like a pretty good offer, honestly," Freddie said. "But baby, it still comes back to you. What do _you _want to do? If you want to stay at home and work from here while you watch the kids, I'll support you one hundred percent. But if you don't want to give that up, I'll support you one hundred percent again, and we'll figure something else out."

Sam took a deep breath. "I've been thinking about it all day…for the past couple of weeks, really."

"It's a big decision," Freddie nodded understandingly.

"And-And I know what I want to do," Sam said. "I want to stay home with the kids."

"You do?" Freddie smiled.

"Yeah," Sam nodded. "I mean…they're my kids. I love spending time with them. And…I think it'd be sort of nice for them to have one of us around all the time. My mom would always leave me and Melanie with random sitters when we were little those times when she actually managed to find a job, and it sucked, because we only got to see her when she came home all tired and exhausted."

"Well then I think that's great," Freddie told her, wrapping his arms around her.

…

**AN-Credit goes to MegColes for giving me the idea to have Jason read to the twins!**


	292. Chapter 292

"Are we almost done already?" Sam moaned, leaning against the wall of the photo studio where her and Melanie had taken their kids to be photographed.

"It's been like, ten minutes," Melanie pointed out, rolling her eyes.

"Ten _long _minutes," Sam said. "I can't believe we're wasting out whole afternoon just so mom will have pictures to show her tattoo artist and get a discount…doesn't that count as exploitation?"

"She's going to hang up some of the pictures we give her too," Melanie said.

"You know, we could've gotten Freddie to do this for _free_," Sam said, looking over at the photographer working the camera. "And then we wouldn't have to deal with this freak."

"Alright," the photographer said, adjusting the strap on his camera. "Hilary and I are going to go get some new backdrops."

"Um, Hilary?" Melanie frowned.

"Yeah, that's my camera's name," the photographer said, kissing the lens of his large camera. "Her and I are going to be celebrating our three-year anniversary in just a few short weeks."

"Okay…he's a little weird," Melanie admitted as Sam gave her a triumphant smile. "But he's not _that _bad. Besides, didn't you say Freddie was busy helping out his mom take care of his aunt's scalp problem?"

"Yeah," Sam sighed. "Whatever, let's just hurry up here so that we can hit the food court. I'm starving."

"I don't think it should be too much longer," Melanie said, looking at her watch. "So…you're officially going to be a stay-at-home mom, huh?"

"Technically I'm still working," Sam said. "I just don't have to put on pants to do anything."

"You excited?"

"A little bit," Sam nodded.

"You'll love it," Melanie smiled. "Sometimes I wish I was able to spend more time at home with Nicole."

"Yeah, but at least Cody can work from home to watch her," Sam pointed out.

"Yeah," Melanie sighed. "I know."

After another half-hour, the photographer finished up with the kids, and Sam and Melanie led them out back into the mall towards the food court.

"So did you guys have fun getting your picture taken?" Melanie asked as her and Sam began placing trays of chicken nuggets in front of Jason and Nicole.

"Fun!" Nicole said happily.

"It was boring," Jason said.

"Well if it makes you feel better sweetie, I was bored just watching you guys," Sam smiled.

"But now grandma will have some nice pictures of all her grandkids," Melanie said. "And that's what's important."

"Yeah, and pretty soon will be seeing some new ink on her because of it," Sam said, rolling her eyes.

Jason and Nicole quickly finished their lunches, both very hungry from their photo shoot.

"I go play?" Nicole asked Melanie, looking over at the small play-area in the middle of the food court.

"I want to play too!" Jason said to Sam, tugging at her arm.

Melanie looked at Sam and nodded.

"You have to make sure you stay with Nicole the whole time, okay?" Sam told her son.

"I will!" Jason said. He held out his hand for his younger cousin. "Come on, Nicole. Let's go play."

"He's really good with younger kids, isn't he?" Melanie smiled as her and Sam watched the two run off.

"Yeah, you should see him with the twins," Sam said, dipping one of her fries in ketchup. She looked over at Emma and Ashton, who were fast asleep in their double stroller. "I almost feel bad for them when they start dating…Jason's going to be really protective of them for sure."

"That's cute," Melanie chuckled.

"I know," Sam said. "So, how are things going in the fashion business? You think you can me a free bag or something? I sort of ruined my old one by trying to store cheese fries in it…"

"I can try," Melanie told her. "But um, speaking of my job…there's something I wanted to talk to you about."

"What?" Sam asked. "Oh! Did that stuck up chick that works in the office next to you get fired? I hate her, the one time I met her she kept talking in this fake British accent and told me my hair 'had potential'."

"No, she didn't get fired."

"Aw," Sam said sadly. "Then what's up?"

"Well…I-I got promoted," Melanie said.

"Whoa, really?" Sam grinned. "That's awesome! So are you like, head of clothes or something?"

"That's not an actual title," Melanie chuckled. "I'm going to be one of the official designers for the company's shoe line."

"Well Carly's going to go nuts when you tell her," Sam said. "Shoes are her second favorite clothing item. After those weird jeans she likes…"

"I know," Melanie nodded.

"You don't look that pumped for a chick who's in charge of what people can buy to put on their feet," Sam noticed, taking a bite of her burger.

"I-I am," Melanie said. "But, um, see…the job's not at the same office where I work now."

"Where is it?" Sam asked.

"Um, it's-it's in New York," Melanie said slowly.

Sam put down her burger. "New York?"

Melanie nodded. She took a deep breath. "We're moving."

Sam blinked. "Oh…that's-that's news."

"Yeah," Melanie said heavily.

Sam looked down at her lap. "So, when are you leaving?"

"In three weeks," Melanie said. "Cody and I found a nice house up there that we really seem to like, and we're flying up there this weekend to see it in person and hopefully get everything finalized."

"Wow," Sam said. "Um, that's-that's great for you guys I guess."

"Are you okay?" Melanie asked.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" Sam shrugged. "I mean, this is big for you…just like when you got into that boarding school when we were kids."

"I don't really want to move," Melanie said softly. "But Nicole's getting bigger, and our tiny apartment's getting a little cramped, and-"

"Dude, you don't need to explain yourself," Sam said plastering a smile onto your face. "It's fine."

….

"Never again!" Freddie said firmly as he slammed the front door of his house closed. "Never again am I rubbing _anything _on my Aunt Susan's scalp!"

"Hey baby," Sam mumbled from the couch, where she was nursing Ashton.

"Hey," Freddie sighed, giving her a quick kiss. "So how was the picture thing at the mall?"

"Fine," Sam said simply.

"Where's Jason?" Freddie asked, lifting Emma gently from her playpen.

"Upstairs playing in his room."

Freddie frowned. "You feeling okay, Sam?"

Sam shrugged.

"What's wrong?" Freddie asked, concerned.

"Nothing," Sam said. "Melanie's moving to New York, by the way."

"What?"

"Yeah, she got promoted," Sam nodded. "So she has to go over to New York. They leave in three weeks."

"Wow," Freddie said. "That's-That's sudden."

"Yeah, well," Sam mumbled. "It's Melanie. She was bound to get some offer to leave Seattle to go someplace better soon."

"And you're upset, aren't you?" Freddie said knowingly.

"No," Sam scoffed. "Why would I be? I'm not the one who has to move across the country."

"But she's your sister," Freddie said, taking Sam's hand. "You're obviously going to miss her."

Sam let out a deep breath. "I know." She looked up at him. "You know when were kids, like, really young, her and I were practically inseparable. We were just as close as Carly and I are. Maybe even closer…but then she left to go to boarding school, and-and we sort of…fell apart. I mean, we barely talked while she was there, _you _didn't even know she really existed for a long time. And then when she _did _move back to Seattle, and we began hanging out together again, we sort of got that bond back. I mean, we weren't as close as we were when we were kids, but it was like we were actually sisters again. But now she's moving, and the same thing's going to happen this time again too."

"Oh, Sam," Freddie said, putting his arm around her. "You and Melanie will still be close."

"No we-"

"Listen," Freddie cut her off. "The only reason you and Melanie sort of lost touch when she went off to boarding school was because you guys let that happen."

"_I _let it happen," Sam said, resting her head on his shoulder. "She did try to keep up with me. She'd send emails and call…but I guess I was just so mad at her leaving in the first place that I kept pushing her away."

"So then don't push her away this time," Freddie said gently. "Melanie's not leaving for New York just to get away from you. She got a great opportunity, and she has a family to think about too now. I bet you that she's just as upset that she's leaving as you are. You guys can talk all the time, and web chat and email. Plus she's bound to come back and visit sometimes to see everyone and your mom…we can go up to New York once in awhile."

"Yeah…" Sam said thoughtfully. "But I still-"

"-Wish she wasn't moving at all," Freddie finished for her, giving her a quick kiss. "I know baby."


	293. Chapter 293

"You will not _believe _the day I had today," Gibby said, shaking his head as he let himself into the Benson home, carrying Quincy in on his hip.

"Gib…it's not even noon," Freddie pointed out.

"Well I just had to wait in a stuffy old studio for _five hours _with Quincy and Tasha," Gibby said, collapsing onto the couch next Freddie.

"Why?" Freddie asked.

"Tasha's friend from her modeling agency told us about auditions for a baby food commercial, and we wanted to see if Quincy could get the gig," Gibby explained. "So I had to sit with a bunch of talentless babies drooling all over the place all morning!"

"I don't think _you _can complain about drooling problems," Freddie cringed. "I lent you my fancy goose feather pillow when you hurt your neck that one time…poor thing never had a chance, did it? It was like you spilled a bucket of water on it."

"That's a low blow, dude," Gibby said.

"Sorry," Freddie said, rolling his eyes. "So did Quincy get the part?"

"We don't know, they'll tell us next week," Gibby said. "But he was the best one there for sure. The only competition he has is some baby from France who knew how to do a somersault."

"Fancy stuff," Freddie commented.

"Hey, while Quincy was auditioning, I overheard one of the casting people saying that they need twin girls for another commercial they're working on," Gibby said. "You should bring Emma and Ashton to try out for it."

"I don't think so," Freddie said. "I don't really want to force my daughters into the business when they're only a few months old. Besides, I doubt Sam would be down for it. She always talks about how much she hated doing photos and pageants and all that stuff when she was little."

"Why don't you ask her?"

"Not now," Freddie sighed. "She's sort of upset right now."

"What'd you do?" Gibby asked.

"Nothing!" Freddie frowned.

"Well then why's she upset?"

"She just found out that Melanie's moving," Freddie explained. "To New York."

"That's it?" Gibby said.

"Gib, it's kind of a big deal," Freddie said. "I mean, her and Melanie have just started getting close the last few years, and she's worried that they're going to lose that again. How would you feel if Guppy had to move across the country?"

"Why's Guppy moving?" Gibby frowned. "He never said anything to me about moving!"

"Guppy's not moving!" Freddie said quickly. "It's hypothetical!"

"Oh thank God," Gibby said, breathing a sigh of relief. "He still owes me forty bucks."

"Anyway, I just wish I could make her feel better," Freddie said.

"You could borrow my Piñata making kit," Gibby offered.

"How would a _piñata _help my wife feel better?" Freddie said, staring at his friend.

"Those things can make anyone feel better," Gibby pointed out. "Getting to hit a weird looking donkey until candy comes out of it? That's a good time!"

"Actually, that is a good point," Freddie mumbled. "Hitting and candy…two of Sam's favorite things."

…..

"Well, Melanie's obviously still going to call you and visit every once in awhile," Carly told Sam as she helped her make dinner.

"I know, Freddie's already gone over that," Sam said, stirring the sauce she had been preparing on the stove. "I'm fine with her moving…I'll just, you know, miss her."

"You guys will always be sisters," Carly smiled as she began to place garlic bread onto a plate. "No matter how far apart you are. And besides, you'll have an excuse to take some trips to New York now! You'll love it there, Andy lived there for a few years growing up and he says it's one of the best places in the country, right baby?"

"Yeah, New York's great," Andy nodded as Sam and Carly set dinner on the table. "It's really alive there."

"What? As a pose to Seattle, where we're all a bunch of zombies walking around?" Sam chuckled.

"You'd love that," Carly grinned, digging in her diaper bag and handing a bottle to Andy, who had Clarissa on his lap.

"Duh," Sam nodded. "Jason! Time for dinner!"

"Where's Freddie?" Andy asked as Jason ran into the dining room.

"I dunno," Sam shrugged, quickly checking on the twins, who were lying in their playpen Sam had moved next to the table. "He said he had to pick something up. He's crazy if he thinks that we're waiting for him. I'm starved!"

But right at that moment, they heard the front door open.

"Daddy's home!" Jason said happily.

"Hey," Freddie said, coming into the room, carrying a very large, colorful piñata.

"Um…whatcha got there?" Carly frowned.

"Just something I picked up for my beautiful wife," Freddie smiled, giving Sam a quick kiss, setting the piñata down next to her.

"Wow," Sam laughed. "That's a little…unusual."

"I want a piñata," Jason said.

"How about we share it?" Sam suggested, lifting the piñata up. "Whoa, why's this thing so heavy?"

"Because it's filled with five pounds of candy," Freddie replied.

"Candy!" Jason exclaimed.

"Five pounds?" Sam repeated. "Okay, baby, you're officially the best person in the world."

"You do realize that this means you're not only going to have Jason's sugar rush to deal with tonight, but Sam's too," Carly smiled to Freddie.

"Yeah, and thanks for setting the bar higher," Andy said, shaking his head. "Honestly…how the heck am I supposed to compete with five pounds of pure sugar? Where'd you even get that idea anyway."

"Gibby," Freddie said simply.

"Ah," Carly nodded. "Say no more."

….

The next day, Sam slowly opened the door of her sister's home and let herself in.

"Mel?" she called.

"Sam? Hey, I didn't know you were stopping by," Melanie smiled, coming into the room with a few boxes.

"I was in the neighborhood," Sam shrugged. "Um, anyway, you need any help packing?"

"Since when do you offer to help?" Melanie asked.

"I just thought since you have to cram all this stuff into boxes in the next two weeks, you'd need an extra pair of hands," Sam said. "But if you don't want-"

"No, no, I could use some help," Melanie said quickly. "Thanks."

"So what time did you guys get back from New York last night?" Sam asked as she began to pile plates into one of the boxes.

"Around midnight," Melanie replied. "And Sam, the house is _amazing_. You definitely need to see it. It has a little patio out front and stained glass windows in the kitchen. We just finished up the last of the paperwork for it."

"Nice," Sam mumbled.

"Sam," Melanie sighed, putting down the toaster she had been packing. "You know this isn't going to be like last time, right?"

"What do you mean?" Sam frowned.

"I mean, we're not going to fall apart like we did when I moved for that boarding school when we were kids," Melanie told her.

"We said the same thing then too," Sam said, giving her a small smile.

"Well, we'll really mean it this time," Melanie said firmly. "We're going still talk, and-"

"No chiz," Sam cut her off. "I mean, I'll call you so you can tell me when mom's birthday is and you'll call me to tell me how awesome it as at your little shoe place, but it won't be the same. Besides, you're going to be busy working all the time, and you have Nicole and Cody, I have Freddie and our kids-"

Melanie cut her off by throwing her arms around her, and for once, Sam didn't shove her off.

"We're sisters," Melanie whispered. "Even if we only manage to talk to each other once or twice a month, we're still going to be sisters. And we'll still be close…even if we are across the country from each other, I promise."

"I guess…I guess I could try not to ignore your calls this time," Sam pointed out.

"That could work," Melanie chuckled. She looked down at her phone. "Hey, so Cody took Nicole to the park for a few hours…how about we spend the rest of the day just hanging out? We'll finally have that sister day we never really got to have."

"Will there be food?" Sam smirked.

"There will be food."

"Then let's blow this place," Sam grinned.


	294. Chapter 294

"Truck's all packed," Cody announced, coming back into his and Melanie's empty apartment, where everyone was gathered in the kitchen.

"Alright, kid," Pam Puckett said, stepping towards her daughter. "Guess this is goodbye."

"Bye, mom," Melanie said. "Take care of yourself. And I'll call you when we get to New York, okay?"

"Okay, and if you need a tour guide, you should call my old friend, Vinnie," Pam told her.

"Er, you mean the guy who sits on the subway smelling people's coats?" Melanie frowned.

"Hey, you remember him!"

"He's kind of hard to forget," Melanie said. "And, um, we'll give him a call…maybe…probably not."

"Good luck at your new job, kid," Spencer said, giving her a quick hug.

"Yeah, but make sure you come back to Seattle once in awhile," Ella told her cousin.

"Don't worry, I will," Melanie assured her.

"You're going to be great up there," Carly said, putting her arms around Melanie. "And don't be afraid to send me some shoes, you know, if you want any second opinions on them."

"But of course," Melanie chuckled.

"We're all really happy that you're getting this opportunity, Melanie," Freddie said, stepping over to his sister-in-law. "You deserve it."

"Thanks, Freddie," Melanie smiled.

And then she turned to her sister, who was standing behind Freddie, looking down at her feet.

"So," Sam sighed. "This is it, huh?"

"Yup," Melanie said softly.

"Well, um, here," Sam said, digging in her pocket. She pulled out a tarnished necklace and handed it to her twin.

"What's this?" Melanie asked, confused.

"Well you remember how a few days before you left for boarding school when we were kids, you made us matching necklaces that you wanted us to wear forever?"

Melanie nodded. "Oh yeah, I remember that…"

"Yeah," Sam said, clearing her throat. "Well, um, I was still mad at you for leaving, so when you were sleeping one night, I took them off your dresser and buried them in our backyard."

"_That's _where they went?" Melanie frowned.

"Um, yeah," Sam admitted. "But anyway, I was thinking about them last night, so I sort of drove over to mom's and dug them both up. I have mine, and now you can have yours."

"Aw, Sam!" Melanie exclaimed, hugging her tightly. "That's the nicest thing you've ever done for me! I can't believe you did that!"

"So I shouldn't have yelled at the neighbor for letting her cat destroy our yard then," Pam said. "Oh well, I never liked her anyway. She always gives me looks when I wear my hula skirt."

"We'll miss you all," Melanie said, looking around the kitchen. "You guys are the best, and I just-"

"Alright, let's not turn this into a speech," Sam said, giving her a small smile.

Melanie laughed. "Well…bye everyone. Thanks for everything."

….

"So," Freddie said, later that evening as he helped Sam change the twins into their pajamas. "How you holding up?"

"Okay," Sam said. "I actually feel a little better than I did when she left when we were kids."

"Probably because you weren't mad at her this time," Freddie pointed out.

"Eh, possibly," Sam shrugged.

"Do you know when they're getting to New York?" Freddie asked her.

"They're driving through the night, so probably around nine in the morning," Sam said. "She said she'd call."

"Well, you know I'm here for you, okay?" Freddie told her, giving her a quick kiss. "If you need to talk."

"Thanks, but I really think I'm going to be fine," Sam smiled. "Besides, I'll have enough to keep me distracted. It's my first day working from home tomorrow!"

"Wow, you seem excited," Freddie chuckled. "You never act this happy when work is involved."

"I know, but this isn't work in some stuffy office all day," Sam said. "I can eat when I want, I can take beaks when I want…it's the perfect set-up for me."

"It might be a little challenging to get much writing done while taking care of three kids, though," Freddie said.

"No, you'll see, it will be a piece of cake, Fredward" Sam said.

….

"Mommy? I'm hungry," Jason said the next day, climbing up onto his mothers lap, causing Sam to move the laptop she had been working on. Since it was the summer, Jason no longer had pre preschool to go to, so he was home for the whole day.

"You just ate lunch," Sam replied.

"But I'm hungry again," Jason said simply.

"Okay," Sam said, closing her laptop. "I'll go make you a snack and-"

Just then the twins let out loud wails from their playpens.

"The babies woke up," Jason commented.

"Thank you, sweetie," Sam sighed, hurrying over to her daughters. She picked up Emma and checked her diaper. "Alright, let's get you guys changed…too bad daddy's not here to be guilted into doing that for me."

"But I'm hungry!" Jason moaned.

"Just go get something to eat from the kitchen," Sam told him, heading upstairs to the changing table.

"Okay!" Jason said, hurrying into the kitchen.

"Alright, well I haven't actually done any work yet," Sam sighed, setting Emma on her changing table, reaching for a new diaper. "But I've got two days to get my stuff in. This is still way, _way _easier than having to be at the studio. Plus I get to hang out you guys, isn't that fun, Emma?"

Emma looked blankly up at her, and Sam chuckled. "I'll take that as a yes."

She quickly changed Emma and then headed back down to get Ashton. As she passed the kitchen, though, she did a double take.

The entire counter was a mess, with jars or peanut butter scattered across it, dollops of jelly everywhere, and more crumbs then Sam could even see littered the floor. Jason was sitting happily on the countertop, eating his homemade sandwich, covered in the ingredients as well.

"Jason! What'd you do?" Sam exclaimed.

"I cooked!" Jason said proudly, holding up his sandwich.

"How? By covering yourself with everything sticky in here?" Sam asked, trying to sound angry, but at the same time, using all her willpower to keep from smiling at how cute her son looked at the moment.

"Sorry mommy," Jason mumbled, looking down at the floor.

"Just don't make messes like this anymore," Sam sighed. "Especially when mommy's the one who's going to have to clean it up. Now go wait in the bathroom for me. I'll be in there in a little bit to clean you up."

"Okay," Jason nodded, hurrying away.

Sam placed Emma back in her playpen, and then after quickly going back upstairs with Ashton to change her, Sam went into the bathroom, where Jason was waiting for her.

"I feel sticky, mommy," Jason said as Sam peeled his shirt off.

"Peanut butter and jelly can do that to you," Sam nodded, grabbing a washcloth to begin scrubbing him off.

"I'm still hungry," Jason told her.

"You just _had _to get my appetite, didn't you?" Sam chuckled.

"What's an appetite?"

"Um…it's like when you're hungry…sort of," Sam said. "You know what? Ask daddy for the definition when he gets home."

"What's a definition?"

"Oi," Sam sighed.

….

"Hey, I'm home!" Freddie announced that evening, walking through his front door.

"Daddy!" Jason exclaimed, running full-force at his father.

"Hey, Jason," Freddie grinned, picking up his son. "Did you have fun with mommy?"

"Uh-huh?" Jason nodded.

Freddie set Jason down just as Max raced over to him. He was about to bend down and pet the dog, when he noticed that the black lab's dark coat had blotches of what looked like peanut butter all over it…

"Sam?" Freddie frowned, walking into the kitchen, where Sam was nursing the twins.

"Oh, hey baby," Sam said as he gave her a quick kiss.

"So is there a reason behind our dog being covered in peanut butter, or should I just go with it?"

"Dang it! He must've gotten into the kitchen before I cleaned it up," Sam groaned. "Jason made himself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich while I was changing the twins earlier, and he wound up kind of destroying the kitchen, which, by the way, I was _this _close to leaving for you to clean up, by the way. And the twins have been really fussy, and I only got like, two lines written for work."

"Wow," Freddie said, sitting down at the table next to her. "So sounds like you had a busy day, then."

"You think?" Sam snapped. "I guess working from home isn't going to be just lounging around all day like I thought…"

"Do you-Do you think you made the right choice still?" Freddie asked gently.

Sam looked up at him. "Yeah," she smiled. "As hectic as it was today…it was worth it."


	295. Chapter 295

"Look at me, mommy!" Jason said, kicking his little feet hard as he swam around her in the Benson's pool and donning his new dinosaur water wings.

"You sure you're not half-fish?" Sam laughed, scooping him up in her arms.

"Are the babies going to swim with us?" Jason asked.

"Maybe next summer," Sam told him. "Right now they're happy staying inside with daddy."

"They don't like doing anything," Jason commented.

"Neither did you when you were their age," Sam said. "But soon they'll get a little older and they'll be running around this house, and you'll be _begging _them to stay still."

"No I won't."

"We'll see," Sam said, kissing the top of his soaked head. "Hey, you want me to show you something cool?"

"Uh-huh!"

Sam chuckled slowly lowered half her face under the water and blew some bubbles. Jason's eyes widened in amazement. "How'd you do that?"

"You just blow," Sam explained. "Here, you try now."

Jason put his face under water and blew as hard as he could, but wound up getting only a mouthful of pool water.

"I didn't work!" he frowned.

"That's okay, keep trying," Sam encouraged him.

Jason stuck his head in the water and blew again, and still came up sputtering.

"One more try, okay?" Sam said.

"Okay," Jason mumbled. He tried once more, but this time, he got it.

"I did it!" he said proudly, pulling his head back up.

"See, I told you that you could," Sam said, high-fiving him.

"Hey, what am I missing out on out here?" Freddie asked, coming out onto the patio.

"Daddy, look at this! It's so cool!" Jason said, blowing bubbles for his father.

"Whoa, no way!" Freddie said.

"Mommy taught me!"

"Did you get the girls down?" Sam asked, pulling herself up out of the pool and walking over to her husband.

"Yup, they're fast asleep in their playpen," Freddie nodded.

"Do you want a turn in the pool?" Sam asked knowingly, looking down at the swim trunks he was wearing.

"Well…yes," Freddie said.

Sam laughed, lacing her dripping arms around his neck. "Okay, I'll go in with the twins…if you ask nicely."

"Can you _please _go watch the twins for a little bit while I entertain our son?" Freddie asked, rolling his eyes. "And if it helps, I've got to say you are looking _very _good in that bikini…"

"Like what you see?" Sam whispered in his ear.

"Oh yeah," Freddie grinned.

"Well then," Sam smirked. "Maybe later, when we're alone, you and I can-" She quickly pulled away from him shoved him straight into the pool.

"I-What-Sam!" Freddie cried from the pool, pushing the hair from his eyes.

"Mommy pushed you in, daddy!" Jason said from the shallow end of the pool, laughing hard. "That was funny, mommy."

"I try," Sam said, her eyes glittering as her husband tried to hold back his own laughs.

"That was uncalled for, Sam," he said.

"I know," Sam said sweetly, wrapping a towel around her body. "That's why I did it."

And with that she went back into the house.

"Alright," she sighed, grabbing her Pearpad as she fell onto the couch next to her sleeping daughters' playpen. "Time to catch up on some Sugar Slam."

"Sam!" Carly suddenly exclaimed, rushing through the front door.

"Shh! Emma and Ashton are sleeping!" Sam hissed.

"Sorry!" Carly whispered, sitting down next to her best friend. "But this is important!"

"What?" Sam said. "What's up?"

"Andy quit his job!"

"Huh?" Sam frowned.

"Yeah, he did it today, without even _talking _to me about it!" Carly nodded.

"Well, why did he quit his job?" Sam asked.

"Because he's _impossible_!" Carly groaned, burying her face in one of the couch pillows.

"Aw," Sam chuckled. "Is someone having a hard time with her husband?"

"This isn't funny, Sam," Carly moaned. "He just came home an hour ago and said that he just couldn't handle working for other people anymore. He, get this, wants to start his own pet store."

"Really?" Sam said.

"I know!"

"So you think he could give us a discount at this pet store?" Sam asked.

"Sam!"

"What? Having a dog is expensive," Sam defended. "Plus I have my eye on these cool fish that have little teeth and-"

"So you don't think this whole thing is wonked up?" Carly frowned.

"Well, I dunno," Sam shrugged. "I guess Andy _should've _talked to you about this before he quit. But if he was all miserable and everything…what are you going to do? Besides, didn't you say that you make a lot more money working at the studio than he does being a delivery guy for that vets office? You guys are going to still be fine financially, right?"

"Well, yeah," Carly nodded. "It's not like we're going to go broke from him not working. We'll have to make a few cutbacks, but that's not the point here!"

"Well then just go tell Andy that he should've talked to you first about this whole thing, and then help him start a pet store," Sam said. "Come on, kid, it can be just like that movie you used to obsessed with when we were kids about the family finally getting their dream of building their own theme park."

"I know," Carly sighed. "It's just…I don't want to see Andy fail."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I love Andy and all, but I don't think he really knows what he's getting himself into," Carly said. "He knows nothing about starting a business! Plus you know how the economy is, don't you?"

"Pfft, that's funny," Sam said, rolling her eyes.

"Come on, it's all over the Internet," Carly said.

"Yeah, strangely enough, economics never comes up in any of the forums on the MMA website," Sam said.

"Well, it's hard even for people who _know _what they're doing," Carly said. "And, I know I should be supporting Andy, and I-I will, but I just don't want him to get his hopes up only to have this whole thing not work out."

"Hey, he may not fail," Sam said. "Who knows? He could become some great big successful pet store owner!"

"The odds of that happening are probably a million to one," Carly mumbled.

"Come on, what happened to the overly optimistic Carly that we know and love?" Sam asked. "Don't think about that! Just make sure that Andy's that one in million."

Carly gave a small smile. "This is actually a really good pep talk, you know."

"Well you've given me plenty," Sam reminded her.

"I-I guess I'm just going to have to let Andy do this then," Carly said. "And be there for him."

"There you go, kid," Sam said.

"Just know that I'll probably be so stressed out that I'll be coming over here and dragging you out to the Groovy Smoothie so I can rant over some Strawberry Splats," Carly said. "Anyway…I should get back home and talk to Andy. I feel sort of bad, actually. I kind of freaked out on him and stormed out after he told me…I guess this was our first real fight."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Sam frowned. "You've been with Andy for this long and you two have never even _fought_? What's _wrong _with you guys? Freddie and I fought on our honeymoon for crying out loud! He wanted to go to the beach, I wanted to stay by the pool!"

"Well we both know Andy and I are nowhere near as, er, _outspoken_ as you and Freddie are," Carly chuckled.

"Yeah, you guys are a _traditional _couple," Sam said, getting to her feet.

"Where are you going?" Carly asked.

"To go get some water balloons to throw at Freddie."


	296. Chapter 296

**AN-Hey, Seddie1fan it's so great that you're starting college next term! Honestly, for me, college is about ten thousand times better than high school. You have way more freedom and independence, plus there's way more to do. I will admit it's a lot more work, but it's not a complete nightmare like some people say it is. Just go to class, don't get behind, and don't try to overload yourself and you'll be great!**

…**.. **

"Hey," Gibby said, letting himself into the Benson house as Sam tried to pull a wad of bubble gum out of Jason's hair.

"What?" Sam said, not looking up from her task.

"I'm here for our play date," Gibby said.

"Our _what_?"

"Play date," Gibby repeated. "You know, with Quincy and the twins."

"Gibby, how are a bunch of babies going to have a play date?" Sam frowned. "They're just going to lie around and drool and poop."

"But they'll be doing all that stuff _together_," Gibby pointed out. "Besides, I need to use your Wi-Fi."

"Why?" Sam asked.

"Because mine is all wonked up and I need to check on my bid for an antique unicycle," Gibby replied.  
"Shouldn't you be at _work_?" Sam said, rolling her eyes.

"No, I have today off," Gibby explained, setting Quincy down on the blanket where Emma and Ashton were lying.

"Off from _what_? No one even knows what you do!" Sam exclaimed

"Oh, well, I-"

"Ow!" Jason yelled as his mother continued to try and pull the gum out of his hair.

"Sorry, sorry," Sam said. "But Jason, I still don't even get how you got the gum in your hair."

"I made a bubble gum ball, and I threw it, and I didn't catch it and it landed on my head," Jason said simply.

"Been there," Gibby mumbled, pulling out his laptop. "Oh no! I've been out-bided and there's only forty-nine seconds left in the auction! Oh my God, oh my God! What do I do? How much do you think an antique unicycle is worth?"

"Well if you'll use to ride off to a circus and spend the rest of your days as a lion tamer, I'd say five thousand bucks," Sam said.

"I'm allergic to lions!" Gibby cried.

"Then be a clown!"

"Okay, okay!" Gibby said, quickly typing on his computer. "Five thousand bucks…beat that UnicycleFreak99!"

"Well, that's five thousand bucks that you won't have to pay for your therapy to deal with having a psychotic father, Quincy," Sam said as the infant pulled himself up into a standing position with the couch, rustling his hair.

"My therapy sessions only cost _three _thousand bucks, thank you," Gibby snapped.

"Yeah, yeah," Sam said. "Alright, well if you're going to insist on being here, watch the twins for a second while I get some peanut butter to take care of this gum."

"Peanut butter?" Gibby repeated.

"Yeah, it's supposed to get gum out of your hair," Sam nodded.

"Oh man!" Gibby moaned. "Why didn't you tell me that yesterday? That could've saved me ten hours!"

…

"Hey, can we just make a quick stop at that ice cream shop we passed?" Sam asked as her and Freddie followed Carly and Andy through an outdoor shopping plaza.

"No time!" Andy said.

"Baby, at least slow down," Carly said, shifting Clarissa in her arms as she jogged to keep up with her husband. "The empty store will still be there in two minutes, and these shoes are killing my feet."

"And some of us are maneuvering _very _big strollers!" Freddie said, huffing and puffing as he pushed the twins in their double stroller.

"I want ice cream," Jason said sadly, looking back at the shop they just passed.

"Me too," Sam sighed.

"Here it is!" Andy said excitedly as the others finally caught up to him. He was standing in front of an empty store with a sale sign in the window.

"Wow, nice," Freddie said. "So this is where you want to build your pet shop?"

"Yeah, it's got a great location, plenty of space..." Andy nodded.

"How much this place even cost though?" Sam asked.

"He hasn't found out yet," Carly said, and Sam knew she was trying very hard not to sound exasperated.

"I'll call right now," Andy said brightly, pulling out his cellphone and dialing the number on the sale sign. "Hello? Hi, my name is Andy Danielson, and I am _quite _interested in buying your store in the Potter's Plaza."

"See, Carls, this is all working out," Sam whispered to her best friend. "He already found a spot for his pet shop!"

"Well, maybe I did sort of get worked up," Carly mumbled. "I mean, if he gets this spot, he can probably have everything ready to open in six months, tops, if he works really hard and-"

"Whoa! How much?" Andy exclaimed. "No! What do you think I am? A millionaire? Why would a millionaire want to buy a dinky little store?"

"So," Freddie said as Andy hung up. "Is that a no on this store?"

"The guy was gonna rip me off," Andy sighed. "There's no way this store is worth what he's asking for."

"Aw, I'm sorry, Andy," Carly said, putting a comforting arm around him. "But, um, you know it usually takes awhile for businesses to start up. You've got to have a lot of patience. I mean, you're probably not going to find any place we can afford for awhile, but-"

"I just have to keep looking," Andy smiled, giving her a quick kiss. "Wow, Carly, you are just the most supportive wife I could've ever asked for. Thanks for not giving up on my dream, sweetheart."

"Oh…no-no problem," Carly said, pulling on a strained smile. "What are wives for?"

"Listen dude, you'll get that pet store opened in no time," Freddie assured Andy.

"Thanks," Andy said. "But I've got to say, I didn't think it would be this hard. Oh well, hard work now will make my dream even better, right Carly?"

"Uh-huh!" Carly said quickly.

"Hey, so are we still going to go to the smoothie or not?" Sam asked. "Because me and Jason are kind of starving over here."

"Oh, right, let's go," Carly said. "Andy and I will meet you guys there."

"See you in a few," Freddie said as he began pushing the stroller back towards their car. "Wow…who knew shops in here were so expensive to buy."

"I know," Sam said, helping Freddie load the girls into their car seats as Jason got into his booster seat.

"I hate to be a Negative Nelly here," Freddie said, getting into the driver's seat. "But I don't think he's going to be able to find a shop for at least a few more months. Times are pretty tough, after all. But, at least he's got Carly cheering him on. It's great that she's so supportive of him doing all this."

"Pfft, open your eyes nub," Sam said.

"Huh?"

"Carly's totally _not _on board with this," she said.

"What do you mean?" Freddie frowned. "She was encouraging him just a few minutes ago."

"It's all an act," Sam said. "She's just acting supportive so that she doesn't hurt Andy's feelings. She really thinks that him opening up his own pet shop is ridiculous. She thinks that he doesn't really get how hard it's going to be and he's going to wind up failing getting upset."

"Really?"

"True chiz," Sam said. "Come on, you know how Carly can get sometimes. She likes to have everything in her life completely structured and planned. She's going nuts right now!"

"Wow…" Freddie said.

"Yeah," Sam nodded. "But hey, just don't tell Andy that, okay? Like I said, she doesn't want to hurt his feelings."

"Of course," Freddie nodded. "Hey…if I was starting a business or something, and you thought it was a ridiculous idea, would you tell me? Or would you just pretend so I wouldn't feel bad?"

"Baby, when have I ever had a problem telling you things that you didn't want to hear?" Sam grinned.

"True," Freddie chuckled.

"Trust me, if you decide to quit your job to start a watermelon farm or something, I'll make sure you know how stupid you're being," Sam assured him.

"And what if I want to quit my job and start up a bacon factory?"

"Then I'll be behind you one hundred percent," Sam laughed.


	297. Chapter 297

"Yeah, I just don't think these have the right arch support for me," Gibby said, looking down at the pair of loafers he was trying on.

"You said we were going to go get those _Galaxy Wars _t-shirts they just got in at the comic shop," Freddie mumbled. "Not shoe shop! Come on, do you know how long it took for me to persuade Sam to let me go out and leave her home with the kids?"

"Well what use is a new _Galaxy Wars _shirt if I have to pair it with scuffed loafers?" Gibby pointed out, still looking at his shoes. "Hmm, now do you think I should go with the copper brown or the beige?"

"I don't care," Freddie moaned.

"What's Carly doing?" Gibby asked, pulling out his Pearphone. "She's always good for loafer advice."

"I think her and Andy are actually out looking for empty shops for sale," Freddie told him.

"Why?" Gibby frowned.

"You didn't hear? Andy wants to open his own pet shop," Freddie said.

"Shut up! No way!" Gibby exclaimed. "I've always wanted an in at a pet shop! No more cheap hamsters for this guy!"

"Don't get too excited," Freddie said. "He's not having much luck. Sam says that Carly's going crazy trying to act supportive of him; she doesn't think this pet shop thing's going to work out. He can't even find a place yet."

"Well he should talk to my friend Ernie," Gibby said. "He's looking to sell his old sporting goods store. He's moving to Canada to take care of his mother and maybe look into the maple syrup business."

"Oh yeah, you should try and get him to sell to Andy!" Freddie nodded. "But Andy's sort of on a tight budget. Would your friend be willing to sell cheap?"

"Probably, he owes me," Gibby said, scrolling through his Pearphone's contacts. He pressed his phone to his ear. "Ernie? Hey dude, it's Gibby. So how's the parrot doing? Dead? Well, you weren't really a good bird keeper, so that's not a big shock. Anyway, I need a favor. I know a guy who might be interested in buying your store, but the thing is, he doesn't have too much cash. What do you say? Can you cut him a deal for me?"

"What's he saying?" Freddie whispered.

"Quiet!" Gibby hissed. "Sorry, Ernie. Impatient guy at the loafer store…so can you sell that store cheap for my friend? Really? Great! How much? Uh-huh, uh-huh…lower. No, _lower_. I said lower; don't you remember that mustard incident I helped you out with last week? I-Wait, what was that last offer? Hey, that sounds perfect! Alright, Ern, I'll see you at yoga tomorrow."

Gibby hung up his phone and turned back to Freddie, who was staring at him in disbelief.

"What?" Gibby asked.

"How did you-What did you-Gibby!" Freddie sputtered. "Since when are you a hardcore deal maker?"

"I pick things up from work," Gibby shrugged.

"Where do you even work?" Freddie cried.

"In a building…sometimes," Gibby said. "Now call Andy and tell him if he wants this store for practically nothing, he needs to meet me now, or Ernie will go back on the deal. Tell him to meet us at the Groovy Smoothie. I can go for a nice chi smoothie."

"I-I-Okay," Freddie nodded, still staring at Gibby, confused.

…

"Are you serious?" Andy exclaimed an hour later at the Groovy Smoothie, where Gibby had just told him the good news.

"As toe fungus," Gibby nodded.

"Dude, this is like, a _fraction _of what I was willing to pay for a shop," Andy said. "I mean, do you know how helpful it's going to be to have this extra cash? I'm already going to have to take out a lot of loans just to buy all the merchandise and animals."

"This is a really good deal," Freddie commented, sipping his smoothie.

"So are you in?" Gibby asked.

"Duh! Of course I am!" Andy said. "Why wouldn't I-Oh, wait. I-I should probably talk to Carly about it first. Between you and me, I think she was just a smidge upset that I quit my job without talking to her first."

"Nah," Freddie said lamely. He took another sip of his smoothie, realizing it was empty. "I'm gonna go get a refill."

"Listen, you need to decide on this soon," Gibby told Andy as Freddie went to the counter. "Ernie's a nice guy, but if he gets a better offer, he'll leave you…Just like he did with me in Pilates…Oh man, I thought I was _over _that!"

"Um, there, there," Andy said awkwardly. "And I promise, I'll have an answer for you by the end of the week…Man, I hope Carly likes this place so we can get it."

"Yeah, and then you can prove her wrong," Gibby nodded.

"Prove her wrong?" Andy repeated, confused.

"Yeah, about thinking you couldn't do this," Gibby said.

"Do what?"

"Open a pet shop!"

"Gib, um, I think you're mistaken," Andy laughed. "I mean…Carly's totally supportive of me right now! She doesn't _not _think I can open a pet shop. She tells me all the time how happy she is that I'm following my dream!"

"Eh, she's lying to you," Gibby said simply. "She doesn't think you can do it at all. At least that's what Freddie says she tells Sam."

Andy's beaming face faltered. "Really?"

"Oh yeah," Gibby nodded. "She has zero confidence in you. But now with this awesome shop…"

"You know," Freddie said, returning with his smoothie. "I've got to give it up for T-Bo's Melon Magic smoothie. It's delicious. Have you tried it yet, Andy?"

"Um, n-no," Andy said, getting to his feet.

"Where are you going?" Freddie frowned.

"Oh, I just…I just need to think," he mumbled. "Um, bye."

"Well that was weird," Freddie commented.

"Yeah, wonder what that was about," Gibby said, oblivious.

"I guess he wants to go home and tell Carly about the shop right away," Freddie shrugged. "Well Gib, looks like you might be getting your fancy hamsters after all."

….

"Well," Sam yawned as she came downstairs later that evening. "I just got the girls fed and in their crib, and Jason's fast asleep."

"Peace at last," Freddie sighed, sitting down on the couch.

"At least until the twins wake up again in four hours," Sam pointed out.

"Oh…yeah," Freddie moaned.

"You know," Sam said slowly, lacing her arms around Freddie's neck, giving him a slow, passionate kiss. "We could go upstairs and _sleep _for those four hours we have…Or we can do something_ else _for about eleven minutes, and then sleep for the other three hours and forty-nine minutes, if you know what I mean?"

"Oh I know exactly what you mean," Freddie chuckled, returning his wife's kiss. "But Sam, it _has _been awhile since you've played chess with me…you think you remember how to play?"  
"Dude!" Sam exclaimed, thumping the back of his head.

"Relax, I was joking," Freddie said, quickly getting to his feet. "Although I don't know why I'm wasting time keeping you down here when I would love nothing more than to run upstairs. Now."

"Then let's go," Sam laughed, grabbing his hand. She was about to pull him towards the steps when suddenly their front door flew open and Carly stormed in.

"Carls?" Sam frowned. "What are you doing here?"

"Yeah, we're sort of in the middle of-" Freddie began.

"What did you do?" Carly snapped, glaring at Sam. "Huh?"

"What are you talking about?" Sam asked, confused.

"You told Andy I thought his pet store idea was stupid, that's what I'm talking about!" Carly yelled.

"Huh? No I didn't!"

"Oh, don't play dumb!" Carly fumed, more angry than either Sam or Freddie could remember seeing her. "I can't believe you, Sam, I trusted you! Do you know how mad Andy is at me now? He's upset, heartbroken and depressed! He won't even talk to me!"  
"I didn't tell him you didn't think he could open a pet shop!" Sam exclaimed.

"Well than how'd he find out?" Carly cried.

"I don't-" Sam started, but then her eyes widened as she turned to look at her husband. "What did you do?" she hissed.

"You told Freddie?" Carly asked, narrowing her eyes.

"I told him not to tell Andy!"

"I didn't tell Andy!" Freddie said. "I just told Gibby-"

"You told Gibby?" Sam moaned. "Why?"

"Because it came up!"

"Freddie, how could you?" Carly yelled.

"But Gibby didn't tell Andy either!" Freddie said quickly. "When the three of us were at the Groovy Smoothie today, I was with them the whole time, and Gibby didn't say-Uh-oh. Oh no…"

"What?" Sam demanded.

"Well, there was those few minutes when I left the two of them together to get another smoothie," Freddie said slowly.

"Freddie!" Carly gasped.

"I didn't think he would tell!" Freddie defended.

"Well he did!" Carly snapped. "And now my husband hates me, so thanks a lot!" She turned on her heel and stomped out.

"Carly!" Sam yelled, running after her best friend. "Carly, wait!"

But Carly had already gotten into her car and was pulling out of their driveway.


	298. Chapter 298

"Um, morning," Freddie said as Sam walked into the kitchen the next morning. Sam simply glared at him as she poured herself some orange juice.

"Sam, how many times do I have to say I'm sorry?" Freddie moaned. "You don't think I feel terrible about Andy finding out Carly pretty much has zero confidence in his pet store idea? I do! And I want to make this right with them, but can I at least not have you mad at me too?"

"Well it's all your fault!" Sam exclaimed.

"Alright, at least you're talking to me again," Freddie sighed.

"You just _had _to blab to Gibby, didn't you?" Sam snapped. "You know telling anything to Gibby is risky! He can't keep his trap shut about important things! And now I'm sitting here best friendless! You better fix this, Benson!"

"How am I supposed to fix this?" Freddie moaned. "I already tried calling Carly, she didn't pick up! And this mess isn't all my fault; you've known me for years! You should know that I can't be trusted with this type of information!"

"You're supposed to be the responsible one in this marriage!"

"Well you're-you're-Oh! Let's not turn on each other!" Freddie said. "Let's just figure out what we're going to do."

"We? You're the one-"

"Sam!"

"Oh alright," Sam sighed. "But what are we even supposed to do? Carly's mad at us, Andy's mad at Carly…it's one big chain of mad here!"

"Well…what did Carly always do for us back when we needed her to referee our fights when we were dating?" Freddie said.

"I don't know…she said stuff…words?"

"Yeah…that's helpful," Freddie said, rolling his eyes.

"Dude, you-"

"Sorry! Sorry!" Freddie said quickly. "Lets…let's just think harder, okay?"

…

"Oh, h-hey you guys," Andy said, opening his front door to see Sam and Freddie standing at his doorway. "Um, Carly's not here right now. She went out for some milk…maybe she'll get it from a cow that they sell in those big, _fancy _pet stores."

"Dude, Carly didn't mean to hurt you," Sam said as her and Freddie stepped into the apartment. "I mean that _is _why she lied in the first place."

"Yeah," Freddie agreed. "It's really a sweet gesture if you think about it."

"So…I'm supposed to be _happy_ that my wife has no confidence in me?" Andy frowned.

"Well, it's not that she-" Sam began, but she was cut off by Carly coming into the apartment.

She looked shocked to see Sam and Freddie. "What-What are you guys doing here?"

"Good, you're both here now," Freddie said, pulling out two chairs from the kitchen table. "Sit."

"What are you guys doing?" Andy asked.

"Look, guys, I'm sorry about blowing up at you last night," Carly sighed. "But right now, I don't think is the best time for whatever this is. Andy and I-"

"We're going to help you," Freddie said. "Because you guys are our friends, and it's killing us to see you guys fight. Besides, Carly, you've done this with me and Sam a billion times, so we owe you one."

"You guys, I-" Carly began.

"Eh! No talking yet!" Sam said firmly. "Okay, you two. So, um, the problem is…Freddie? You can take it from here."

"The problem is that you two don't really see eye-to-eye on this pet store thing," Freddie said.

"No, the problem is that my wife thinks I'm a failure," Andy said.

"I don't think you're a failure!" Carly exclaimed. "I'm just trying to be realistic and-"

"Dream crusher," Andy mumbled.

"For the millionth time, I'm not crushing your dreams!"

"Yes you are!"

"No, I'm not! I'm just saying that-"

"Alright, shut up, both of you!" Sam said loudly. "So what Freddie came up with to help you, after watching nine stinking hours of talk shows, is for you both to hear the others point of view on the situation."

"Right," Freddie said. "Dr. Phyllis, Oprah, and that weird guy with dog who does people tricks all say that you hear with your ears, but you _listen _with your heart."

"What?" Andy frowned.  
"Just go with, I've been listening to his nonsense the whole way over here," Sam said, rolling her eyes.

"It's not nonsense!" Freddie frowned.

"Just hurry up, will you!"

"Okay!" Freddie hissed. He walked over to behind Andy's seat. "Now Andy, you have three minutes to talk to Carly about exactly how you're feeling. And Carly, you aren't allowed to interrupt him or anything, got it?"

"But what if-"

"Begin!" Freddie said, turning to Andy.

"Um, well, okay…" Andy said, a bit dazzled. "I-I guess my big issue is that I've always thought of Carly as sort of my rock. She supported me through my tonsillectomy, switching coffee creamers, going through my tacky movie phase…I've always just thought that she was the one person who I could count on to be behind me one hundred percent. And then when I find out that she thinks that my dream is stupid and that I'm going to fail at it…I just feel totally defeated, like if she doesn't believe in me, then who else possibly can? I just want for her to have faith in me that I _can _do this."

"Very nice, Andy," Freddie smiled. He turned to Carly. "Alright, Carls. Now _you _have three minutes to explain to your husband _your _point-of-view."

"Since when is he such a marriage therapist?" Carly frowned, looking over at Sam.

"Begin!" Freddie said, starting the timer.

"Oh, um," Carly started. "Andy, I just want you to know that no matter how much I may not completely agree with something, I'll still support you in it. You're my husband, and I _am _behind you. And I'm sorry that I-I haven't really had the most trust in your pet store idea. But honey, you-you _did _just sort of spring this whole thing on me. I mean, maybe if you had_ talked _to me about wanting to quit your job and open up a pet store, I'd have had more of a chance to get on board with you. I just didn't want you to be disappointed if your dream didn't work out right away, because you don't have too much experience with this sort of thing, and I don't want to see you get hurt."

"Time!" Freddie announced. "Okay, so now that we've got your feelings out in the open, it will be easier to talk about them. So start conversing!"

"We are _canceling _our talk show network," Sam said quietly to her husband.

"Oh just let me have my fun!" Freddie whispered.

"Okay," Andy sighed slowly. "I-I suppose you're right. I should've at least talked to you before I quit my job. It probably would've saved us some headache. It was a big decision and both of us should've been comfortable with before I did it."

"And-And maybe I should've believed in you more," Carly said. "I know how passionate you are about animals, and opening a pet store is the perfect thing for you. Plus you've been so happy these last few weeks…way happier than I've ever seen you at your old job. I could've helped you out more, and Andy, I will now. I'm going to be your right-hand man, or, er, _woman_, and together, you and I are going to build that pet store. You-You said something about Gibby finding you a spot?"

"Oh, um, yeah," Andy nodded. "It's that old sporting goods store over by the bank."

"And Gibby got his friend to sell it to him for _cheap_," Freddie added.

"How cheap?" Carly asked.

Andy pulled out some of the papers Gibby had given him early and handed them to his wife.

"Whoa!" Carly exclaimed. "This is a _really _good deal! Gibby got this price for you? How?"

"No one's really clear on that," Sam said. "But the point is that it would be a great location for a pet store! It's big, everyone knows where it is, it's right next to that taco shack, so you'll never be hungry…"

"Well, Andy, you have to take this place!" Carly said.

"We don't have to rush into it if you don't want to," Andy said, giving her a small smile. "We can look around and see what else is out-"

"You're never going to find a better deal," Carly said. "So if you want to buy this store…I'm all for it."

"You are?" Andy grinned.

"I told you, I'm officially on board," Carly said, wrapping her arms around her husband.

"Thank you, Carly," Andy said, giving her a kiss. "And I promise, we're going to make the rest of the decisions with this together."

"You see that Sam?" Freddie whispered, proudly watching the couple. "We did that. With the help of Phyllis, Oprah, and weird dog guy, of course. Don't you get that warm, tingling feeling inside of you from helping our two friends out?"

"Yes, but that's probably because you didn't stop for burgers on our way here like I wanted," Sam said.

"How could you even think of food?" Freddie frowned. "Besides, you were dead set on helping Carly and Andy too!"

"Yeah, and we did," Sam said. "But that doesn't mean we had to starve! Would it have killed us to take ten seconds to go through a drive-thru?"

"It does not take ten seconds to go through a drive-thru!" Freddie scoffed. "Well, if you drive like a maniac like you normally do, I guess-"

"I don't drive like a maniac!"

"You're the definition of a maniac with your driving! You almost ran over a turtle the other day!"

"He was going too slow!"

"He's a turtle! He only knows how to go slow!"

"Yeah, like you!"

"It's called defensive driving, Sam!"

"It's called going _slow_!"

"So is it our turn to be the couples counselors now?" Andy frowned as him and Carly pulled apart.

"Nah, this isn't a real fight for them," Carly chuckled. "This is just any typical Sunday afternoon. Last week was the huge argument about shoelaces, the week before that was the Great Fort Feud…"

"Ah," Andy nodded as they continued to watch Sam and Freddie.


	299. Chapter 299

"You have to castle bigger, mommy!" Jason said, looking at his mother's tiny block structure.

"This isn't the castle; this is the barn where they keep all the pigs and cows," Sam said.

"No! The animals don't live in the barn, they live in the castle with the king!" Jason told his mother.

"Alright, alright," Sam said, rolling her eyes. "Aren't you bossy?"

"And this is the king's pet dinosaur," Jason said, showing his mom one of his toy dinosaurs. "He sleeps in the king's room."

"So basically this king has pigs, cows, and a _dinosaur_ running around his castle?" Sam chuckled.

"And giraffes," Jason added.

"Of course," Sam smiled.

Just then she heard cries from the twins playpen.

"Alright, Jason, looks like your sisters are hungry," Sam said, heaving herself off the floor. "And you need lunch too. Come on, you can finish your animal castle later."

She headed into the kitchen, popped some left over ham from dinner last night into the microwave for Jason, and then sat down at the table and began nursing the twins.

"Mommy? Can you bake cookies with me after lunch?" Jason asked.

"What about your castle?" Sam asked.

"The king wants cookies for his dinosaur."

"This is one strange king," Sam laughed. "But sure, we can bake cookies if you want."

"Yay!" Jason said happily.

After Jason had finished his lunch, and Sam had fed Emma and Ashton and wolfed down a quick sandwich herself, she placed the now full twins back in their playpen.

"Okay, Jason," she said. "Go wash your hands and then we can bake you those cookies."

"Alright, mommy!" Jason said, running off to the bathroom.

Sam was just about to get out the cookie ingredients when there was a loud knock at the front door. She hurried over and answered it, seeing a large woman with a mean-looking face, cracking her knuckles menacingly.

"Um…what?" Sam asked.

"Oh come on, Puckett! You don't recognize me?" the woman exclaimed, suddenly breaking into a grin.

"Huh?" Sam frowned, certain that she had never seen this woman before.

"It's me, Alex!"

"Alex…oh!" Sam said, her eyes widening. "Alex…from-from juvie…"

"Finally! Jeesh, blondie, you're kind of slow there," Alex laughed, holding out her fist for Sam to pound. "How you been? It's been a good twelve years, hasn't it?"

"Yeah, we haven't seen each other since I was fourteen," Sam nodded.

"I got to say, when I tracked you down, I was pretty shocked you were living in a fancy place like this," Alex said, stepping past Sam into the house. "But look at you! What'd you do? Rob a few banks?"

"Uh, no, not-not exactly-"

"Wait a minute, holy chiz!" Alex frowned, grabbing Sam's hand and looking down at her wedding band. "You got hitched?"

"Yeah, I did," Sam said. "My husband's name is-"

"So _that's _how you got this place!" Alex chuckled. "Marry a rich guy…classic. Hey, how many years you think he's got left in him? Because I could get used to staying in a place like this-"

"He's my age," Sam said quickly. "And he's got _plenty _of years left in him. Anyway, Alex…not that I'm not all happy to see you, but, um, this-this isn't a good time-"

"Time for cookies mommy!" Jason said, running back into the room. Once he caught sight of Alex, though, he rushed behind Sam.

"Hey, who's the midget?" Alex asked.

"He's my son," Sam told her. "Jason, this is Alex…She's an, um, old friend of mine."

"Hey," Alex said thoughtfully. "Do you remember Jojo? He was the kid in juvie with us when stole that cop's pants…Anyway, he's looking for kids to help him with this new stunt of his, that-"

"Yeah…no," Sam said firmly. "Jason? Why don't you go play upstairs, for a little bit?"

Jason nodded and quickly ran up the steps, away from Alex.

"Dude? Why are you so uptight?" Alex frowned. "You don't want to help Jojo out? You and him used to be tight."

"My kids aren't going to juvie. Ever," Sam said.

"What's wrong with juvie? We came out okay," Alex said. She began headed into the kitchen, helping herself to a bag of chips on the counter. "So, what do you do with yourself now? You still trying to become an invisible ninja?"

"Well…no," Sam said. "Not since I realized that that's sort of…impossible. So what are you doing here, anyway?"

"What? I can't stop by and see my old buddy?" Alex shrugged. "Now come on, what do you do? Because hey, if you want a job, this dude I know is looking for chicks to try and smuggle these illegal iguanas in from Canada."

"Why are they illegal?"

"No clue, but he can sell them for a buttload of money," Alex said. "So you in?"

"No, I-I sort of work from home," Sam replied.

"Oh," Alex grinned. "Doing what? You need any help? I saw a cop car parked at a house a few doors down from here, so you might want to make sure that whatever it is stays out of sight and-"

"I'm a writer," Sam cut her off. "For a T.V. company. I write scripts."

"Scripts?" Alex frowned. "Like…legally?"

"Pretty much."

"Wow," Alex sighed, shaking her head. "So it is true."

"What's true?" Sam demanded.  
"That you've officially lost your street cred," Alex said. "I heard rumors while I was away doing time, but I never thought they could be true. I mean…you're Sam Puckett!"

"Benson," Sam mumbled.

"What?"

"Never mind," she said quickly. "And I haven't lost my street cred!"

"Yeah, you have!" Alex scoffed. "Look at yourself! You've gone completely soft! If your juvie self could see you now…"

"I'm not soft just because I don't get in trouble anymore," Sam snapped, narrowing her eyes. "I don't get in trouble anymore by _choice_."

"Whatever," Alex said coldly. "But you've changed, Puckett. You're not who you used to be anymore." She handed her a slip of paper. "That's my number. In case you realize your true self again."

And with that she stormed out of the Benson home. Sam locked the door behind her.

"I'm not soft," Sam said to herself. "She's just a mess…she's probably jealous that _she _has to smuggle iguanas for a living while I get a nice, peaceful life at home…"

But still, Alex's voice echoed inside her head.

_You've changed, Puckett. You're not who you used to be anymore._

That was ridiculous. Sure, she knew she didn't exactly get chased down by the cops all the time anymore, but she still lived on the edge…didn't she?

The more she thought about it, though, the more she realized that lately, her entire life seemed to revolve around taking care of kids all day, making dinner, cleaning up messes, getting in her work on time…

_Maybe she was right_, Sam thought slowly to herself. _Maybe I have changed too much._


	300. Chapter 300

"Ooo, cookies," Freddie said happily, walking into the kitchen after work that day.

"I made them!" Jason grinned.

"You did? Well then I think I'll have two," Freddie chuckled, helping himself to the cookies. "Hey, baby." He gave Sam a quick kiss as she wiped some formula that had dribbled down Ashton's chin from her daughter's face.

"Hey," Sam said simply.

"Man, am I beat," Freddie yawned, sitting down next to his wife. "What a day…I had to do a _ton _of reconfigurations with the white balance on this episode that we got that we were supposed to have _days _ago. So we all had to rush and get everything done because the producers needed it tonight."

"Uh-huh," Sam mumbled.

"But it all got done, so no worries," Freddie continued. "So what did you to today, Sam?"

"Oh you know, I sat here and was just a perfect little housewife," Sam said bitterly.

"Um, okay," Freddie said, slightly confused. "Anyway, guess what? My friend Steve from work invited us to a dinner party him and his wife are having next weekend. I thought it would be a cool if we went."

"A dinner party?" Sam repeated.

"Yeah, should be fun," Freddie nodded. "Semi-casual, light appetizers and then a roast for dinner. It sounds nice."

"A _dinner _party?" Sam repeated again. "Are you _kidding _me? _This _is what you think of me now? _Dinner parties_?"

"Don't-Don't you like dinner?" Freddie frowned.

"Unbelievable!" Sam exclaimed, getting to her feet. "You think just because I've calmed down a _little _that I want to spend my nights at _dinner parties_? I'm not _that _soft!" And with that she stormed off upstairs.

"So do you not want to go?" Freddie called after her.

"Daddy? What's wrong with mommy?" Jason asked.

"You know, I think Max would have a better chance figuring that out than me," Freddie said, shaking his head.

….

"Um, Sam?" Freddie asked a few hours later, stepping cautiously into their bedroom.

"Yes, Fredward?" Sam snapped, laying on the bed and staring up at the ceiling.

"You-You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm _fantastic_," Sam said, her voice dripping sarcasm. "Never better."

"Really? Because earlier I sort of sensed-"

"Hey, am I, you know, the same as I was in high school?" Sam cut him off.

"Huh?"

"Am I the same as I was in high school," Sam repeated.

"Pfft, no!" Freddie chuckled.

Sam frowned. "Why the _pfft_? What? Do you think I've changed?"

"I dunno, sort of," Freddie shrugged, kicking off his shoes and placing them in the closet.

"Well how have I changed?" Sam asked. "I-I'm still sort of the same…I still like ham! And steak! And ribs!"

"Yeah, I've noticed," Freddie said.

"So I _am _the same!"

"No, you're not as…feisty," Freddie said, grabbing a pair of sweatpants to pull on. "I mean, you're still crazy and all, but it's not as…evident. I mean, back in high school, a person could tell not to mess with you just by looking. Now you could probably pass for a soccer mom or something if you tried."

"A soccer mom?"

"Yeah, you just need some of those 'mom jeans' and you'd be good to go," Freddie grinned. "Hey, why are you asking me-"

"I-I'll see you later, okay?" Sam sighed.

"Where you going?" Freddie frowned.

"Out," Sam said simply. "Um, with-with Carly."

"Oh, okay," Freddie shrugged. "I'll put the kids to sleep then. Have fun."

"Thanks," she said quickly. Once she was safely downstairs, she pulled out her phone and Alex's phone number she had given her earlier. She dialed the number and pressed her phone to her ear.

"Hey, Alex?" she said. "It's Sam…"

….

"I told you she would come back to us," Alex grinned as she led Sam into a run down house. "Puckett's back!"

"No way, that's Sam Puckett?" a girl with several rings in her nose and many missing teeth. "I haven't seen her since the two of us stole all those pot pies in prison!"

"Oh yeah, you're Cindy," Sam nodded. "I remember you! And you're Jojo, and Bruise and Patty!"

The three she had just named stared at her through narrowed eyes.

"So you think you can just come running back to us?" Jojo frowned.

"Yeah, why are you coming back now?" Patty asked suspiciously.

"No one's seen you since Juvie twelve years ago," Bruise nodded.

"Um, I've been…busy," Sam lied lamely.

"How do we know she's not an undercover cop or something?" Jojo pointed out.

Sam stepped over to him and easily flipped him to the ground, something she hadn't done in she couldn't remember how long.

"Would a cop be that strong?" Sam smirked.

"I'm sorry I insulted you," Jojo squeaked.

"Alright!" Alex cheered. "That's the Puckett we know!"

"Yup, that's right, I'm just as cool and tough as I've ever been," Sam said. "So what are we gonna do tonight? Smash some things? Set off illegal fireworks? Freak truck drivers out by doing that thing-"

"No, that's kid stuff," Bruise scoffed.

"You remember that guy I was telling you about earlier?" Alex asked. "The one with the illegal iguanas?"

"Sure," Sam said.

"Well he's out in Arizona right now getting the lizards," Alex explained. "But when he gets back, he's going to need this rare lettuce to feed them. It's only available in this organic grocery store. We need to go 'borrow' a few crates of the stuff."

"Oh," Sam said slowly. "Um, well-"

"See! She's already chickening out!" Bruise said. "I told you that Puckett had gone soft!"

"I'm not chickening out!" Sam retorted.

"So you're in then?" Cindy asked.

Sam looked around, and then took a deep breath. "Y-Yeah," she nodded. "I'm in."

….

"Alright," Jojo hissed as the six huddled in the back of the organic grocery store, cloaked by the darkness of the night. "Here's the plan. Cindy and Patty will stand watch. Alex will disconnect the alarm system so it won't go off when Bruise picks the lock of the window. And then Puckett, since you're the smallest, you'll slide in through the window, pass the crates out to me, and then we'll get the heck outta here, clear?"

"Let's do this," Alex said happily.

Sam didn't say anything as she looked around at the buildings surrounding them. She spotted the preschool that Jason would be starting after his next birthday, when he would officially be too old for the pre preschool at the community center. Was she really going to help rob the store across from where she would soon be dropping her son off every day? Suddenly a wave of shame and guilt rippled through her, and she looked down at her feet.

_What am I doing? _Sam thought to herself. _I can't be robbing this place! What if Jason or the twins saw me here? What if Freddie-_

"Alright, Puckett!" Jojo said hurriedly as Bruise finished picking the lock of the window. "Get in there! Now!"

Sam slowly began to step towards the window. She was just about to pull herself through when she found herself stopping in her tracks.

"What are you doing?" Alex demanded. "Hurry up!"

"Guys," Sam said nervously. "I-I'm out."

"You're _out_?" Patty repeated, glaring at her. "What do you mean you're out? See, she _has-_"

"You can call me soft all you want," Sam said. "But we all know I can still beat any of you to a pulp. But I don't care; I'm done. I'm not doing this."

"So what? You think you can just come here then ditch and squeal?" Cindy frowned.

"I won't turn you guys in," Sam said. "But I'm not-"

Suddenly blue and red lights began flashing all around and loud sirens began to sound.

"Everyone freeze!" a cop yelled, running over with two other officers. "You all are under arrest for breaking into a private property!"


	301. Chapter 301

**AN-Hey again, Seddie1fan. I don't think you'll have to write any ten thousand word papers during your first year of college, but I suppose every college is different. The most I've ever had to write is one thousand. I actually haven taken any English classes at college; I had credit from AP's in high school, but from what I've heard, it's not that bad, just a lot of papers but at my college, you get at least three weeks to do them. **

…**.. **

"Hey, good news!" Carly said later that evening, letting herself in the Benson's home. Freddie, who was sitting on the couch, watching a movie, looked up. "What?"

"That old sporting goods store officially belongs to Andy," Carly grinned. "We just finished up the last of the paperwork today. Tomorrow we're going to the bank to try and work out some loan stuff, but if everything goes according to plan, Andy's Pet Store might just be open for business soon!"

"That's what he's going to name the place?" Freddie chuckled.

"Well, he's still tossing ideas around," Carly shrugged.

"Hey, where's Sam?" Freddie asked. "Is she still outside?"

"Huh?"

"Yeah, where did you two even go?" Freddie questioned.

"Um, nowhere," Carly said.

"Then what did you two do?"

"I haven't seen Sam all day," Carly said. "Isn't she here with you?"

"No," Freddie frowned. "She left a few hours ago and said she was going to hang out with you."

"Well, um, maybe-maybe she's out buying you a birthday present," Carly suggested lamely.

"My birthday's not for six months," Freddie pointed out. "This is weird…why would Sam lie about where she's going?"

"I'm sure it's not a big deal," Carly reasoned. "Why don't you try giving her a call if you're worried."

"Yeah, good idea," Freddie nodded, pulling out his phone. He quickly dialed his wife's number, but was met with only her voicemail.

"She didn't pick up," he sighed. "Maybe you should try this time, and-"

Just then Freddie's phone rang, and he quickly looked down at the screen, hoping it was Sam. But it was a number he didn't even recognize.

"Hello?" he said, picking up.

"Yeah, is this a Fredward Benson?" came a tired voice on the other end.

"Yes, speaking," Freddie nodded.

"You're married to Samantha Benson, right?"

Freddie's eyes widened. "Y-Yes," he said. "Is she alright? Is everything okay?"

"She's fine," the voice told him. "But she's just been picked up about an hour ago, and if she wants to go home by the end of the night, you'd better get your kiester over here and take her."

"Wait, wait, wait," Freddie said. "What do you mean she got 'picked up'?"

"I mean she got arrested by the cops."  
Freddie nearly dropped his phone. "Arrested?!"

"Oh no," Carly mumbled next to him.

"So are you gonna come and get her or what?"

"I-I'll be right there," Freddie said. He hung up the phone, anger coursing through his veins. Sam got _arrested_.

"Carly," Freddie said, getting to his feet. "Could you-"

"I'll stay here," Carly nodded.

"Great, thanks," Freddie sighed. "I can't believe she got arrested. What was she _thinking_? Huh? I thought she was past this! She hasn't been arrested since high school!"

"I-I don't know, Freddie," Carly said. "But maybe it was all a big misunderstanding. Sam wouldn't do anything to get arrested _now_."

"I hope she'd at least know better than that," Freddie said angrily.

….

"Alright, you can go, Blondie," an officer said to Sam, who sitting in a holding cell.

"About time," Sam mumbled as she was let out. But as she was led to the front desk of the prison and saw Freddie waiting for him with the angriest expression she had ever seen, she almost wished she was back in the cell.

"Alright, Ms. Benson, you're good to go," another officer said, typing a few things on a computer. "You're not going to have any charges pressed against you because you didn't actually break _into _the grocery store."

"You broke into a grocery store?" Freddie exclaimed.

"No, he said I _didn't_," Sam hissed.

"But this will be added to your record," the officer continued. "And you'll need to pay a two hundred dollar trespassing fee. You got off lucky, though. Those other clowns you were with were all wearing stolen sneakers, so _they're _in a lot of trouble."

"Look," Sam sighed as her and Freddie began to head out to the parking lot. "I can explain. I just-"

"Oh, I am way too mad to even _hear _excuses, Sam!" Freddie snapped. "I am _fuming!_"

"But I-"

"Fuming!" Freddie repeated, getting into his car.

"Okay, whatever," Sam said, rolling her eyes.

The two enjoyed a very tense, awkward, ride back home, Freddie gripping the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles were turning white. When they arrived back at their house, they went inside, still not saying a word.

"Thanks for staying here with the kids, Carly," Freddie said, anger still evident in his voice as he threw his keys down.

"No-No problem," Carly said, getting up from the couch quickly. "Well, I can see that you guys want to be alone now, so I'll just get out of your hair…"

Once the door had closed behind her, Freddie turned to Sam. "Alright," he said. "Talk! What _happened _tonight?"

"Can we not do this now?" Sam mumbled.

"No, we're doing this, Sam!" Freddie said loudly. "I have a right to know what your thought process was during this whole thing! What was the one thing you promised me when we got married, huh? You _promised _me no more police trouble! You're a _mother _Sam! What kind of example do you think you're setting for our children right now? What do you think Jason would say if he saw his mother behind jail bars?"

"Does he know?" Sam asked softly.

"No, he was asleep when the prison called me," Freddie said. "But what if he saw you at the jail, huh? What if the twins were old enough to realize that their own mother was just in jail? What kind of example do you think you're setting for them? How many times have you told me that you want to make sure that our kids don't wind up making the same mistakes you did with this sort of thing? If you start getting arrested all the time again, they're going to think breaking the law is perfectly fine! They'll want to be just like mommy! Do you want to see Jason in Juvie? What about Emma or Ashton?"

"No!" Sam exclaimed. "I-"

"Then what were you _thinking_?" Freddie cried. "Huh? Actually, no, you weren't thinking! You weren't thinking of the kids, and you weren't thinking of me! You were just thinking about yourself!"

Sam didn't reply.

"What _happened_?" Freddie asked again, his voice still shaking.

"Look, I-I don't know what happened," Sam sighed. "Earlier today when you were at work…one of my old Juvie pals stopped by-"

"You never said you still talk to any of your old Juvie friends," Freddie frowned.

"I don't!" Sam said. "This chick just showed up and she started talking to me and she told me that I changed and she was _right_! You said it yourself! I've completely lost my edge! I used to be all about being crazy and wild! And now I can't even break into an organic grocery store without my conscious getting in the way! How could I go from a cool, hardcore chick to someone who sits around in sweatpants all day baking cookies?"

"Sam," Freddie said. "You didn't lose your edge. And you're still crazy! You-You have that huge firework stash in the garage, you scream your lungs out at MMA fights, you don't let anyone take your parking spaces…you still have a ton of edge! Have you calmed down since high school? Absolutely. You don't get in trouble with the cops anymore, you only go to prison to visit your relatives, you put almost all your time into taking care of Jason and the twins…But that's not because you've gone soft or anything. It's because you grew up. You're not the same girl you were when you were fourteen, but you're still Sam Puckett! Well, Sam Benson, but that's not the point! The point is that you stopped with the arrests and other stuff because you _wanted_ to. You have better things in your life now than that."

Sam looked up at him. "You really think I still got my edge?"

"Definitely," Freddie nodded. He took a deep breath. "And-And listen. I'm sorry if I overreacted about this whole thing-"

"You didn't overreact," Sam said. "I-I _did _sort of get arrested. I don't know why I went with those guys. I mean, it's not like I've been wanting to do any of that stuff again. In fact, before the cops came…I was about to leave."

"You were?"

"Yeah," Sam said. "I-I just kept picturing Jason and the twins, and what they would do if they ever found out that their mother was a criminal."

"You're not a criminal," Freddie said firmly. "And the fact that you were about to walk away proves that."

"I'm sorry," Sam said heavily. "About tonight. It was stupid."

"I guess you were just having some sort of mid-life crisis thing," Freddie chuckled.

Sam frowned. "Mid-life crisis? I'm twenty-six! I'm not mid-life yet! Are you calling me _old_?" She swatted his shoulder. "You are two months older than me, so if I'm old enough for a mid-life crisis, you're ancient, Benson!"

"Yeah, see, this is the edge I'm talking about," Freddie said, massaging his shoulder.


	302. Chapter 302

**AN-Hey again Seddie1fan, this semester I'm going to be taking two psychology classes, biology lecture and lab, a sociology class and a diversity class:)**

…**..**

"So have you been mugged yet?" Sam asked her twin sister over the phone as she came downstairs into the kitchen. "I mean, New York has a lot of muggers, you know."

"No," Melanie said. "But this dude on the subway tried to get me to sniff this weird orange."

"Well, if you ever do get mugged, just remember that you _are _a Puckett," Sam said. "You know how to fight if you need to. So how's the shoe business?"

"Stressful. But it's also so great."

"How can it be great if it's stressful?" Sam asked.

"Because it's just so rewarding to see all the hard work pay off when I see my designs come to life," Melanie said as Sam opened the fridge. "I mean, it's just the best-"

"Whoa! Cinnamon buns!" Sam exclaimed, pulling out a plate.

"Huh?"

"I found cinnamon buns in my fridge," Sam said happily. "I don't even know where they came from! Oh man, see, this is how you know your day's gonna be great!"

"By finding mysterious baked goods in your fridge?" Melanie chuckled.

"Any baked good is a good baked good," Sam said.

"Is that your life motto or something?"

"It should be," Sam nodded.

"Well, I've got to go," Melanie said, amused. "Cody and I are getting ready to take Nicole to the Central Park Zoo. I'll talk to you soon. Tell everyone over there I said hey, and enjoy your cinnamon buns."

"Oh, I will," Sam grinned. She hung up her phone and grabbed a bun from the plate. "Okay, delicious, time to take a nice trip down to Mama's stomach."

She bit into the cinnamon bun, but the second it hit her tongue, she gagged. She ran over to the sink and spit it out. "Ugh! What the heck was _that_?"

"Oh good, you found the cinnamon buns my mom dropped over this morning," Freddie said, coming into the kitchen with a very fussy Emma.

"Your mom made those?" Sam frowned. "Well, that explains why they taste like cardboard."

"Here," Freddie said, transferring Emma into her arms. "She needs to be nursed"

"Oh, you do Emma?" Sam smiled down at her daughter. "You hungry?"

"Hey, where's Jason?" Freddie asked. "Is he up yet?"

"No, I think he's still sleeping," Sam frowned. "It's almost ten though. The kid's usually up by eight at the _latest_."

"He did stay up late last night," Freddie pointed out. "I'll go check on him, though."

Freddie went up to Jason's room and let himself in. His son way lying on his bed underneath the covers.

"Jason?" Freddie whispered. "Jason, you okay, buddy?"

"Daddy," Jason said weakly. "I don't feel well."

Freddie frowned and placed a hand on his son's forehead. "You're right; you have a fever," Freddie said. "Aw, Jason, you must've caught something. Maybe-" but he paused as he spotted a little red bump by Jason's nose. And another on his chin. And all over his arms and neck…

"Oh…" Freddie said. "Jason, you have the chicken pox."

"But I'm not a chicken," Jason mumbled.

Freddie chuckled. "No, you're not. Okay, you lay back down and I'm going to bring you some nice hot soup."

"I'm itchy, daddy," Jason mumbled.

"Don't scratch!" Freddie said loudly. "Or you'll get scars."

He ran back downstairs. "Sam! Sam!"

"What?" Sam said, shifting Emma in her arms.

"Jason's got chicken pox," Freddie said, catching his breath.

"What?" Sam exclaimed, her eyes widening. "Well I've got to get up there-"

"Wait," Freddie said quickly. "Have you ever had chicken pox?"

"What? No," Sam shrugged. "So what?"

"Well then you can't go up there!" Freddie said. "You'll catch it too!"  
"I don't care," Sam said. "I work from home, I don't have anywhere to be."

"Sam, if you get sick then it's only a matter of time before you give it to the girls too," Freddie pointed out.

"Well…how come you can go up there?" Sam asked.

"Because I _had _chicken pox when I was little," Freddie said. "Didn't you ever wonder how my mom got all those gray hairs? I can't get chicken pox again."

"Says who?"

"The rules of biology," Freddie said. "Look, Sam, I know you want nothing more than to run upstairs and be with Jason-"

"Yeah, no chiz!"

"-But chicken pox is very contagious," Freddie continued. "And you know it wouldn't be good for the girls to get that sick when they're six months old."

"Well then what am I supposed to do?" Sam moaned. "_Not _take care of him? Do you just want me to sit down here while my poor baby sits up there in pain and-"

"It's chicken pox, Sam," Freddie said. "He'll be okay after a week or so."

"A week?!"

"Okay, baby, I'll take him to the doctor," Freddie said quickly. "And why don't you take the girls over to Spencer and Ella's."

"You be good to him," Sam said. "Give him candy."

"You don't give a sick child candy, Sam."

"Give him candy!"

…..

"So chicken pox, huh?" Ella said, tossing Sam a bottle of iced tea.

"Yeah, and Freddie's being paranoid and not letting me near him," Sam nodded.

"Well he has a point; you wouldn't want to risk giving it to the twins," Ella said. "You really never had chicken pox?"

"Nope."

"Well what about the shot?" Spencer asked. "If you got that when you were a kid, you should be fine!"

"Yeah, my mom did _that_," Sam said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"And you didn't get it for Jason?" Ella frowned.

"We were going to when he had his check-up next month," Sam sighed.

"Irony," Spencer chuckled, earning him a glare from Sam.

"Well, I'm glad my kids got that shot already," Ella said. "Because I had the chicken pox myself when I was little and I am _not _dealing with it again."

"Yeah, I had them too," Spencer nodded. "I hated the itching, but I _loved _the oatmeal baths."

"When's Freddie gonna call," Sam moaned, looking at her phone. "How long does it take for-"

Right on cue, her Pearphone began to ring, and she answered at once.

"So is he okay?" she asked anxiously.

"Yes, the doctor says he's fine, like I said," Freddie told her on the other line. "Well, you know, other than having chicken pox…but he said to just let it run its course and he'll be good as new in a little over a week."

"Well how is this going to work if I can't get near him?" Sam sighed.

"The-The doctor made a suggestion," Freddie said. "And I think it's the best option…he said since the girls are so young, it'd be best if they didn't stay in the house while Jason's sick. I mean, Jason's already been contagious for a few days, apparently, but there's still a chance they haven't caught it."

"Well then what do we do with them?" Sam exclaimed.

"Well, you-you'd stay with someone," Freddie explained.

"Who?!"

"Okay, you-you're not going to love hearing this," Freddie said slowly. "But-But I've sort of already made arrangements for you and twins."

"I-Okay," Sam mumbled, not happy about this, but realizing that it _was_ what was right for the twins. "Who are we staying with?"

"Just keep an open mind about it," Freddie continued. "And try and be as nice as possible with-"

"Freddie just told me the news!" Marissa yelled, bursting into the apartment. "Don't you worry, Samantha! You and twins will be safe and sound at my place!"

"Oh, you are _dead_," Sam hissed into her phone.


	303. Chapter 303

"Oh, so you're going to be staying with Freddie's mom?" Ella grinned, looking at Sam's shocked expression. "Wow, won't that be fun?"

"It'll be a hoot!" Spencer said happily. "The two Mrs. Bensons under one roof!"

Sam shook her head, glaring at them.

"Samantha, we don't have time to waste," Marissa said urgently, picking up one of the twins' carriers. "We need to start with the sterilization process immediately. Chicken pox…oh, this is almost as bad as when my little Freddikins had this disease when he was a toddler. Come on, I need to find my special lotion for you three."

"Um, Marissa!" Sam said, grabbing the other carrier and hurrying across the hall after her mother-in-law, ignoring Spencer and Ella's laughs. "Marissa, look, I-I know Freddie asked you to do this, but you really don't have to. I can take Emma and Ashton to a hotel and-"

"A hotel?" Marissa scoffed. "Do you know how many germs are in those filth buckets? No, you'll stay here. You can stay in Freddie's old bedroom. Now you stay put and I'll go get us some beet biscuits and carrot juice."

As Marissa headed off to the kitchen, Sam shuddered. She quickly pulled out her phone and dialed Freddie's number.

"Dude!" she hissed once he answered. "What did you _do_? You're making me stay with your _mother_?"

"Baby, it-it was the only choice," Freddie said. "Where else could you have gone? Carly and Andy don't have any room for three more people. Neither do Gibby and Tasha or Spencer and Ella."  
"But she's a nightmare!"

"I know, and I'm sorry," Freddie said.

"Well, why can't you be the one to stay here with the twins, and I take care of Jason over there?" Sam said. "I don't care about getting chicken pox myself, and if the girls stay over here, I can't get them sick, so it's a win-win!"

"Sam, they need to be nursed," Freddie reminded her.

"So, you can do that!"

"Um, no I cannot," Freddie said. "Sam, look. It will be a week or so. That's it. I survived over eighteen years with my mom!"

"And look how you turned out!"

"Sam-"

"Can I at least _talk _to Jason?" Sam sighed. "Am I allowed to do _that_?"

"Yeah," Freddie chuckled. "He's been asking for you, actually…hold on, okay. Here he is…"

"Hi mommy," came Jason's voice on the other end.

"Hey sweetie," Sam smiled. "How you feeling?"

"Itchy."

"I know," Sam said. "And mommy wishes she was there with you to help you feel better."

"Daddy says you have to stay with grandma so that Emma and Ashton don't get sick," Jason said.

"That's right," Sam nodded. "But you know what? I think they're starting to miss their big brother."

"Really?"

"Definitely," Sam grinned.

"I miss them too," Jason said. "And you, mommy."

"I miss you too," Sam said heavily. "But you can call me anytime you want, okay? You just tell daddy to give you his phone."

"I will."

"And I want you to get plenty of rest," Sam continued. "And no itching any of your chicken pox, or you'll get scars."

"But they're itchy!" Jason moaned.

"I know, honey, but just try to not think about it," Sam said. "Now you make sure you listen to daddy. He's actually pretty good at dealing with sick people…He's had way too much practice from his mom."

"Okay, mommy," Jason said.

"I love you," Sam said. "I'll call you later, okay. Feel better."

"I love you too," Jason said.

Sam hung her phone, wanting nothing more than to be able to take care of her son, but for the time being, she'd just have to settle for phone calls…it was going be hard, though.

"Alright," Sam sighed, looking down at the twins. "Looks like we're going to have to rough out with crazy grandma. Let's just stick together and get through this in one piece, and-"

"Samantha, I have some anti-dust, bacteria, tick, and lice plastic scrubs for you to wear," Marissa said, coming back into the room.

"What?" Sam exclaimed. "I am _not _putting those on."

"But your immune system has probably already been shattered by the chicken pox disease!"

"Okay, _pretty _sure chicken pox doesn't count as a disease," Sam said, rolling her eyes.

"I need to get these girls in a tick bath," Marissa continued, ignoring Sam's comment as she lifted Ashton out of her carried.

"How is a tick bath going to do anything for chicken pox?" Sam called after her, but her mother-in-law didn't seem to hear her.

"I'm so sorry," Sam whispered to Emma.

…..

"Alright, Jason," Freddie said, taking his phone from Jason after he had finished talking to Sam. "Let's get you back to bed."

"When do I stop itching?" Jason asked miserably.

"Um…soon," Freddie said quickly. "But the doctor gave us some special lotion that's supposed to help with that."

He set his son down on his bed and took his shirt off and began rubbing a thick, pink lotion all over his body.

"It's cold!" Jason moaned.

"I know, I know," Freddie said apologetically. "But it will make you stop itching for awhile."

"I don't like chicken pox, daddy," Jason mumbled.

"Yeah, chicken pox isn't exactly a lot of fun," Freddie said. "You know, I had it when I was around your age."

"Really?" Jason said, his eyes widening.

"Yeah," Freddie chuckled. "And grandma literally put me in a plastic bubble and cried for the entire time that she was a failure as a mother…but I didn't listen about not scratching my chicken pox, and do you know what happened to me? I got this really gross scar. Here, I'll show you."

He rolled up his shirt sleeve. "You see it?"

"No," Jason said, looking at his father's arm. "There's nothing there."

"What? Yes there is!" Freddie said. "Right there, you see that scar?"

"That's tiny!" Jason said. "That's all that happens if I scratch?"

"What do you mean it's tiny?" Freddie frowned indignantly. "It's huge! I must've went through a pack of bandages nursing this baby!"

"You're a baby, daddy!" Jason grinned.

"And _you've_ been hanging around your mom too much," Freddie laughed.


	304. Chapter 304

**AN-Hey again, Seddie1fan, I hope you enjoy those classes! Not going to lie, labs are usually pretty annoying (I've only finished chemistry lab so far) but they're actually pretty easy to get an A in. They're just annoying because they're so long (at my school they're three hour blocks). **

**And speaking of college, I'm heading back up to my college tomorrow, so unfortunately that means that the daily updates are going to be stopping soon. I'm hoping to be able to update at least once a week. But I do have some chapters already written for this story that I will continue to post, and I shouldn't be too busy up there this first week since my actual classes don't start until much later, so hopefully I'll get a lot of writing done then too. Thank you all so much for all the support you've given this story. Without you guys, I would've stopped this story a long time ago:)**

…**..**

"Huh? What?" Sam moaned as a stream of sunlight suddenly hit her the next morning. She sat up in the bed in Freddie's old bedroom, shielding her eyes.

"Early rising in the morning prevents heart disease and snoring," Marissa said as she pulled back the curtains.

"It's six thirty," Sam said, rubbing her eyes.

"Well I'm sorry if being a mother got in the way of your sleep," Marissa said snippily. "But you have responsibilities to attend to! You need to get the twins up and dressed, feed them and get them ready for their first round of antibiotics."

"Antibiotics?" Sam frowned.

"We're trying to make sure they don't get the chicken pox!" Marissa exclaimed. "Now, I have my needles sterilized and-"

"No!" Sam said, jumping out of bed and hurrying over to the portable playpen where Emma and Ashton were fast asleep. "Are you _crazy_? You're not putting needles in my babies!"

"Well how else am I supposed to strengthen their immune system? Do you _want _them to get chicken pox?"

"No, which is why we're _here_," Sam said. "But Freddie said that he called the doctor yesterday after he got back from Jason, and he said that if the twins wind up catching it, they wind up catching it. There's nothing more we can do about it. They'd be fine, but it'd be better for it _not _to happen. So _no _needles!"

"But-"

"No!"

"Ah! Fine!" Marissa cried, tearing the sleeve of her nightdress. "I'll go vaccinate an artichoke!"

"Good!" Sam called after her. She dragged her feet back to her bed and collapsed onto it. "_Why _did Jason have to get chicken pox? I'm suffering more than he is!"

…..

"The lotion isn't working," Jason pouted as Freddie prepared a bath for him. "I'm still itchy."

"I know," Freddie sighed. "That's why we're gonna try giving you an oatmeal bath."

"What's that?" Jason asked.

"Well, you're going to sit in this tub and I'm going to put in some uncooked oatmeal, and hopefully _that _will help your chicken pox and make you less scratchy," Freddie explained.

Jason looked down at the floor.

"It's actually a lot better than it sounds," Freddie said. "I know you don't really like _eating _oatmeal, but trust me, sitting in a bath of it-"

Suddenly Jason burst into tears.

"Oh, um, o-okay," Freddie said quickly. "You-You don't have to take an oatmeal bath if you really don't want to. If you want to just take a normal-"

"I miss mommy," Jason whimpered.  
"Oh," Freddie nodded understandingly. "Well Jason, she misses you too."

"I want mommy," Jason sniffed.

"I know you do," Freddie said. "But remember what I told you? She has to stay at grandma's with the twins so that we can try and make sure they don't get sick too."

"But I miss her," Jason repeated.

"Yeah, me too," Freddie sighed. "But you know what? I bet by this time next week she'll be back home here with us."

"I don't want to wait a week!"

"But mommy has to-wait," Freddie said slowly. "Alright, now you still can't actually have mommy _here_, but do you want to talk to her on daddy's computer? You can see her and everything!"

"Okay!" Jason nodded.

"Alright," Freddie smiled. "Let's just get you a quick bath and then you can do that."

So after getting Jason as clean as he could in the five minutes he could manage to keep him still, Freddie laid out some new pajamas for Jason to change into.

"Come into my room when you're dressed, okay?" Freddie told him. "I'm going to go call mommy and tell her that she gets to see you! She'll be so excited."

Freddie headed into his room, pulling out his Pearphone and quickly dialing his wife's number.

"Your mother is the least sane person on this planet," Sam answered him after the first ring. "Seriously, she needs to be in Troubled Waters and I'm _this _close to going there now myself and getting the papers to make that happen!"

"So…you're having fun over there?" Freddie asked.

"Oh, you're deader than dead when I get back over there," Sam hissed. "Do you know what your mom tried to do this morning? Give the twins shots! Yeah, shots! She was going to stick needles into our babies."

"Oh yeah, see, when I had chicken pox, she went to same doctor in Venezuela who works out of his Churro truck that put the chip in my head and got this vaccine thing that was supposed to cure chicken pox…and male patterned baldness, which hopefully means that I'll never go bald."

"Dude, if your mom's such a safety freak, _why _is she getting all this chiz from a questionable doctor in a Churro truck?" Sam exclaimed.

"Because she read about him on and the only reason he got his medical license revoked was because he was being 'Too Cautious to the Point of Crazy'," Freddie explained. "So basically, he was my mom's ideal doctor."

"Well she's not touching the girls," Sam said firmly. "So what's going on over there? How's Jason?"

"Well you'll be thrilled to know he's starting to really, _really _miss you," Freddie said. "He cried for you and everything a few minutes ago."

"Aw, really?" Sam said. "That's so sweet…poor kid."

"Yeah, so I told him I'd web chat you," Freddie said. "So are you near your Pearbook?"

"Yeah, I just locked myself with the twins in your old room so I don't get attacked by a tick steamer again…" Sam said. "But hurry up and get this set up; I want to see Jason!"

"Alright, alright, I'm setting up a web chat between us now."

"Okay, I see it," Sam said.

"Daddy, I'm ready!" Jason said, padding into the room.

"And we're all ready in here too," Freddie smiled, heaving his son up on his lap. "Sam, see you in a second."

"Got it, nub," Sam replied hanging up.

Freddie quickly typed in a few things on his Pearbook, and a moment later, Sam appeared on the screen, holding the twins in her lap.

"Hi mommy!" Jason said excitedly.

"Hi sweetie," Sam grinned.

"Hi Emma, Hi Ashton," Jason said to his baby sisters.

"You guys want to say hi to your big brother?" Sam chuckled, looking down at the girls.

"They can't talk yet, mommy," Jason laughed.

"No, I guess not," Sam agreed. "So you still itchy?"

Jason nodded.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Sam said.

"Daddy was going to give me an oatmeal bath," Jason told her. "But I wanted to talk to you."

"An oatmeal bath?" Sam repeated.

"My mom did that for me when I had chicken pox," Freddie pointed out.

"Oh, well if your mom did it, it's perfectly sane," Sam said, rolling her eyes. "Do you _want _to see what she made me wear to bed last night?"

"Mommy?" Jason said. "Am I going to turn into a chicken?"

"What?" Sam asked.

"Because I have _chicken pox_," Jason said.

"Oh," Sam said, trying to hold back a laugh, along with Freddie. "Um, n-no, honey, you're not going to turn into a chicken. You're going to stay a little boy."

"Then how come they call it chicken pox?" Jason asked.

"No one knows," Sam said. "Maybe because everyone loves fried _chicken_?"

"Yeah, I'm sure that's the reason," Freddie scoffed, earning him a glare from his wife.

"Look!" Jason said, holding up his stuffed dinosaur, Dino, he had brought in with him. The dinosaur was covered in tiny red stickers. "Dino has chicken pox like me!"

"Whoa, he does!" Sam grinned.

"They're not real though," Jason explained. "Daddy let me put pretend chicken pox on him yesterday. They're really just stickers."

"Okay good, because I was worried," Sam said.

"So are you alright over there with the girls?" Freddie asked. "You know, other than my mom being her usual self?"

"Yeah, I'm alright," Sam nodded. "I was actually hanging out across the hall with Spencer and Ella earlier so I could get a break from the nutcase that is your mother."

"Grandma's a nutcase?" Jason said.

"Thanks Sam," Freddie sighed.

"He would've figured it out eventually," Sam shrugged. "Yes Jason, grandma's insane."

"Well do the girls seem sick at all?" Freddie continued. "Any sign that they caught the chicken pox?"

"No; their temperatures are normal and I don't see any red bumps," Sam said. "But maybe I should still take them to the doctors or something to make sure."

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea," Freddie agreed.

"So Jason," Sam said. "I was thinking earlier, and I have an idea."

"What?" Jason asked curiously.

"Well, since you're being such a brave, big boy while you have the chicken pox," Sam told him. "I was thinking next week when you're all better, we take the train to Olympia and go to that brand new dinosaur museum that opened up."  
Jason's eyes widened. "Really? We can go there?"

"I think that sounds fun," Freddie smiled.

"Yay!" Jason cheered. "Dinosaurs!"

"Samantha!" called Mrs. Benson suddenly back over at her apartment. "Come on here, please! I have some new shampoo I need you to try!"

"I swear, if it's anti-tick shampoo, I am leaving for the hotel," Sam said darkly.

"I'm sorry, baby," Freddie said.  
"How did you do this for _eighteen years_?" Sam moaned.

"No clue," Freddie said.

"I guess I should go, though, before she gets antsy and forces me into the shower herself to use that shampoo."

"Bye," Jason said sadly.

"Bye, Jason," Sam said heavily. "Just keep thinking about that dinosaur museum and maybe you can get better quicker."

"I will," Jason nodded.

"Hang in there, Sam," Freddie said, giving her an encouraging smile."

"You too," Sam sighed. "Hey, let's do this again tonight, okay? So that way I can say good night to Jason."

"Yeah!" Jason eagerly agreed.

"You got it," Freddie said.

"Samantha!" Marissa yelled louder. "Your hair isn't going to de-tickify itself on its own!"

"She must've been attacked by an army of ticks or something when she was a kid," Sam groaned. "Maybe _that's _what made her psycho."


	305. Chapter 305

"I can't _take it_ over there!" Sam exclaimed, storming into Shay's apartment.

"You mean you're_ not _having the time of your life over at Club Crazy?" Ella chuckled.

"Not funny!" Sam snapped, setting down the twins.

"Is she that bad?" Spencer asked.

"She's a nightmare!" Sam moaned. "She keeps spraying things on me and the twins, she only has organic food, and she's always criticizing me!"

"Isn't that what mother-in-laws are supposed to do?" Ella pointed out.

"I dunno, but you have no idea how hard it is for me to be civil over there," Sam said. "Because according to Freddie, it's not nice to verbally harass his mother."

"Eh, probably," Spencer shrugged. "But come on, kid, you've dealt with her before."

"Not for this long," Sam reminded him. "So can I just crash over here for awhile?"

"Sure," her cousin smiled.

"You can help me make my Fribarangall!" Spencer said excitedly, jumping to his feet.

"Your fizz-a-what?" Sam frowned.

"It's a toy," Ella said, rolling her eyes.

"It's not a toy!" Spencer snapped.

"Then what _is _it?" Sam asked.

"It's a combination of Frisbee, a boomerang, and an everyday ball," Spencer said. "The Fribarangall! See, once I finish it, it's going to be just as loved as the Frisbee, it's going to be able to come right back to you like a boomerang, and it's going to be able to be used in a ton of activities, like a ball!"

"So…it _is _a toy then," Sam said slowly.

"What? No!" Spencer exclaimed. "It's-It's a…_device_, used to stir up joy!"

"Oh, I see, because toys are used to stir up tears and sadness," Ella said.

"It's not a toy!" Spencer shouted again before storming off to his bedroom.

"It's fun to mess with him," Ella said happily.

"I miss messing with Freddie and making him all frustrated," Sam sighed.

"Aw, cheer up," Ella said. "It's been five days. I'm sure you'll be able to go back home soon in a few days."

"Hopefully," Sam said. "Because I'm serious, there's no way I'm lasting that much longer with-"

"Oh, there you are, Samantha," Marissa said, letting herself into the apartment.

"Yeah…come in," Ella said.

"What are you doing over here?" Marissa asked. "I just put in my CD of calming tunes to stimulate the girls' minds. And I also just made you some steamed spinach wraps for lunch, and then I need the girls to taste the brand new organic formula I bought that's full of special vitamins that are supposed to help you absorb less light from lamps, and-"  
"Um, actually, Ella and I were just about to, um, run down to the Groovy Smoothie," Sam said quickly, looking at Ella pleadingly.

"Yeah, we-we were," Ella said, getting to her feet.

"Oh, well, I should've suspected," Marissa snipped. "Of course you'd be more concerned with enjoying nutritionally deficient smoothies than ensuring the health of your children."

"I am _ensuring their health_," Sam frowned. "I just don't think they need any formula to protect them from lamps…"

"Hmm," Marissa said, crossing her arms. "I see where your parenting stands." And with that she turned on her heel and headed back across the hall.

"Okay, now I see what you mean with the criticizing," Ella said.

"I'm telling you, she hates me," Sam sighed.

"No she doesn't," Ella said. "She just might, um, enjoy voicing her negative opinions about you."

"Yeah, okay," Sam said. "But I'm still way too annoyed to deal with it. Hey, you wanna hit smoothie for real? Before Spencer comes back with his Fribarangall?"

"Yeah, let's do it," Ella said, grabbing her purse.

…..

Later that evening, Sam walked back into her mother-in-law's apartment with Emma and Ashton in their carriers. Marissa was sitting at the table, setting out plain chicken breasts and a side of lima beans, and Sam felt very lucky that she had already eaten.

"Samantha!" Marissa exclaimed.

"Sam," Sam corrected, but of course, she was ignored.

"You didn't take your shoes off in the hall!" Marissa groaned. "How can you expect to make sure my granddaughters have clean air to breathe if you smog it up with shoe dirt? It's bad enough that you insist on keeping your own home like a pigsty, but must you turn _everywhere _you stay into a palace of filth? It's like I taught my sweet little Freddikins when he was still living with _me _and not somewhere _else_: A messy home is not fun, it just looks like a place to run from."

Sam frowned. "Um, my house is fine."

"Pfft," Marissa scoffed. "You have dogs running all around, covered in ticks…"

"We have_ one _dog who does _not _have ticks!" Sam snapped. "And what is it with you and ticks? They're not going to attack you, you know!"

"Well a _responsible, caring, good _mother is on the look out for all sorts of home dangers to protect her children from!"

Sam blinked. "What's that supposed to mean?" she asked softly. "Do you…you don't think I'm a good mom?"

Marissa did not reply.

Sam took a deep breath. She knew Marissa had always thought her parenting skills weren't up to her par safety wise, but she had never actually come out and said that Sam wasn't a _good _mom. "Do you really think that?"

Again, Marissa was silent.

"Right," Sam whispered. She turned to head back to Freddie's old room with the twins.

"You're not a bad mom, Saman-Sam," Marissa said.

Sam spun around. "What?"

"You-You're not a _bad_ mother," Marissa repeated. "You may not be as concerned with safety and the dangers of ticks as you should, but…you take…_reasonable_ care of your kids."

Sam gave her a strange look. "You-You really mean that?"

Mrs. Benson looked as though she was in pain, as she pulled on a smile. "Y-Yes…" she said slowly.

Sam couldn't help but chuckle. "Well, um…thanks, then."

"I never meant to…to _imply_," Marissa continued. "That you weren't…I was just point out…_things_…"

"Yeah, let's not ruin the moment," Sam said, heading back towards the table. "So, this-this chicken looks…natural."

"Yes dear, see, this is what poultry is supposed to look like when it's _not _deep fried and covered in barbecue sauce," Marissa said in a kind tone. "Much tastier, don't you think?"

"Oh…sure," Sam nodded. When Marissa turned around to set a bowl of cauliflower down on the table, Sam rolled her eyes. She supposed this was as good as it was going to get with her mother-in-law. Oh well, she just had to hold it together for a few more days…


	306. Chapter 306

"Mommy!"

"Hey, Jason!" Sam smiled, scooping her son up in her arms.

Sam and the twins were finally able to come back home; Freddie had taken Jason to the doctor the day before, where he was officially deemed not contagious. So after Freddie had went around and disinfected everything her could, just to be on the safe side, he had called his wife and told her the good news.

"You're never allowed to get chicken pox again," Sam said, kissing the top of her son's head. "Because I don't think I can handle not being with my baby."

"He can't get it again Sam," Freddie said, giving his wife a kiss as he picked up the twins from their carriers. "No one gets chicken pox twice…Hey girls, did you miss daddy?"

"Yes they did," Sam chuckled. "And I missed you too…a little."

"Really?" Freddie grinned. "Well then maybe tonight you can _show_ me how much you missed me."

"Maybe," Sam smirked. She turned back to Jason. "So now that you're all better, we've got some lost time to make up for. What do you want to do, huh sweetie? Wanna play with your dinosaurs or draw something, or, I know! Wanna go hide all of daddy's socks and underwear?"

"What?" Freddie exclaimed. "You come home after a week of not seeing me and you hide my _underwear_? I thought you said you missed me!"

"I did," Sam said. "But you also made me spend an entire week with your mom."

"You told me you two had a moment the other day!"

"A moment doesn't make up for an entire week of insanity," Sam said. "So what do you say Jason? Wanna go have some fun with daddy? It will be funny…"

"Yeah!" Jason giggled.

"I-You-Well I'm going to do something to _you _with the twins!" Freddie called after her. He looked down at his daughters. "You girls want to hide some of mommy's things?"

Emma grabbed Freddie's ear and Ashton happily tugged at his collar.

"Or we could do this," Freddie winced.

…..

"Guess who officially started to toddle," Carly said happily, sitting down next to Freddie and Gibby on the floor of the Benson's living room with Clarissa.

"Whoa, really?" Freddie said. "That's great!"

"Yeah, I'm so proud," Carly smiled.

"Wait…who's toddling?" Gibby frowned.

"Clarissa!" Freddie said, rolling her eyes.

"Well that was never made clear!"

"Yes it was!" Carly said, exasperated.

"Well sorry I'm not psychic," Gibby said.

"So Clarissa's toddling now?" Freddie said, ignoring Gibby.

"Yeah, she started last night," Carly nodded. "She only went a few steps before she fell, but still…"

"What started last night?" Sam asked, coming into the room, sitting down next to Freddie.

"Clarissa started to toddle," Gibby said. "But you apparently have to read minds to figure that out."

"Wow, that's so cool!" Sam smiled, thumping Gibby in the back of the head. "I was telling Freddie the other day that I think Emma and Ashton are getting ready to crawl, but he won't believe me."

"I think they've got another few weeks before they do that," Freddie said.

"Jason started to crawl when he was around six months," Sam pointed out.

"I know," Freddie said simply. "But I still think it will be awhile."

"Wow, what a downer," Gibby said.

"Thank you, Gib," Sam smirked.

"Okay…before this turns into a thing," Carly said, watching Clarissa crawl over to where the twins were laying on the blanket they were all sitting around. "When is Jason starting real preschool?"

"The week after he turns four," Freddie replied. "Why?"

"Well I just wanted to ask if you'll give me the lowdown on the place after you take him," Carly said. "I've been looking up preschools all around Seattle for when Clarissa's ready."

"Why?" Gibby asked. "Clarissa's one. You can't send a one-year old to preschool…They also won't let you send ten-year olds there…"

"Well it's never too early to start planning for your child's education," Carly pointed out.

"Okay, _Freddie_," Sam said, rolling her eyes.

"Well she has a point," Freddie said. "What's wrong with exploring options? I mean _I _started looking for preschools for him when he was a year old. I even found him _pre _preschool."

"Oh, Andy and I are thinking of doing that with Clarissa," Carly said. "Do you think it was helpful? Or do you think we should stick to a traditional nursery school?"

"Carly, please, you're _literally_ turning into Freddie," Sam cringed.

"Why don't you want to make sure our children get the best possible education?" Freddie asked.

"I don't have a problem with them getting a good education," Sam said. "I just think it's kind of…not normal that you already have a list of top colleges ready for them to pick from."

"What?" Gibby laughed. "You're not serious."

"Oh, I am," Sam said.

"Which ones are you leaning towards?" Carly asked.

"Well Washington State-"

"Do you guys hear each other?" Sam said, shaking her head. "Our kids are _babies _and you're already planning to ship them off to college?"

"Yeah, until Quincy can sing show tunes with me in the car, I can't even _think _about college," Gibby said, looking down at his son in his lap. "Isn't that right, Quince?"

"But Sam, like I said, planning is key to make sure the kids have a successful education," Freddie said.

"Yeah, and we're saving for college and everything," Sam shrugged. "Which I get. But don't you think they should pick their own colleges?"

"Of course," Freddie nodded. "That's why I have such a wide variety of colleges all ready to expose Jason and the girls to. If they're into computers, I can help them get to MIT or Cal Tech. If they're into the liberal arts, Stanford's supposed to be really good, or Northwestern. If they're into Humanities, there are some great colleges up north, and if they want to go into medicine, well then, Harvard's the way to go, and-"

"And what if they decide they don't want to go to college?" Sam asked.

Freddie's face fell. "What-What are you talking about? Why wouldn't they want to go to college?"

"It might not be their thing," Sam shrugged.

"Not their thing?" Freddie repeated slowly.

"Um, Gibby?" Carly said, quickly getting to her feet. "I think these two need to have some privacy."

"What? Why?" Gibby frowned. "I want to know what happens! That vein in Freddie's forehead's starting to twitch, and that only happens when he's freaking out about something."

"Gib, now!" Carly hissed, scooping Clarissa up.

"Let me know how this ends!" Gibby called to the couple as Carly pulled him and Quincy out.

Freddie waited until their front door slammed shut before turning back to Sam. "Sam…what are you saying here? You don't want our kids to go to college?"

"What? No!" Sam said. "I want them to go, if _they _want to. You can't force them to go if they don't want to."

"So we're supposed to just sit here," Freddie said. "And tell our kids, hey, college isn't for everyone. Why don't you become a hobo on a street'?"

"I'm not saying that!" Sam said. "I want them to go, and we should encourage them to go, but why would you want to shove our kids into some school they don't want to be in?"

"Well Sam, I don't know what world you're living in here," Freddie said, his voice rising slightly. "But in this age, you _need _a college diploma to be successful."

"Well what if they want to do something else?" Sam said. "Like travel or be on T.V., or-"

"Do you _hear _yourself?" Freddie exclaimed.

"Do you hear _yourself_?" Sam snapped. "You're freaking out for no reason!"

"I'm freaking out for a very good reason!" Freddie cried. "I'm here trying to make sure our kids have the best possible future, and you seem to be fine with them just getting by!"

"I never said that!" Sam yelled. "How many times do I have to tell you that I _do _want them to go to college! I really do! That's why I put money into their _college funds_."

"And what are you going to do with all that money if they don't go to college? Buy them a Ferrari?" Freddie said hotly. "You know what? Maybe this is just because _your _mom never encouraged _you _to go to college."

"Like your mom _did_?" Sam retorted. "She would have rather had you still living at home selling sponges on the Internet than have you move to go to a fancy college!"

"At least she didn't spit on college!"

"I'm not-Whoa! Freddie! Look!"

Sam was pointing down at the blanket where the twins were. Emma had propped herself up on all fours and was slowly crawling across the blanket. Ashton watched her for a moment, and then with a happy squeal, began crawling after her.

"No way!" Freddie smiled, pulling out his phone to take a picture.

"I told you they would be doing this soon!" Sam said excitedly, gripping Freddie's shoulder.

"Yeah, looks like I'm eating my words," Freddie chuckled, kneeling down. "Emma? Ashton? Come to mommy and daddy. Come on, you can do it!"

Seeing their parents on the other side of the blanket, the twins crawled into their open arms.

"Aw, you guys are crawling now!" Sam said, tickling Ashton's chin. "You guys are really growing up, huh?"

"Yeah, they are," Freddie agreed, sitting down on the couch with Emma in his arms. Sam sat next to him.

"Sam," Freddie sighed after a moment. "I didn't mean to go off on you like that. I just…I just want them to have every opportunity we can give them."

"I know you do," Sam said gently.

"And I want them to be able to go to any college they want to," Freddie continued. "Because that seems like the best way for that to happen for them."

"But it's not the only way," Sam told him. "Baby…look. I'm _with _you on wanting them to have opportunities that we didn't have. I know you'd have _loved _to have gone off to a big, prestigious college after high school. You would've done great there, but then we got that offer from the studio and I know you were happy with it, but there's probably still that part of you that wishes you'd have gone to a university."

"Maybe a little part of me," Freddie admitted. "I mean, I'm happy with how everything worked out for me. We got that offer from the studio, got a degree from the community college and landed a job that a lot of people would kill for, but I still wonder…what if, sometimes."

"You think…you think that's why you really want to push the kids into big colleges already?" Sam asked softly.

Freddie sighed. "Maybe."

"Baby, I promise, we'll take them on all the college tours when they get older and we'll keep saving for them, and we'll encourage them to go and talk up college and make sure that they know how important it is," Sam said. "But in the end, you know it's got to be their choice. Not yours. I just don't want you to-to ever hold it against them if they decide to do something else with their lives. They're your kids still, no matter what."

"I know," Freddie nodded. "And-And as much as I would love for them all to go on to college, if they really decide not to go, if that's _really _their decision when the time comes…I'll respect that."

Sam leaned over and kissed him. "But baby," she added. "They _are_ your kids. They got your brains in them…They're going to be really smart, and I'll bet they'll be just fine when it comes time for college. I mean, look at Jason. The kid's already a little dinosaur genius. He loves learning."

"Yeah," Freddie smiled. "But, you-you are right. College is pretty far off for them. They're going to be fine. We should enjoy them while they're this little while we can."


	307. Chapter 307

"Hey, Sam, where's Freddie?" Carly asked, coming into the Benson house with Clarissa in her arms.

"He took Jason to meet some kids at the park," Sam said. "Why?"  
"I needed him to back me up on something," Carly replied, setting Clarissa down next to the twins on their play blanket in the living room. "But I guess it can wait until he gets back."

"Um, Carls, if you need someone to back you up, what about your _best friend_?" Sam frowned.

"Well, it-it's sort about a certain type of animal that Andy wants to try and get for the pet store," Carly said. "He wants to order these really big lizards that are like, four feet long and let them roam around the pet store. Like, without cages!"

"Cool!" Sam grinned. "That's awesome!"

"And that's why I need _Freddie _to try and make Andy see how that may not be the _best _idea," Carly said, rolling her eyes. "I may be on board with this pet store thing now, but I did _not _sign up for giant lizards running over my feet."

"Priss," Sam smirked.

"Thank you," Carly chuckled. "Oh, and Gibby's on his way over. He called me a few minutes ago and he was freaking out about something, so I told him to just meet us here."

"He probably ran out of shoe polish or something," Sam said, shaking her head.

Right on cue, the front door slammed open and Gibby burst in with Quincy. "We've got an emergency, people!"

"Right…I'll go get the snacks," Sam said.

"Sam," Carly said, giving her best friend a warning look. She turned back to Gibby. "What's the problem?"

"Well, I was just minding my own business at home," Gibby began. "Listening to a little light Salsa music while I tried to find the rental slip for the Zamboni I used a few weeks ago-"

"Why'd you rent a Zamboni?" Sam frowned.

"Work thing, don't worry about it!" Gibby snapped. "Anyway, I was going through my file cabinet when I found Quincy's birth certificate! Look at it!"

He shoved a piece of paper under the girls' noses.

"What about it?" Carly asked.

"They misspelled Gibson on it!" Gibby exclaimed. "According to this, my son's name is Quincy Laurence Gipson!"

"Gipson," Sam repeated happily. "I like that."

"I don't!" Gibby said loudly. "Who do the birth certificate people think they are, dragging the good Gibson name through the dirt like this!"

"I'm sure it was just a typo," Carly reasoned.

"But this means this is his official name!" Gibby said.

"So just go down to city hall and fix it," Sam shrugged. "Don't get your loafers in a knot."

"What's city hall going to do? Change his name?" Gibby scoffed. "Please. You know, I'm just going to call my pal Sylvester and sort this out. He knows how to make things happen. Maybe he can help me with my Zamboni situation too…"

"City hall _can _change his name, you know," Carly said. "Anyone can get their named changed. It's not that hard."

"Wait…really?" Gibby said slowly. "So I could just march down there and demand that they change Quincy's last name back to Gibson?"

"Yeah," Sam nodded.

"And-And I could change his middle name too?" Gibby asked. "Because I was thinking, maybe something else would sound better than Laurence."

"You already named the kid Quincy, don't be vicious," Sam mumbled.

"Why don't you just stick with his last name for now," Carly said quickly. "I mean, you'd probably want to discuss it with Tasha before you do anything else."

"Nah, I think she'd be cool with it," Gibby shrugged. "She always likes my ideas. She says I'm zany. Hey, how'd you guys know this whole name change thing? Are you guys like, spies or something?"

"No, we just knew because we both had to change our names," Carly replied.

"Yeah," Sam nodded.

"Whoa," Gibby said, his eyes widening. "You mean your names haven't always been Sam and Carly? What were they before? Wait, I think I can guess….Shelby and Roseanne?"

"Can I hit him?" Sam asked Carly. "Please, it's like he's begging me."

"Not in front of his kid," Carly told him.

"Yeah, listen to Roseanne," Gibby said.

"I've never been a Roseanne!" Carly exclaimed. "We got our _last _names changed. You know, after we got married. Sam changed hers from Puckett to Benson and I changed mine from Shay to Danielson, remember?"

"You mean that didn't just happen?"

"No!" Sam said. "We had to fill out stupid forms and stuff and wait in long lines…it was a nightmare! One of the reason why I almost _didn't _change my last name."

"Oh yeah, I remember," Carly nodded.

"You mean you almost stayed Sam Puckett?" Gibby asked.

"Uh-huh," Sam nodded.

"And that's legal?"

"Carly," Sam moaned. "Please?"

"Hold on," Carly said. She quickly took Quincy from Gibby and turned so the infant was facing the other direction. "Okay."

Sam smacked the back of Gibby's head.

"Ow!" Gibby said indignantly.

"Well you deserved that!" Sam snapped.

"I can only defend you so much, Gib," Carly said, handing him his son back.

"Well why'd you almost change your last name?" Gibby mumbled, massaging the back of his head. "Just because of long lines?"

"No, there was other reasons that made me…hesitant," Sam said.

"She was freaking out," Carly said.

"I was not _freaking _out," Sam said, rolling her eyes.

"Um, yes you were," Carly grinned. "I remember the whole thing like it was yesterday…"

…

"_So was the honeymoon really magical?" Carly asked as her and Sam sat in the living room of Sam and Freddie's newly purchased home. _

"_Yeah," Sam smiled, sipping her iced tea. "I almost didn't want to come back." _

"_But now you and Freddie can officially start your lives as a married couple," Carly pointed out. "This is a whole new chapter in your life, the Sam Benson chapter." _

"_Yeah…" Sam said slowly. "Not yet." _

"_What do you mean?" Carly frowned. _

"_I-I haven't exactly filled out the forms to change my last name yet," Sam explained. _

"_Really? How come?" Carly asked. _

"_I dunno," Sam said. "I-I'll get to it…eventually." _

"_Eventually?" Carly repeated. "Sam, isn't this kind of a big thing?" _

"_Eh," Sam shrugged. _

"_Well, do you not want to change your last name?" Carly asked. "Because Sam, that's totally fine. It's the twenty-first century, you don't have to. And Freddie's not the type of guy that would be upset that you want to keep your family name going._

"_I don't really care about keeping the Puckett name alive," Sam said slowly. "I know I'll always be a Puckett, no matter what. And I have guy cousins that will keep it going." _

"_So then what's the problem?" Carly asked. "Are you suddenly becoming all political? Because that's great, but in our history class in high school you __**did **__sort of sleep through the whole section on woman's rights." _

"_No, it's not that either," Sam mumbled. "I just…I just…I'll be Mrs. Benson!" _

"_Yes," Carly nodded, confused. "And?" _

"_Come on, I'll practically have the same name as Freddie's mom!" Sam exclaimed. "She's Mrs. Benson, I'm Mrs. Benson…You wouldn't want that!" _

"_Huh, I never thought of that," Carly said. "Wow, you're right." _

"_Soon, we'll be walking down a hall or something together, and someone will shout, Mrs. Benson! And we'll __**both **__turn around! And-And then soon, maybe-maybe I'll start to __**really **__become her. I'll start doing excessive cream and ointment research and wear the ugliest sweater things ever and be all paranoid! I'll become who I've spent years mocking!" _

"_Okay, I think you're being a little dramatic now," Carly said. "You're not going to become Mrs. Benson just because you change your last name. You're not going to suddenly become terrified of ticks and saying weird little rhymes, and I'm sure you wouldn't be overprotective of your kids when you and Freddie have any."_

"_But I'd still be Mrs. Benson," Sam shuddered. _

"_But you're not going to be Mrs. Benson, the crazy lady who lives in apartment 8D at Bushwell Plaza," Carly said. "You're going to be Mrs. Benson, the wife of Freddie Benson, a perfectly normal, yet, slightly geeky guy." _

"_**Slightly **__geeky?" Sam chuckled. "That's the understatement of the year." _

"_Look, Sam, this is your decision," Carly said. "If you don't want to change your name, for whatever reason, you don't have to. But if you want to, don't worry about things like that and let them stop you."_

_Sam sighed. "I would bring some coolness to the name…And-And Sam Benson sounds sort of nice." _

"_You only doodled it all over every sheet of paper you could get your hands on in our old apartment," Carly said under her breath. _

"_Huh?" _

"_Nothing!" Carly said quickly. _

"_I __**do**__ have the forms just sitting in my dresser drawer," Sam continued. _

"_Hey, whatever you decide," Carly said, getting to her feet. "Now, I've actually got to go. Joey and I have a date in an hour and I need to start getting ready."_

"_Have fun," Sam smiled. _

"_Thanks," Carly replied. "Let me know if you figure out what you're going to do, okay?"  
"Will do." _

_Once Carly left, Sam leaned back against the couch. _

_Changing her name would be strange. It would officially mean that her and Marissa Benson were…family. She still couldn't quite get over the idea of sharing a name with that woman.  
But then Sam thought of Freddie. How…perfect it would feel to have her new husband's name attached to her forever…how corny did that sound? Yet the thought stayed with Sam as she headed up to her room to get the forms._

…_._

"So you just didn't want to be like Freddie's mom?" Gibby said.

"Who would?" Sam shrugged.

"And she's not," Carly said. "She's still Sam Puckett, even though her last name happens to be Benson."

"But she is sort of like Freddie's mom," Gibby pointed out.

Sam's eyes narrowed. "What. Did. You. Say?"

"With the kids," Gibby continued, clearly not having the common sense to stop talking at the sight of Sam's face. "I mean, you're really overprotective of them. You always gush over Jason and call him your baby and you're always cuddling the twins and you give them these weird vitamins, and-"

"Gibby," Carly cut him off.

"Yeah?"

"You just said Sam was like Marissa Benson," Carly said slowly. "If I were you, I'd literally run away and never stop running." 

…

**AN-Idea to do a flashback scene where Sam debated changing her name is from HarmonyProduction!**


	308. Chapter 308

"Sam, do you know where my sneakers are?" Freddie asked Sam, coming into the living room.

"I'm assuming in our closet with the rest of your shoes," Sam said, looking up from the book she was reading with Jason. "Why?"

"Gibby and I were going to go to the gym today," Freddie said.

Sam snickered.

"What?" Freddie said indignantly.

"Come on, since when are you gym guys?" Sam grinned.

"Since forever!" Freddie said. "I work out!"

"Then how come you don't even know where your sneakers are?"

"Ha, ha," Freddie said dryly. "Thanks for the sass."

"No charge," Sam said happily as Freddie went back upstairs.

"Mommy?" Jason said. "Can we go to the park?"

"Not today, sweetie, sorry," Sam said. "Aunt Carly's dropping Clarissa off here in a few minutes while her and Uncle Andy do some things for the pet store."

Right on cue, Carly let herself into the house with Clarissa in her arms.

"Hey," she smiled, setting Clarissa down with the twins in their playpen. "Thanks so much for watching Clarissa for me. Andy and I have a ton of paperwork to fill out at the bank."

"Eh, no prob," Sam said.

"Mommy?" Jason said. "Can I play pizza shop?"

"Sure," Sam chuckled. "Go ahead."

"Yay!" Jason said, hopping off her lap and running off.

"Pizza shop?" Carly repeated. "You let him make pizzas?"

'They're Clay Dough pizzas," Sam explained. "He makes a bunch of them and then me and Freddie go to his little pretend restaurant."

"That's adorable," Carly laughed.

"Yup, anything to encourage the kid to love pizza," Sam said.

"Hey, you know there are a bunch of cop cars on the block next to you, by the way," Carly said. "Do you know what's going on?"

"Yeah, last night some house got broken into while the family was on vacation or something," Sam said. "So the cops have been coming door to door asking everyone if they saw anything suspicious."

"Oh my God!" Carly gasped. "That's horrible!"

"Yeah," Sam agreed. "But the officer who came to our door think it was a bunch of the family's teenage son's friends who did it."

"Well that's still terrible, but at least if that's true you don't have an actual burglar running around," Carly said.

"I know," Sam said. "Anyway, I've got to go help Freddie find his sneakers so him and Gibby can go suffer at the gym. I want to get some pics of them when they come back all disgusting and worn out to put on Splashface."

"You must be a delight to live with," Carly said, rolling her eyes.

…

"I can't believe Gibby got us kicked out of the gym," Freddie winced later that evening as Sam brought him a glass of iced tea.

"He really thought it was a good idea for him to wear skin tight leggings?" Sam shuddered. "Any moron could've told him it was a matter of time before they ripped."

"I just wish he was wearing underwear…" Freddie said. "But at least we got a good work out in before that."

"And now you can't get off the couch," Sam said, shaking her head. "Pathetic."

"When I'm able to move my arms and legs again, I'll get you for that," Freddie mumbled.

"Sure you will," Sam smirked. "Oh, are you busy tomorrow?"

"No, I'll probably still be lying here," Freddie sighed. "Why?"

"I was going to go run and pick up a few more things for Jason's first day of preschool next week," Sam said. "Can you believe it? Our baby's starting real preschool. He got too big for that little pre preschool…and then next year's he's going to be starting kindergarten….And soon it will be high school-"

"Baby, it's not quite that big of a leap from kindergarten to high school," Freddie chuckled. "But yeah, he really is growing up fast. Seems like just yesterday he couldn't even talk."

"And now he's making us fancy clay pizzas," Sam chuckled. She leaned down and gently kissed her husband. "I'm gonna go check on the twins, and then if you can muster up enough strength to get to bed, I just might make it worth your while…"

"I'm up!" Freddie said, scrambling to his feet.

….

Sam and Freddie were both peacefully asleep in their bed later that evening, when suddenly, there were jerked from their sleep by a series of loud barks.

"Huh? Is that Max?" Freddie mumbled, rubbing his eyes as he slowly sat up.

"Yeah, what's with him?" Sam yawned, turning on her lamp. "Think he saw a cat in our backyard or something."

"I dunno, but hopefully he stops soon," Freddie said. "Because I'm really-"

Just then, there was the sound of breaking glass downstairs, and Freddie jolted up, both wide awake.


	309. Chapter 309

"What was that?" Freddie gasped. "Did someone break in?"

"No chiz, genius!" Sam hissed. "What do we _do_?"

"I don't know!" Freddie said, panicked. "M-Max is down there probably scaring him off…"

Just then Max's loud barks died down, leaving an eerie silence.

"We need to get the girls and Jason," Sam said, jumping to her feet.

"Take them in here and-and then call 911," Freddie said. "I'll go down and-"

"Freddie, you can't-"

"Sam, get the kids and take them in here," Freddie said firmly. "I'll go see what-what's happening downstairs."

"But I'm-" Sam started.

"Sam, just get the kids in here and I'll go down," Freddie cut her off. "Now!"

Sam nodded. "Okay, but-but baby? Be careful."

"I will, now hurry up and get Jason and the girls," Freddie said.

Sam hurried out of the room, watching Freddie slowly disappear down the stairs. She tried not to think about what would happen next…

She went to the girls' room first, since it was right next to her and Freddie's bedroom. She quickly scooped them into her arms, praying that they would stay asleep and not cry. She then rushed down the hall to Jason's room, where he was fast asleep in his Proton Cruiser bed.

"Jason," Sam said, shaking his shoulder urgently.

"What? I'm tired," Jason mumbled.

"Sweetie," Sam said, trying to keep her voice calm. "I need you to come with me into mommy and daddy's bedroom. Now."

"Why?"

"Because I said so," Sam said firmly. "Come on, hurry up."

Jason got out of his bed and Sam got them into her bedroom as fast as she could, straining her ears to see if she could figure out what was going on downstairs.

_I should've given him my Numchucks or something,_ Sam thought, setting the still sleeping twins down on the bed. _He doesn't even have a weapon…Or better yet, __**I **__should've gone…I could hold a burglar off better than him._

"Mommy? Where's daddy?" Jason asked.

"Um, don't worry about that right now," Sam said. "Just be very quiet and sit on the bed with your sisters and try to make sure they don't cry."

She grabbed her Pearphone from her dresser and quickly dialed 911.

"911, what's your emergency?" the operator on the other line said.

"My-My house was just broken into," Sam said, trying to make sure Jason didn't hear her, but he looked up at her.

"I need your name and address ma'mm," the operator said, and Sam wondered how she could stay so calm.

"549 East Hill Drive," Sam said. "And-And my name's Sam Benson. Can you send someone quick? My-My husband's down there…"

"We're dispatching a squad car right now, estimated time is four minutes," the operator said.

_Four minutes_? Sam thought as she hung up the phone. _In four minutes_…

"Mommy? Who broke into our house?" Jason asked. "I'm scared. Where's daddy?"

"Honey, shh, shh, don't-don't worry," Sam said.

_Why did he go down and not me_? Sam thought as she tossed her phone back down on the bed. _And where is he? I don't hear anything…_

"Mommy-" Jason said shakily, tears falling from his face.

"Sweetie, shh, you need to be quiet," Sam said. She picked up the twins again and opened the closet door. "Here, come in here with your sisters, okay?"

As Sam ushered the children safely into her and Freddie's closet door, she suddenly became torn between what to do next. Did she keep staying up here with the kids? Or did she run downstairs quickly and see what was happening with Freddie now that the children were safely hidden?

"Mommy?" Jason whimpered. "Mommy? I want daddy too."

"I know," Sam whispered. "But Jason? You need to just keep calm, okay baby? Daddy's-Daddy's downstairs right now, and he'll be up soon and then-"

But then there was a loud noise from downstairs and Sam swore she heard Freddie let out a shout.

Jason began to cry harder.

"Jason, shh!" Sam urged her son, though feeling terrified. "Don't worry, just don't think about it."

"Sam?" Sam suddenly heard Freddie's voice whisper from the hallway. "Sam?"

"Stay right here," Sam said firmly to Jason. "Mommy will be back in a minute."

She hurried out to the hallway where she almost ran into her husband, who had a dishtowel wrapped around his arm. Sam froze when she saw it was soaked through with blood…

"Freddie? What-?" Sam began.

"I'm fine, I cut myself on some glass," Freddie said quickly.

"But what happened?" Sam asked. "Was-Was someone-?"

"Yeah," Freddie mumbled. "A-A man broke through our front window."

"What?!"

"He's gone; he ran off," Freddie said. "M-Max…Max attacked him. He had his leg in his mouth biting hard when I got down there."

"Good," Sam said, throwing her arms around her husband tightly. "Listen, we should get the kids out of here for tonight, though. We can stay at my mom's place. Bring Max too."

"Don't bring the kids down there just yet," Freddie said softly.

"Why?" Sam asked confused. "You said the burglar ran off…We'll just run the kids into the car really quick and get them out of here until tomorrow morning."

"No, it's just…before he-he ran off," Freddie said. "He took out this knife and-and he stabbed Max. To-To free his leg, because Max wasn't letting go…"

Sam gasped. "No…"

Freddie nodded. "Call Carly. Ask her if Andy knows of any emergency vets open now."


	310. Chapter 310

"Mommy? Where's daddy?" Jason asked as Sam rushed back into her bedroom, grabbing her Pearphone for the second time that night.

"Daddy went back downstairs for a second. Don't worry," she added quickly. "He's okay. He just had, er, something…something he needed to take care of."

"I'm still scared."

"I know," Sam said, helping him out of the closet, along with Emma and Ashton, who were now wide awake from all the commotion and beginning to fuss a bit. "But I need your help, okay sweetie? Just try and keep the twins quiet for a few minutes while I make a phone call and then we're going to go spend the rest of the night with grandma."

Jason gave her a shaky nod and began to play peek-a-boo with the twins, something that the girls loved when he did. Sam couldn't help but feel a surge of pride for her son as she quickly dialed Carly's number.

Carly picked up on the fourth ring.

"Hello? Sam? Is everything okay?" Carly yawned on the other end. "You do realize it's three in the morning, right?"

"Someone broke in," Sam said quietly.

"You're kidding!" Carly exclaimed, suddenly sounding completely alert. "What-What's happening now? Are you guys okay? Did you call the cops? Did you"

"The cops should be here any minute," Sam mumbled. "The dude's not here anymore. He got freaked out after-after Max attacked him-"

"Thank goodness," Carly said. "Max really saved the day for you guys then. Listen, you all can come over here if you don't think you can stay the night in your place tonight. I'll lay out some blankets for the couch and I have some sleeping bags-"

"We're staying at my mom's," Sam said. "But we need you to ask Andy if there are any nearby emergenty vets open at this hour…Max-Max is pretty bad, according the Freddie. He-He got stabbed."

Carly gasped. "No! H-Hold on, let me ask Andy…"

"Hurry," Sam said urgently.

She heard a few muffled sounds in the background, and a few seconds later, Carly returned to the phone.

"Andy says that there's a vet's office that's open twenty-four seven about half an hour from here," Carly said. "You can probably get there in twenty if you speed…"

"Text Freddie the address," Sam said, and then she hung up and turned back the kids.

"Alright, Jason, mommy's going to run downstairs for just two seconds-"

"No!" Jason wailed.

"Baby, it's okay, no one's here anymore," Sam said, certain that Jason would be far more upset than he was know if he caught sight of Max in his current state. "I promise, you're completely safe up here. You're being really brave right now and I'm so, _so _proud. Just keep it for a little bit longer and then we're going to go."

Jason still looked terrified, but he nodded again, and Sam gave him a kiss on top of his head as she rushed out of the room and went downstairs.

Freddie had a towel wrapped around Max's body and was applying pressure, but from the tiny whimpers Sam heard coming from the lab, she knew the poor dog was in a lot of pain.

"Did Andy text you the address for the vet's office yet?" Sam asked, feeling her heart break as Max looked up at her with his big, dark eyes.

"Yeah," Freddie nodded. "I'll get him over there…you get everyone to your mom's place."

Sam nodded hearing sirens coming from outside; the police must've just arrived.

"I'll talk to the cops," Sam said as she watched Freddie heave Max into his arms, which was no easy task, considering that Max was quite a large dog and weighed well over one hundred pounds. "Call me when you find out if…"

"I will," Freddie assured her, turning to head out the front door.

Sam ran back upstairs where Jason was still sitting on her and Freddie's bed. As soon as Sam entered the room, he raced over to her and hugged her leg tightly.

"Alright, sweetie, we're going to go to grandma's now," Sam said gently, picking up the twins. "Mommy just has to talk to police officers for a few minutes and then we're out of here."

Jason grasped the bottom of her pajama shirt in his small fist as Sam took them downstairs. The police officers were waiting at the front door for her.

After a few minutes of discussion about the break-in, though, she was able to leave, being assured by the officers that they would be able to dust for fingerprints and other sorts of evidence that may have been left behind.

"Just find the stubrag," Sam mumbled, thinking about poor, wounded Max and her now frightened son.

The drive to Sam's mom's house was silent. The twins had fallen back asleep and Jason did not seem like he wanted to talk.

When Sam pulled into the driveway, she noticed that her mom's beat-up old sports car was not in the driveway.

"Shoot…she was going to Atlantic City with Lewbert this weekend," Sam sighed, digging around in her glove compartment for the spare key she still had for her childhood home. She found it wedged inside and old fries container and stepped out of the car to unload the twins. Once he got out of his booster seat, Jason ran back over to his mother and grabbed her leg again, and Sam could see that he was crying.

"Jason, everything's okay now," Sam said softly as she began walking towards the house. "The police officers are going to find who tried to break into our house and then he's going to be in a lot of trouble. Now let's go inside and you can try to get some sleep."

"Why didn't daddy come with us?" Jason whispered.

"Daddy…Daddy had to take Max somewhere," Sam explained.

"Why?"

"Because Max, um, Max got a little bit hurt," Sam said. "He was protecting us. But daddy's going to take him to the doctor and-and he'll be alright soon."

Sam unlocked the front door and sat down on the couch with the sleeping twins in her arms. She fashioned a small make shift bed for them on the carpet out of old blankets and couch pillows and gently set them down. She then set up a blanket and pillow for Jason on the large armchair her mother had won in a bet several years ago.

"Try to go back to sleep," Sam said, kissing Jason's cheek. She laid back down on the couch, knowing that she'd probably wind up staying awake all night anyway.

"I want to sleep with you," Jason said, climbing onto her and cuddling against her. He grabbed her arm tightly, as though it was a security blanket.

"Okay, sweetie, you sleep next to me," Sam nodded.

She watched as Jason closed his eyes, knowing very well that he was not drifting off into any sort of slumber.

_Poor kid_, Sam thought miserably.

He may not have been hurt physically, like Max, but Sam wondered just how much damage had been done…


	311. Chapter 311

Around six in the morning, Sam's Pearphone rang, and she saw it was Freddie.

"Hello?" she answered, trying not to wake Jason, who had finally dozed off an hour ago.

"Hey, how are the kids?" Freddie asked.

"Jason just fell asleep," Sam replied. "I think he's still a little shaken…hopefully once he gets a few hours rest he'll feel better. How's Max? Is he okay?"

"Well, we now have a three-legged lab," Freddie said. "And he's supposed to take this special medicine for a few weeks, but other than that, he's going to be alright."

"Good," Sam said, relieved. "Are you coming back now?"

"Yeah, I'm about to leave the vet's office."

"Run by the house and see if the cops cleared out yet," Sam said. "And then I'll meet you back there with everyone."

"Got it," Freddie said. "I still can't believe all this, though. It seems so…surreal."

"I know," Sam sighed.

"I'll see you in a little bit," Freddie said.

Sam hung up and slowly got to her feet. She headed into the kitchen, where her mother had of course left milk and eggs out, so she was greeted by a strong, putrid smell. She plugged in the worn out coffee machine, knowing full well she'd be useless without caffeine in her system.

"Mommy?" she suddenly hears Jason call out from the other room. "Mommy!"

"What's wrong?" Sam asked, rushing back to couch, where Jason was now wide-awake.

He ran over to her and hugged her. "Mommy, you left me!"

"I just went in the kitchen, sweetie, I didn't leave," Sam said, lifting him up. "Why don't you go back to sleep. It's still really early."

Jason shook his head firmly.

'Okay," Sam sighed. "Well, why don't you go watch some T.V. then. We're going to be going back home soon, and daddy will be there with Max."

"I want to stay with you," Jason said, wrapping his arms around her neck.

"Jason, what's wrong?" Sam frowned.

"I don't another burglar to come in," Jason said.

"Aw, Jason, no one's going to hurt you, I promise," Sam said, kissing the top of his head.

"I want to stay with you, still," Jason said.

Sam gave him a small smile. "Okay, sweetie. You stay with me if you want."

Sam headed over to the twins to get them changed and fed. As she did this, Jason never left her side. Sam noticed that her son also did not have his usual spark to him. He didn't play with the twins as he always did when he helped Sam with them. He simply clung to Sam and didn't say a word.

About a half-hour later, Sam finally received a text from Freddie telling her that he was back at the house.

"Okay, Jason," Sam said, scooping up the twins. "We're ready to go back home."

"But the burglar might still be there," Jason said, his eyes full of fear.

"No, don't worry about any burglar," Sam said quickly. "The only person who's there right now is daddy. And he has Max back!"

"But what if the burglar comes again?"

"Jason, I promise that you'll be perfectly safe at home," Sam told him. "No one's going to hurt you there. Come on, don't you want to see daddy?"

Jason gave a little nod.

"Then let's get going," Sam said, rustling his hair.

…..

"Where's Max?" Sam asked as they arrived back at the house shortly after.

"In the house, the vet said he's not going to be running around for awhile because he's still really sore," Freddie explained, giving her a quick kiss as he took the twins from her.

The second he saw that his mother's arms were free, Jason quickly held his own up, signaling for Sam to pick him up.

"Hey Jason, mommy told me you were really brave for her last night," Freddie said to his son.

Jason didn't reply as he buried his face in Sam's hair.

"He's probably still tired," Sam said, glancing down at Jason, who was slowly closing his eyes. "I don't think he got much sleep last night."

"I bet," Freddie mumbled. "I'll go put the twins back in their cribs and you go put him back in his room and then I guess we can start looking for someone to fix that broken window…"

"Yeah, we should probably get that fixed," Sam sighed, looking at the black garbage bag that was currently stretched across the shattered window.

The couple went downstairs and Freddie turned into the twins' bedroom and Sam into Jason's. She gently laid him down in his bed and tucked him underneath his covers.

She returned back downstairs to Freddie, who was now on the couch, petting Max.

"Hey Maxie," Sam cooed, scratching the lab behind his ears. She saw that he was missing one of his back legs. She looked up at Freddie. "Can he still walk?"

"The vet said he'd learn to adjust to it," Freddie nodded, patting Max.

"Well, either way, Max, you are the best dog around, aren't you?" Sam grinned as she let him lick her hand. "Showing that stubrag who's in charge…I've trained you well, haven't I?"

"He really is a hero," Freddie agreed. "Anyway, Sam, I think we should maybe start looking at alarm systems-"

"Duh," Sam agreed.

"You're not going to argue about that?" Freddie frowned.

"No, do you think _I _want to deal with all that again?" Sam said.

"I could probably ask my mom where she got the ones for her apartment," Freddie said. "But I'd have to somehow do it without letting her know what happened here…I don't know about you, but I don't think she would take the news well…"

"Pfft, no chiz, she'd come over here with a moving truck and move you back in with her," Sam scoffed. "She's way too-"

"Mommy!" Jason suddenly screamed from upstairs. "Mommy! Mommy!"

Freddie and Sam jumped up and ran upstairs.

Jason was standing in his doorway, crying hysterically.

"Jason, what's wrong?" Sam asked, kneeling down next to him.

"You were gone!" Jason bawled, attaching himself to her.

"I was just right downstairs with daddy," Sam said, stroking his hair. "I wasn't gone."

"Yeah, don't worry, buddy, no one's going to leave you," Freddie said.

"Stay with me," Jason said, hugging Sam's leg.

"Jason, you need to get some sleep," Sam said.

"Stay," Jason whimpered.

Sam looked up at Freddie, who looked as confused as she felt.

"Okay," Sam assured him. "I can stay with you while you fall asleep."

"Don't leave," Jason said.

"Jason, nothing's going to hurt you, you know that, right?" Freddie frowned.

"Burglars will," Jason said.

Sam and Freddie exchanged glances. Both of them knew they were thinking the same thing…

…

"Hey," Freddie whispered about an hour later, stepping into Jason's room, where he was currently fast asleep. "He out?"

"I think," Sam nodded. "But I'm not about to leave again…you saw how freaked out he got earlier."

"I've never seen him like this," Freddie sighed, sitting down next to her on Jason's bed, watching his sleeping son. "He's really terrified."

"I know," Sam mumbled sadly. "Poor kid…But it will pass, right? I mean, after a week or so he'll be back to normal."

"I hope so," Freddie nodded. "I really hope so…"


	312. Chapter 312

"Hey," Carly said, walking into Sam and Freddie's home. "Your door was actually locked, you know…I had to use my key."

"Yeah, well, after your house gets broken into…" Freddie pointed out, pouring himself a cup of coffee.

"I know," Carly sighed. "It's just so weird to think about still. I can't believe you guys actually had to go through that."

"Me neither," Freddie replied as Sam walked into the kitchen with Ashton in her arms and Jason hanging onto her t-shirt.

"Hey, go get Emma changed," Sam told her husband, giving him a quick kiss as she stole his coffee. "She's up in her crib still."

"Okay," Freddie nodded. "Oh, and when I'm done, I'm gonna start installing the alarm system. I picked it up from the store this morning."

"You're calling a guy," Sam said simply.

"What? No, Sam, I know how to do it," Freddie said. "It's electronics, which, in case you still don't know after being married to me for five years, is my forte."

"Yeah, but installing an alarm system also falls under the category of home improvement," Sam added. "Which I also know after being married to you for five years, is _not _your forte."

"Fine, I'll call a guy," Freddie mumbled as he headed upstairs.

"So is your window going to get fixed today?" Carly asked as Sam pulled a bottle of formula out of the fridge and began to feed Ashton.

"Yeah, but it costs extra to get them out here on such short notice," Sam said, sitting down at the kitchen table as Jason tried to climb up on her lap. "And according to Freddie, insurance won't cover the entire thing, so that means we're stuck shoveling out the difference and Jason, you can't sit on my lap right now, I'm feeding Ashton."

"No," Jason pouted, crossing his arms. "She doesn't need any food."

Carly gave Sam a strange look but said nothing.

"Jason," Sam said, trying to be patient. "Why don't you sit next to me and then when I'm done feeding your sister-"

"I want you now!" Jason whimpered, beginning to cry.

Sam sighed and looked up at Carly. "Can you feed her for me?"

"Yeah, of course," Carly nodded, taking Ashton from Sam.

Jason quickly scrambled onto his mother's lap.

"Jason," Sam said, stroking his hair. "We talked about this last night. You're safe in this house, even if you're not right next to daddy or me all the time. I know you were scared when the burglar broke in, but that's not going to happen again. We're going to put in a fancy new alarm system and the police are going to catch that burglar."

"But what if a new burglar comes?" Jason asked, gripping Sam's arm tightly. "I don't like burglars, mommy!"

"No, I know you don't, no one does," Sam said, wiping a few tears from his cheek. "But that doesn't mean-"

"I want to be with you," Jason said.

"Alright, she's all changed and ready for breakfast," Freddie said, coming back into the kitchen with Emma. "And by the way, Sam, I found those Princess Ablogota onsies I bought for the twins crammed under the changing table."

"Jason, why don't you go with daddy to get dressed," Sam said, taking Emma from him.

"Yeah, come on Jason, I'm sure if we look hard enough through your drawers we can find some of the _Galaxy Wars _shirts I've bought for you that mommy has conveniently misplaced," Freddie said, holding his hand out.

Jason reluctantly got off his mother's lap and ran over to Freddie, tightly gripping his hand as he followed Freddie upstairs.

"Um…is it just me, or is Jason acting a little…off?" Carly asked.

"He's been attached to either me or Freddie since we got home from my mom's yesterday," Sam said. "He's scared that someone else will break into the house again."

"Really?" Carly frowned.

"Yup, and every time Freddie or I leave him for a second, he starts crying," Sam said, shifting Emma in her arms so she could take Ashton back from Carly. "And I mean _crying_. Like that hysterical kind, almost."

"Oh my God," Carly said. "That's terrible. Poor kid."

"I know, I'm hoping it's just a phase or something," Sam nodded. "I mean, it-it's normal for a kid to be like that after something like this, right?"

"Yeah, I'd say so," Carly said. "But you know, if he's this shaken up about the whole break in thing, maybe you should take him to see a psychiatrist or something."

"You mean like a shrink?" Sam frowned. "As in a doctor for _psychos_?"

"Not psychos," Carly said quickly. "I just mean that maybe it would be good for a professional to talk to Jason. To try and help him."

"Freddie and I can help him just fine on our own," Sam said, somewhat defensively.

"O-Okay," Carly nodded. "I just wanted to put that out there."

"Yeah, well, thanks," Sam mumbled. "But I'm not taking him to see some nut job doctor. He's fine. It's just a phase."


	313. Chapter 313

"I think the twins are getting sick," Freddie announced, coming into his and Sam's bedroom. "They're coughing a little and their noses are runny."

"Perfect," Sam sighed from their bed, where she was sitting next to a sleeping Jason. Jason had been sleeping with her and Freddie for the past two weeks. Whenever his parents would even bring up the idea of him going into his own bed, he would break down wailing, and neither Sam nor Freddie had the heart to push the issue any further.

"Is he asleep?" Freddie whispered.

"Yeah, he's been out for an hour," Sam nodded. "Poor kid nearly had a meltdown when I left him for two seconds to go to the bathroom."

"Sam, I'm starting to get worried," Freddie said softly. "It's been two weeks since the break-in and Jason hasn't made any sort of progress with coming to terms with it."

"He will," Sam said. "He's just scared right now. In a few more weeks I'm sure he'll be over it."

"You've been saying that since day one," Freddie pointed out. "And he's still not."

"He's four," Sam said. "Give him time."

Freddie let out a deep breath. "I was talking to Carly at work today. She said…she said that a couple weeks ago, she sort of brought up the idea of taking Jason to psychiatrist to you."

"Yeah," Sam mumbled. "So?"

"So, she said you didn't even want to consider it," Freddie replied. "Why didn't you talk to me about it?"

"Because I'm not taking our son to some shrink to get labeled as a freak!" Sam hissed. "He's _fine_! He doesn't need a doctor!"

"Sam, he's not going to be labeled as a freak," Freddie said. "He'd get real help."

"We can help him on our own."

"Sam, look at him!" Freddie said. "He doesn't even want to use the bathroom on his own. He woke up last night screaming from some terrible nightmare he had. He's eating less and he doesn't even like playing with his toys like he used to. Maybe-Maybe he needs help that we can't give him."

Sam looked down at her lap, but didn't reply.

"He's supposed to be starting preschool at the end of the month," Freddie said gently. "Now do you really think that he'll be able to leave us and spend five hours a day with some teacher he doesn't know and a bunch of new kids? He needs this, Sam. I-I know you want to be the one who fights all of Jason's battles for him, but this is something that you can't do on your own. You just can't."

He looked at his wife and noticed that she was silently crying. He put his arms around him.

"I know he needs help," Sam whispered. "But…But…Freddie, he's our baby. How can we not be enough for him? Why can't we help him? Isn't that what we're supposed to do?"

"Sam, I know, I-I wish we could help him on our own too," Freddie said, rubbing small circles on her back. "But by getting him the help that he needs, we're doing what's best for him, and _that's _what parents are supposed to do for their kids."

He wiped the stray tears from Sam's cheek as she looked down at their sleeping son.

"Okay," she said weakly. "Let's take him."

…..

The next afternoon, Sam let Carly into the house.

"Hey, thanks for watching the twins," Sam said as Carly stepped inside.

"No problem, I think Clarissa's real excited to have a play date with them," Carly smiled, shifting her daughter in her arms.

"The appointment's at three," Sam mumbled as the girls walked into the living room, where Freddie was looking through a picture book with Jason. "So hopefully we'll be back before six. There's bottles in the fridge for the girls, and I added some cold medicine in them because they're starting to come down with something."

"Okay," Carly nodded. "Don't worry about them."

"Alright, Jason," Freddie said as Carly set Clarissa down with the twins in their playpen. "While Aunt Carly stays here with your sisters, me, you and mommy are going to, um, take a little trip."

"Where are we going?" Jason asked.

"We-We'll explain in the car," Sam said, helping him put on his sneakers.

The family headed out to Freddie's car, where Sam put Jason in his booster seat and sat in the seat next to him, instead of up front next to Freddie.

"Okay," Freddie said, looking back at his wife in the rear view window. "Um, Jason, your mom and I…we-we want to talk to you about where we're going."

"Yeah," Sam said. "Um, well, we're going to a doctor…"

"I'm not sick," Jason pointed out.

"No, no you're not," Freddie agreed. "But the doctor we're going to…she isn't a doctor for people who have stomachaches and broken bones and those sorts of things."

"See, this doctor is going to try and help you feel, er, less afraid like you've been since that burglar broke into our house," Sam explained. "And that will make you feel better."

"Is she going to keep all the burglars away?" Jason asked.

"Well…no," Sam admitted, not sure how to explain the workings of therapy to a four-year old. "But, she-she'll talk to you about things-"

"About your feelings," Freddie said. "And whatever else you want to talk to her about. It will be fun, you'll see. She told mommy and me on the phone that she has lots of toys in her office you can play with, and I'm sure she'll have some dinosaur things there too. Just think of this as…as a play date."

About ten minutes later, Freddie pulled into the parking lot of they psychiatrist's office. Freddie sat down with Jason on one of the couches in the waiting room and Sam went up to the front desk.

"Um, hi," Sam mumbled to the woman behind the desk. "We have an appointment under Benson."

"Yes, we've been expecting you," the woman said brightly, holding out her hand for Sam. "I'm Doctor Fitzgerald."

"Oh…hey," Sam said, awkwardly shaking the enthusiastic woman's hand. "So, er, how exactly does this work?"

"Well for today, I'm just going to work on getting your son, Jason, to open up to me," Doctor Fitzgerald explained. "And I'll also work on getting him to better express his fears. That process can take some time, of course, but I find it's very helpful in situations like this."

"Okay," Sam nodded. "So me and my husband will just take him in some little room with you and we just-?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Mrs. Benson, but I do have to ask you and your husband to wait out here in the waiting room," the doctor said. "Children will usually open up more when they don't have their parents around. They can sometimes be afraid of saying things that might upset them, which can hinder this entire process."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Sam said. "Jason is _terrified _to have me or my husband leave him for even a second right now. If we try to leave him with a total stranger he'll go nuts!"

"I'm aware of this, Mrs. Benson," the doctor said patiently. "And I've dealt with many patients like him before. But the best thing to start his recovery is to do this. I know it will be hard for you both, but it's necessary."

Sam ran a hand through her blonde curls. "Okay," she finally conceded. "We-We'll do it."

"It's only going to be for an hour," Doctor Fitzgerald smiled warmly. "Now please wait here for a moment while I got get a few things prepared."

Sam headed back to Freddie and Jason.

"We're supposed to just leave him with that doctor," Sam whispered so only Freddie could hear her. "By himself."

"I figured," Freddie sighed heavily.

"He's going to be so scared," Sam mumbled miserably.

"He's stronger than you think," Freddie said gently. "He-He'll be fine."

But Sam could see the worry in his face.

"Mr. and Mrs. Benson?" a young secretary said, stepping into the waiting room. "Doctor Fitzgerald is all set up back here. You can bring your son in now."

"Come on, Jason," Sam said, putting on a forced smile as she took her son's hand.

Jason looked hesitant, but he definitely wanted to follow his parents, so the three stepped into a hallway and turned into a large room with a bright orange couch and plenty of toys.

"Hi, Jason," Doctor Fitzgerald grinned, holding out a hand for the four-year old. "My name's Lisa."

"Hi," Jason said shyly.

"Do you see any toys here you like?" Freddie asked.

Jason nodded and pointed to stuffed dinosaur that looked almost like his favorite stuffed animal at home.

"Oh, he's my favorite," Lisa said, handing the toy to Jason. "Good choice."

She looked up at Sam and Freddie, signaling that it was time for them to leave.

"Alright, sweetie," Sam said, trying to keep her voice calm. "Daddy-Daddy and I are going to go back into the other room for a little bit while you play in here."

"No!" Jason said immediately, running back over to his mother and clutching her leg. "Stay with me!"

"Jason, we'll be just around the corner, we promise," Freddie said, feeling his heart break as Jason began to cry.

"No! Stay! Don't leave!" Jason said as Freddie helped Sam pry him off her.

"It's just for a little bit," Sam said, trying to hold herself together. "We promise, you'll be completely safe in here."

"Mommy!" Jason wailed as Freddie set him down on the couch. "Mommy! Daddy!"

"He's going to be fine," Doctor Fitzgerald assured Sam and Freddie, and at that moment, Sam wanted nothing more than to give this woman a swift kick and take her son into her arms. But Freddie took her hand and led her out of the room.

Once the office door closed behind them, Sam threw herself into Freddie's arms.

"I know," Freddie said, hugging her tightly. "I know."

"That was the hardest thing I ever had to do," Sam whispered.


	314. Chapter 314

Sam and Freddie sat on the hard couch in the waiting room at the psychiatrist's office, neither of them making any sound.

Sam looked at her Pearphone for the eighth time since she left Jason.

"Are you expecting a call?" Freddie commented.

"It's only been thirty-one minutes and eighteen seconds," Sam mumbled. "I can't believe we have to leave Jason in there for another…I don't know, how much longer?"

"Twenty-eight minutes and forty-two seconds," Freddie told her.

"He probably hates us now, you know," Sam said miserably. "We just abandoned him with a complete stranger!"

"We didn't abandon him, baby," Freddie said gently. "He's twenty feet away with a professional who's giving him the help that he needs. You want Jason to stop being scared all the time because of the break-in, don't you?"

"Yeah," Sam said softly. "But I just wish we could at least be in there with him."

"I know," Freddie nodded, squeezing her hand. "So do I."

Sam rested her head on his shoulder as she pulled up the Internet on her phone.

"What are you doing?" Freddie asked.

"Looking to see where the nearest toy store is around here," she replied. "Because you know we're buying that kid whatever he wants after this, right?"

"Sam, I know you feel guilty about this, but we're doing the right thing," Freddie told her.

Sam didn't respond, but looked down at her phone again. "It's been twenty-nine minutes and fifty-three seconds now," she said simply. "At least we're almost halfway there…"

….

At last, when the hour passed, the receptionist poked her head into the waiting room.

"Doctor Fitzgerald is ready for you to come back now," she said.

Sam and Freddie followed the woman back to the room where they had left Jason earlier.

Jason was sitting on a small couch across from the doctor. He wasn't crying anymore, but he definitely didn't look too happy. The second his parents came in, he ran to Sam and hugged her tightly.

"Hi, sweetie," Sam said, lifting him up and kissing the top of his head.

"If you two could please have a seat," Doctor Fitzgerald said.

Sam and Freddie sat down on another one of the sofas, Sam still holding Jason in her arms.

"Well, Jason and I had some fun today, didn't we, Jason?" the doctor said brightly, smiling.

Jason said nothing, still, holding tightly to Sam.

"So…is he okay now?" Sam asked.

"Jason's still a little…uneasy about the break-in," she explained. "Which is perfectly natural. However, we're going to work on expressing his fear in a more appropriate manner, which will help him overcome it. Do you want to tell you parents what you're going to be doing every night for the rest of this week, Jason?"

"I'm gonna draw pictures," Jason said quietly.

"That's right," Doctor Fitzgerald smiled. "Jason's going to start a little journal. Each night, before he goes to sleep, Jason's going to draw what he's feeling. By drawing these feelings, Jason will be able to confront his fears in a safe, controlled way."

_What a load of garbage_, Sam thought to herself.

"Now," the doctor continued. "I'd like to speak to one of you privately, please. So if one of you could take Jason into the waiting room…"

"I got him," Freddie said, taking Jason from his wife's arms. "Come on, buddy. Why don't we go play with some of the blocks out there?"

Sam watched as Freddie led Jason out of the room. Once the door shut behind them, Sam looked back at the psychiatrist. "So how is he? He still seems scared."

"Yes, but as I explained to you earlier, this is a gradual process," she replied. "It could take weeks. But, if you continue to work with your son, he _will _start to return to his usual self."

"Okay," Sam conceded. "Alright, we'll have him do that little journal thing and bring him back here next week."

"Perfect," the doctor said. "Now, just one more thing. Jason tells me that he's been sleeping with you and your husband at bedtime. Is this correct?"  
"Well yeah," Sam shrugs. "You saw how he gets when we try to leave him by himself."

"Yes, and I understand that as parents, your instinct is to try and remove him from his stressful situation," the doctor nodded. "However, for any of my work to make an impact on Jason, I'm going to have to ask that you put your foot down on this issue and stop."

"Stop?" Sam repeated. "Listen lady, you may have some fancy diploma-"

"Mrs. Benson, it really is what's best for Jason," Doctor Fitzgerald cut her off.

Sam gave her a hard stare.

"You don't have to like my methods," the doctor continued. "But I do assure you that I have only your son's best interests at heart."

Sam stood up and headed to the door without another word.

"You ready to go?" she asked Freddie and Jason as she walked out into the waiting room.  
"Yeah," Freddie nodded.

"Come on, Jason," Sam said, scooping the four-year old up. "Let's get you to the toy store."

….

"So what are you drawing there, Jason?" Freddie asked later that evening as he sat down at the kitchen table with his son, who was busily drawing away.

"A picture," Jason replied.

"Well yeah, I know that," Freddie chuckled. "But what is it a picture _of_? Ms. Lisa said she wanted you to draw a picture of something that's been scaring you so that me and your mom can talk about it with you."

"This is Max fighting with the burglar," Jason explained to his father, pointing to the scribbles on the page.

"Oh…of course," Freddie nodded, thinking to himself that the drawing looked nothing like a dog. "And are you scared because Max got hurt that night?"

Jason nodded.

"Okay," Freddie said, trying to think of exactly the right thing to say. "Well, I can understand why you're scared, Jason. But the important thing for you to realize is that Max is okay now, isn't he? And the reason that the burglar hurt Max in the first place was because Max was trying to protect all of us. And he did that, and we're really lucky to have him, aren't we?"

Jason nodded again.

Freddie rustled Jason's hair. "You want to know a secret? I was really scared when Max got hurt too."

"But you're a grown up," Jason said, his eyes widening.

"I know," Freddie smiled. "But grown ups still get scared."

"Even mommy?"

"Even mommy," Freddie confirmed. "But mommy will probably never admit that."

"What won't I admit?" Sam asked, walking into the kitchen after having put the twins down for the night.

"Nothing," Freddie said quickly. "I gave Jason a bath and got him all ready for bed while you were taking care of the twins. Did they finally fall asleep?"

"Nope, they're still wide awake," Sam yawned. "So now it's your turn to go deal with them."

"On it," Freddie said, giving his wife a quick kiss as he headed upstairs.

"Alright, Jason, you ready to go to sleep now?" Sam asked.

"No."

"Well it's your bedtime kid, so tough luck," Sam grinned.

Jason hopped down from his chair and followed his mom upstairs, but when he made to turn into her and Freddie's bedroom, Sam took a deep breath and gently took his hand.

"N-No, sweetie," Sam said. "You can't sleep with me and daddy anymore."

"Yes!" Jason said firmly.

Sam shook her head. "No," she repeated. "You need to sleep in your own room in your own bed. Like a big boy."

"But it's scary! I don't want to!" Jason said loudly.

"You know there's nothing to be afraid of in there," Sam said. "You can't keep sleeping with me and daddy, baby. It's not healthy for you."

"You don't love me!" Jason said angrily, glaring at Sam.

"Of course I do," Sam said. "But-But-this is just something we have to do. It's what's best for you-"

"No!"

Sam used all of her strength to push past her desire to simply give in to Jason at that moment as she picked him up and carried him into his room and set him down on his bed.

"Okay, Jason," Sam said, wiping his tears from his cheek. "I promise you that you are completely safe in this room. No one and nothing is going to hurt you. I know it's scary for you, but once you sleep in here tonight and see that, you'll feel better about it-"

"No I wont!"

"I'll leave your light on," Sam continued, still willing herself not to give in. "And-And you can have your door open too, okay? And you have all your stuffed animals-"

"I want to sleep in your bed!" Jason cried, making to get out of his bed, but Sam stopped him.

"You need to stay in here," she said firmly.

"I want daddy!"

"Daddy will tell you the same thing," Sam replied. She gave him a kiss on his cheek, trying not to take the look she was getting from Jason personally. "I love you."

"I don't want to sleep in here!" Jason continued to cry as Sam walked out of the room.

Sam quickly headed into the twins nursery, where Freddie was laying down a sleeping Emma.

"Got them to sleep," Freddie whispered. "How's Jason?"

"He probably hates me, but he's in his bed," Sam sighed.

"He could never hate you," Freddie said, rubbing her back gently.

"You didn't see how he looked at me."

"Sam, he's going to get through all this," Freddie assured her. "It's like I've been saying, we're doing what's best for him."

"I know," Sam nodded slowly. "But it sucks sometimes…"


	315. Chapter 315

Sam sat in the kitchen, spooning baby food into Emma and Ashton's mouths, but not really paying attention to what she was doing.

She had been distracted all morning; Jason was back at the psychiatrist for this second session. Unfortunately, Sam and Freddie had been unable to find someone available to watch the twins, so Freddie had taken Jason on his own.

Suddenly, Emma let out a cry and Sam jerked back to reality and realized that she had been trying to feed her daughter creamed-carrots through her nose.

"Sorry," Sam sighed, quickly grabbing a paper towel and wiping off the baby food.

Just then her phone began to ring and she looked down at her screen and saw that Melanie was calling her.

"Hey," Sam answered, holding her phone between her ear and shoulder as she lifted the twins out of their highchairs.

"Hey Sam," Melanie replied happily on the other end. "How's it going over there?"

"Um…good," Sam said.

"You don't sound like everything's good. Did you get everything fixed up from the robbery? It's been a month, hasn't it? Your insurance company should've gotten everything taken care of by now."

"They did," Sam replied. "It's just…other things."

"Other things? Like what?"  
"Nothing," Sam said quickly. "So how's New York?"

"New York's fine," Melanie said. "But stop changing the subject. What's bugging you, Sam?"

"I'm not changing the subject."

"Yes you are."

"No I'm not."

"Sam…"

"Ugh, fine," Sam conceded. "It's just…Jason's been really shaken up about the whole thing."  
"Well Sam, that's completely normal," Melanie reasoned. "He's a kid and break-ins are scary for anyone, but-"

"No I mean he's been _really _shaken up," Sam explained. "He wouldn't leave my side for the longest time. We-We had to take him to some sort of psychiatrist."

"Oh," Melanie said on the other line. "Wow…Well, Sam, that's-that's good that you took him there. Is it helping him?"

"I guess," Sam shrugged. "He's sleeping in his own room now, but he has to have every single light on. It's still something though. And he still likes to at least be in the same room as Freddie or me, but he doesn't cry _too_ much when one of us has to run and check on the twins or something."

"Then see? That's progress," Melanie said firmly. "So stop thinking that Jason going to therapy is because you're a bad mother-"

"I never said that," Sam said, amazed at how it seemed her twin had just read her mind over the phone.

"Please, I can tell that was bugging you," Melanie said. "But it's not true, you're a good mom, Sam. I mean it."

Sam gave a small smile. "Yeah, yeah."

"I'm serious," Melanie said.

"Um, well, thanks, I guess," Sam mumbled. "But hey, I think I just heard Freddie's car pull back in. I'll talk to you later, Mel."  
Just as Sam hung up with her sister, Freddie walked in through the front door with Jason.

"Hey Jason!" Sam grinned, giving her son a hug. "How was it, sweetie?"

"Good," Jason said simply.

"He did really well," Freddie said proudly, rustling Jason's hair.

"Of course he did," Sam said, kissing the top of his head. "And you know what, Jason? Mommy made you your favorite brownies. You want to go get some?"

"But the deal is, you have to go into the kitchen without mommy or daddy, okay?" Freddie added.

The smile that had just lit up Jason's face faltered at these words. "Why?"

"Because you're a big boy," Freddie said. "You remember what we talked about with Ms. Lisa. Now go ahead."

"I don't know about that doctor," Sam muttered as Jason slowly headed into the kitchen.

"She knows what she's talking about, Sam," Freddie pointed out. "And you have to admit, Jason's made a lot of progress just from the two sessions he's been to. He can almost sleep through the nights, he only had three crying episodes last week and he's beginning to accept that a robber isn't hiding in every closet of this house."

Sam didn't have a reply.

"And Doctor Fitzgerald thinks that in three or four more sessions, Jason might be ready to officially start going to preschool," Freddie said. "Which is _huge_. I mean, I know she got the school to delay his start date for another month after everything, but he really does need to start soon or we'll risk having him behind all of the other kids."

"You really think he'll be ready to be left by himself at preschool soon?" Sam asked softly.

"I do," Freddie nodded. "And baby, I promise, we _will _wait until he's made a little more progress. I know you don't believe me, but I don't exactly love having to do this either. It's hard on me too."

"I know," Sam sighed.

Freddie gave her a quick peck. "But listen, you've been stressed lately with everything. You need a break. Why don't you call up Carly and you two can go do something for the rest of the afternoon?"

"You sure?" Sam asked. "I mean, the twins have been pretty fussy, and Jason-"

"We'll be fine," Freddie assured her. "Now go."

….

Sam was sitting on her sofa a few weeks later, trying to scrub out the grape soda stain she had just made on one of the cushions before Freddie got home from work.

"Mommy?" Jason said, looking up from the coloring book he was working on at the coffee table. "I'm hungry."

"Okay, well mommy's trying to clean this couch so daddy doesn't go crazy," Sam said. "I'll get you something to eat in a few minutes."

"I'll go get it," Jason said, getting to his feet and heading into the kitchen.

Sam blinked as she watched her son disappear into the kitchen.

_Did he just offer to go by himself? _That was the first time that Jason had willingly gone off by himself since the break-in.

Jason returned a few minutes later with a box of animal cookies and two bottles in his hand.

"These are for Emma and Ashton," Jason said, handing the bottles to Sam. "They get a snack too."  
Sam chuckled as she pulled Jason into a tight embrace.

"Mommy! I can't breathe!" Jason gasped.

"Sorry," Sam said quickly, releasing her hold. "I'm just so proud of you, honey."

"Why?" Jason asked, confused.

"Just because you're probably the bravest kid I know," Sam smiled, kissing the top of his head.

"I'm brave?"

"You bet," Sam nodded.

….

"-And he played upstairs in his room on his own for almost a half-hour after lunch, all by himself, without getting scared or anything," Sam told Freddie as he loaded the dishwasher later that evening. "And he's been playing with the twins all happy like he always used to, and he's upstairs brushing his teeth by _himself_ right now!"

"Unbelievable," Freddie nodded. "He's really come a far way."

"So you think he's, you know…okay now?" Sam asked softly.

"Well he's probably going to need a few more weeks to work on this some more," Freddie explained, putting an arm around her. "But yeah, he's definitely okay."


	316. Chapter 316

**AN-Really sorry its been so long since I've updated. I've just been really busy with school. But now I have a few days off for Thanksgiving, so I'm hoping to catch up a little!**

…

Over the next few weeks, Sam and Freddie saw remarkable progress in Jason's behavior. He had truly returned to the kid that they had both been missing so much. He was back to building large buildings with Sam that the two of them would tear down together seconds after completing and having Proton Cruiser battles with his action figures with Freddie.

"So Jason's really all better?" Carly asked one afternoon as her, Sam, Freddie and Gibby sat at their favorite table at the Groovy Smoothie.

"Hey, kids bounce back quicker than adults," Freddie pointed out. "Besides, the therapist really helped."

Sam rolled her eyes. She hated to admit it, but Freddie really had been right urging them to take Jason there.

"Yeah, and now Jason's finally comfortable starting preschool next week," Sam added.

"I thought he was already in preschool," Gibby frowned.

"No, that was _pre _preschool," Freddie corrected. "You know, to get him ready for the real deal."

"Since when is there _pre _preschool?" Gibby scoffed.  
"Since now!" Sam snapped, thumping the back of his head.

"So Jason's starting school next week?" Carly asked Freddie, turning a blind eye to Sam's assault on Gibby.

"Yup, Monday morning," Freddie replied. "He's really excited."

"Well I'm sure he'll do great," Carly said. "He's a smart kid, after all. He can already practically read."

"I know, he's going to be fine," Freddie said. "I just can't believe how fast time has flown with him. I guess this is the hard part of being a parent; you have make sure your child is ready to leave the nest as soon as possible to spread his wings in the real world, but then you have to deal with the sadness of having him grow up so fast right in front of your eyes. Now I know what my mom meant when she always said-Hey! Is anybody even listening to me?"

He looked around at his wife and two friends who were all staring down at their cell phones, texting.

"Nope," Sam said simply. "We never listen when you go off on cheesy rants like that."

…

"Okay, lunch? Check. Pencils? Check. Crayons? Crayons?" Freddie frowned as he rummaged through his son's backpack, double-checking that he was completely prepared. "Where are the crayons? Sam! We need to run to the store ASAP! We need to get crayons for-"

"Relax nub, they're in the little pocket," Sam said, rolling her eyes as she walked into the kitchen with Emma and Ashton in her arms.

"Oh, okay," Freddie said, relieved. "That was almost a disaster."

"You're a disaster," Sam mumbled, placing the twins in their high chairs.

"I heard that," Freddie said.

"You were supposed to," Sam smirked, giving him a quick kiss. "Hey, where is Jason? We need to leave soon to drop him off."

"Oh, I laid out a few first-day-of-school polos for him to pick from," Freddie said. "Nothing says first day of school like the smell of a brand new polo, you know. I still remember the polo I wore on my first day of preschool. Bright yellow with my mom's name and phone number sewn onto the collar in case I got lost."

"Did you also get beat up in that polo?" Sam asked.

"Ha, ha," Freddie said dryly. "Come on, aren't you excited for Jason's first day of preschool?"

"Of course I am," Sam replied. "But you're taking excited to a whole new level. You didn't freak out this much when he started pre preschool."

"Yeah, but this is preschool. Only one pre," Freddie said. "It's a bigger deal!"

"If you say so," Sam said.

"I'm ready!" Jason said happily, running into the kitchen.

"You have to eat first, sweetie," Sam told him, rustling his blonde hair. "Look, we made you waffles."

"Yay!" Jason grinned, digging in at once.

"Okay, so we'll leave here in another ten minutes," Freddie said, looking at his watch. "You take the kids in your car and I'll follow you in mine so I can get to work as soon as we drop Jason off. If I did my calculations right and there's no unexpected traffic jams, I'll still get to work right on time."

"Yeah, you wouldn't want to be three seconds late for work," Sam said sarcastically.

"Hey, I just got a new supervisor who's a stickler for punctuality," Freddie reminded her. "One guy showed up five minutes late last week and he had to work through his lunch break for the next three days!"

Once Jason had finished his breakfast, Sam took him and the twins out to her car.

"Remember, Jason," Freddie said to his son as he buckled Emma into her car seat. "Teacher's love being asked questions. Oh, and try to sit up front, okay? That always looks real good. And try to make some friends, and maybe you can set up a little study group or something-"

"Dude! He's going to preschool! There's no such thing as a preschool study group!" Sam exclaimed.

"_Yet_," Freddie muttered.

"Just get in your car and drive," Sam chuckled. "I'll see you in a few minutes."

"Yeah, yeah," Freddie said. He headed over to his car and got in. Just as he was about to pull out of the driveway, however, he noticed that Sam seemed to be struggling in the front seat of her own car. He quickly got out and jogged back over to her.

"What's wrong?" Freddie frowned.

"The stupid car won't start!" Sam replied, slamming her fist on the steering wheel.

"Well what did you do to it?" Freddie inquired.

"Why do you think _I _did something to it?" Sam demanded.

"It's your car!"

"Whatever," Sam said hotly, jiggling her keys in the ignition. "Dang it! Why's this car so dang-"

"Sam, there are children in the car," Freddie reminded his wife.

"-Not…good," Sam finished lamely. "Why's this car so dang not good?"  
"Look, it's probably just something with the engine," Freddie told her. "All you need to do is call a mechanic and he'll tow your car into the shop and fix it up for you. Easy."

"Well what am I supposed to do with no car?" Sam moaned. "Sit in the house all day?"

"You can use my car for as long as you need," Freddie told her. "You know, when I'm not at work."

"Fine," Sam conceded. "But what about now? How are we gonna get to the preschool? Are we all just gonna go in your car?"

"Yeah, that will work" Freddie nodded. "We'll just put the twins' car seats in mine and then-Oh, wait. We can't."

"What?"

"If you and the girls come with me, I'd need to drop you guys back off here after we leave Jason and I'd definitely be late for work," Freddie sighed. "I guess…I guess I'll just take Jason on my own then."

"What? No way! I'm not missing his first day!" Sam said firmly. "I already had to miss his first day of pre preschool because I had to work. You're going to make me miss this too?"

"Sam, we don't have a choice!" Freddie said. "Look, I promise, his first day of kindergarten next year, you'll be there no matter what. Even if it means I have to hand you over my keys while I sprint to work."

Sam glared at him. "Okay!" She finally gave in. "But you owe me big time for this." She turned to Jason and gave him a big hug. "Have fun at school, sweetie. I'll be there to pick you up right at twelve, alright? I'll borrow Uncle Spencer's car and then we'll go out for a fancy lunch of lasagna and not save daddy any."

Freddie rolled his eyes but said nothing. He held out his hand for Jason. "Alright, Jason, we need to get moving or you and daddy will both be late."

"Bye mommy! Bye Emma and Ashton!" Jason called as Freddie rushed him into his car.

"I'm really, really sorry," Freddie said to Sam, giving her a fleeting kiss.

"You better be," Sam said.

….

"Well, here we are," Freddie said as he pulled into the parking lot of the preschool. "This is one of your first steps, Jason. Preschool is the stepping-stone for kindergarten, which everyone knows in the entrance for the rest of your life. Breathe it in, buddy. You're going to look back on this day as one of the most significant moments in your life."

"Will there be play clay at school?" Jason asked.

Freddie sighed. "Yes. There will be play clay."

Freddie drove around for a few moments, trying to find a spot, but it seemed as if everywhere was taken.

"Come on," Freddie said through clenched teeth, checking his watch. If he didn't find a spot soon, he was going to be late for work.

But then, at last, he saw a car pull out of a nearby spot.

"Yes!" Freddie exclaimed, turning on his turn signal as he drove towards the spot. "Finally! That was a close one. A few more minutes and I would've been late for-"

"But then, suddenly, another car came speeding towards the spot, cutting Freddie off and forcing him to slam on his breaks as it took the parking space.

"Hey!" Freddie cried. "That was my spot! I had my blinker on! I had my-Oh, never mind."

"Why'd that person take your parking spot, daddy?" Jason asked.

"Because they're very, very mean," Freddie said, gripping the steering wheel as he spotted another empty space, much further away then his first. It was so far away that Freddie had to practically run with Jason up to the school.

"Okay," Freddie said, catching his breath as he walked into the school. "Jason, have a great first day. Have fun, learn a lot, and make sure to tell me everything when you see me tonight. Your mom will pick you up in just four hours."

"Bye daddy," Jason said.

Slightly disappointed that he didn't have time to give Jason his full speech he had prepared, Freddie quickly kissed his son on the top of his head and watched him head into the school with the rest of children. He gave one last nostalgic smile as he turned to head back to his car.

"Hey! Out of the way, slowpoke!" a voice behind him suddenly said, and then he was shoved hard in his side.

"What the-Hey!" Freddie said indignantly as a tall woman with dark hair stormed by him. "Hey! What was that for?"

"For going slow and being in my way!" the woman sneered. "I've got places to be, you know!"

"So do I!" Freddie said. "But that doesn't give you the right to-wait a minute…You're the one who just stole my parking spot!"

Before in the car, Freddie had only been able to see a faint outline of the rude driver who had cut him off, but now he realized the offender was standing right in front of him.

The woman snickered. "I should've known. You walk as slow as you drive."

"I was going the designated speed limit!" Freddie defended. "And I had my blinker on! That spot was mine and you know it!"

"You snooze you loose," the woman smirked, taking a sip of the coffee in her hand. "Whatcha gonna do about it?"

"I-I'm gonna-I'm gonna-I'll make a complaint to school's office," Freddie offered lamely.

The woman laughed, stepping closer to Freddie. She then popped the lid off her coffee and spilled it all over him. Thankfully, it wasn't hot still, but as Freddie was wearing a white shirt…

"What the-Are you insane?" Freddie yelled.

"Ask my parole officer," the woman said, throwing the empty coffee cup on the ground as she headed back to her car, leaving Freddie still dripping in coffee and shaking with anger.


	317. Chapter 317

"Hey, you're home late," Sam commented as she heard the front door open later that evening. "You get tied up at work or-Whoa. What happened to your shirt?"

She looked at her husband's coffee stained white work shirt as he dragged his feet into the living room.

"Oh, you want to know what happened?" Freddie said bitterly.

"Hence the question," Sam nodded.

"We need to take Jason to a new preschool!" Freddie hissed. "Because my mortal enemy is at this one!"

"Your mortal enemy?" Sam repeated.

"Yes!" Freddie said.

"You don't have a mortal enemy," Sam chuckled.

"Yes, I do!" Freddie retorted. "There's this-this _Psycho Mom_."

"Psycho Mom? Really?" Sam smiled, amused.

"Yes, she poured coffee on me!" Freddie exclaimed.

"Sure she did," Sam said, rolling her eyes.

"I'm serious!" Freddie cried. "This woman is crazy and she's totally harassing me! She stole my parking spot, _shoved _me and insulted my driving skills! She called me slow!"  
"Well…" Sam started.

"What?" Freddie frowned.

"You _do _drive sort of slow," Sam said slowly.

"It's called a _speed limit_!" Freddie said loudly.

"Okay, okay," Sam said quickly. "But I doubt this chick qualifies as your mortal enemy."

"Hey! Are you taking her side?" Freddie snapped.

"No," Sam said. "But I just sort of think you're overreacting."

"_I'm _overreacting?" Freddie said. "Last week you glued Gibby's feet to our rug because he took a sip of your orange juice."

"That was freshly squeezed orange juice," Sam pointed out.

"I still can't believe you're defending the woman who poured coffee all over me," Freddie mumbled.

"I'm not defending her," Sam said. "It's just…I'm usually that _psycho mom_ in these situations. I've stolen parking spaces from slow cars before and shoved people when I'm in a rush. Sometimes when you have a bad day you just need to let out steam and well, you take it out on whoever's nearest. And today, that happened to be you for this chick. I'm sure tomorrow she'll be fine."

"Whoa," Freddie said, staring at Sam. "Is my wife being rational?"

Sam laughed. "Maybe," she said. "But you know what? Your wife is also starving, so go cook her some fried chicken before she dumps more coffee on you."

…..

"Hey, your car still isn't fixed yet?" Carly asked the next morning as she let herself into the Benson house.

"Nope," Sam sighed. "Apparently my battery is completely gone and there's something wrong with my engine and it's gonna take a week for all the right parts to come in."

"Aw," Carly said sympathetically. "Looks like you're stuck in the house for awhile."

"Good thing we have cable," Sam mumbled.

"Hey," Freddie said, coming into the kitchen and giving Sam a quick kiss. "Hi Carls."

"Morning," Carly replied.

"So is Jason ready for me to drop him off?" Freddie asked.

"Yeah, he just finished his breakfast," Sam nodded. "And are you ready to face your mortal enemy?"

"Mortal enemy?" Carly repeated.

"Don't mock!" Freddie snapped.

"Freddie claims there's some psycho mom at the preschool out to get him," Sam grinned.

"Wow," Carly chuckled.

"She's _mean_!"

"Aw, well baby if she keeps bothering you, just tell the teacher and let her handle it," Sam laughed.

"You know, marriage is supposed to be a support system!" Freddie snapped as Sam continued to laugh. "You're not supposed to-Oh whatever. Jason! Let's go!"

….

"Hey Spencer," Freddie said later that work as he let himself into the Shay's apartment after just getting off of work.

"Hey! Don't leave the door open!" Spencer exclaimed loudly. "Close it! Quick!"

"Um…okay," Freddie frowned.  
"Sorry, but I'm supposed to be watching Socko's rare grasshopper and it may have hopped out of its cage," Spencer explained.

"Ah," Freddie nodded.

"So what's up?" Spencer asked, looking through the drawers of the kitchen counter. "Didn't you just get off of work? Why aren't you home?"

"Because I need advice," Freddie sighed.

"Advice?" Spencer said. "Well, well, well. Isn't this a trip from the past? Little Freddikins coming to wise old Spencer for advice."

"Will you help me or not?" Freddie asked.

"Um, well, listen dude," Spencer said. "I know we're close, but Sam's practically my second little sister and I think I'd be _really _uncomfortable giving you advice about-"

"No!" Freddie said quickly. "Not _that _advice!"

"Oh," Spencer said, breathing a sigh of relief. "Well okay then. Lay it on me."

"I-I sort of have a little bit of a…situation at Jason's preschool," Freddie said.

"A situation?" Spencer frowned. "Does Jason not like it?"

"No, he loves it," Freddie said.

"Is he having trouble with the work?"  
"No, his teacher already says he's very advanced," Freddie replied.

"Well is he-"

"Look, it doesn't exactly involve Jason," Freddie admitted. "It's about me. See, there's this mom there who, well…she's a bully!"

Spencer snorted. "What?"

"I'm serious!" Freddie said. "This lady's insane and Sam thinks I'm just being dramatic!"

"Well are you?"

"No!" Freddie cried. "The first day of school she poured coffee on me! And then she insulted my Nug Nug tie, she cuts in front of me in the line to drop Jason off and she _always_ stills my parking spot! Every time! I'm always just about to turn into it, I have my turn signal on and she still just takes it!"

"Wow, she sounds terrible," Spencer said.

"She is!" Freddie said, thankful that at least _someone _understood his dilemma.

"Well look, you know the best way to deal with any bully is to just ignore them," Spencer said.

"Um, didn't you start an all-out war with your eight-year old bully?" Freddie pointed out.

"Hey! Chuck wasn't a bully!" Spencer snapped. "He was pure evil!"

"Right…Well, ignoring this crazy lady isn't going to work for me either," Freddie said. "She still won't leave me alone; I know it!"

"Come on, I'm sure that's not true," Spencer said. "Look, this is probably just some grumpy single-mom who's a little stressed because she has to deal with getting her kid ready for school all day and then has to deal with him again afterwards."

"What? I thought you were taking my side here!" Freddie exclaimed.

"I am taking your side," Spencer defended. "But, you know…you _do _have a history of exaggerating this sort of thing."

"What are you talking about?" Freddie scoffed. "I've never exaggerated anything like this!"

"Dude…"

"Okay, well maybe I have!" Freddie snapped, storming back to the door. "But this time I'm serious!"  
"Wait, where are you going?" Spencer asked, somewhat amused.

"Home! If I wanted this abuse I would've just gone to my wife!"


	318. Chapter 318

"-And then the mean lady stole my parking spot. Again!" Freddie said, playing on the floor of the living room with Emma and Ashton.

"Ba!" Ashton said, handing Freddie a toy block.

"That's right," Freddie said, taking the block. "She's very bad."

He scoped up the girls and placed them on his lap. "You guys don't think daddy's exaggerating, do you?"

The twins stared blankly up at him.

"Well, at least you didn't laugh at me," Freddie sighed.

"Are you still moping?" Sam asked, coming into the living room, throwing her jacket on.

"No!"

"Oh grow up," Sam smirked, rolling her eyes. "Will you forget about this Psycho Mom already?"

"Will you just believe me already?" Freddie exclaimed. "The woman's crazy!"

"Right," Sam said. "Look, I have to run and pick up my mom from her parole officer. And since _you _keep telling me I need to be more of a people person, I invited one of Jason's friends from preschool and his mom over, and they're gonna be here in ten minutes. You fine staying her until you get back?"

"Sure," Freddie sighed.

"Good," Sam said, kneeling down to give each of the twins a kiss. "Bye girls. Don't let daddy keep boring you with his stories."

"Ha, ha," Freddie said dryly.

"Bye baby," Sam smiled, kissing him quickly on the lips before heading out the front door.

Freddie got to his feet and placed Emma and Ashton in their playpen.

"Daddy?" Jason said, coming into the room with his favorite board game. "Are you going to play with me and Bradley? He's coming over!"

"Yeah, your mommy told me," Freddie said. "And I'll play with you guys if you want me to. But wouldn't you rather spend time with your friend by yourself? Besides, I have to watch the twins until mommy gets back from-"

Just then there was a knock at the door.

"Bradley's here!" Jason said excitedly, running to the front door.

Freddie followed his son to the door and opened it up.

"Hi," he said. "Come on in and-You!"

Freddie was standing face to face with Psycho Mom.

"Hi Bradley!" Jason said to the small boy standing at the door.

"Hi Jason!" Bradley grinned.

"You-You? _You're_ the one coming over here for a play date?" Freddie exclaimed.

The mom grinned. "That's right, slowpoke."

"Aw man, this is _not _happening," Freddie moaned as Jason and Bradley ran off into the house. "No, no, no! This is not good."

"Hey, your _wife _invited me over," the woman said, letting herself into the house. "So you'd better get comfy."

"Don't you tell me to get comfy in my own house!" Freddie snapped. "I'll get comfy on my own, thank you!"

"Wow, and here I thought you were only this big of a mess at the preschool," the woman chuckled. "Seems like your just a whackjob wherever you are."

"Yeah, well, you-you're a-a bully all of the time!" Freddie said lamely.

"Nice comeback," she smirked.

"I-You-Okay!" Freddie said firmly. "You cannot come into my home and harass me! _If _you would like to stay, you'd better start treating me with respect and dignity and-"

"Why don't you fetch me some iced tea," the woman said, smiling maliciously at him. "With lemon."

"You can't-Fine," Freddie conceded. "I will get you your iced tea. But _not _because I'm scared of you. Because I _want _to."

"Keep telling yourself that," the woman said, walking off into the house.

Freddie shook his head. "Yeah…that didn't go so well."


	319. Chapter 319

"Sam!" Freddie hissed the second his wife walked back into the house. "What were you thinking?"

"Um…I don't know?" Sam frowned, confused.

"You invited my mortal enemy over for a play date!" Freddie exclaimed.

"Who? That little Bradley kid?" Sam grinned.

"No!" Freddie snapped. "His mother; that's the Psycho Mom I've been telling you about!"

"Laura?" Sam said. "Oh come on, she's fine."

"Laura?" Freddie repeated. "That's her name? Well fine then, _Laura's _insane!"

"She's cool," Sam told him. "I hang out with her sometimes after I pick Jason up."

"What?" Freddie cried.

"Hey, _you're _the one who's always telling me I need to socialize more," Sam pointed out.

"Great," Freddie said, shaking his head. "You finally make a friend and it's with a woman who's ruining my life!"

"Don't be dramatic," Sam said, rolling her eyes as she walked into the living room where Laura was sitting, watching the boys play a game.

"Hey, Sam," Laura smiled.

"Hey," Sam replied happily, sitting down next to the woman. "So you've met my husband, Freddie?"

"Oh yeah, I've met him," Laura nodded, looking over at Freddie.

"Yeah, when she stole my parking spot," Freddie mumbled under his breath, earning him a glare from his wife.

"Sorry about him," Sam said. "He's sort of weird sometimes…a lot of the time."

"Eh, all guys are," Laura shrugged. "My ex-husband was the same way."

_I can't believe this is happening_, Freddie thought to himself as Sam and Laura continued to talk. _This-This…crazy lady is here in __**my house **__and Sam's being pleasant…for once! _

"You know," Sam said. "My best friend, Carly, is having a Christmas party this weekend. It's gonna be a lot of fun; you should come, Laura."

"Wait, _what_?" Freddie frowned, jumping to his feet.

"A Christmas party?" Laura repeated, both women ignoring Freddie's outburst.

"Yeah," Sam nodded. "Carly's real into throwing these things. But the food's always _amazing_ and her brother usually winds up setting something on fire, so they're pretty entertaining."

"Hmm, that does sound fun," Laura nodded. "Okay, I'll come."

"Um, Sam, baby, can I, um, talk to you for a second in the kitchen," Freddie said, grabbing Sam's hand and pulling her away.

"What's your problem now?" Sam moaned once they were in the kitchen.

"Okay, I absolutely _love _that you're actually taking my advice and being more social and friendly with people," Freddie said. "But do you really have to become friends with _her_?"

"I like her," Sam said, crossing her arms.

"She's mean!" Freddie hissed. "And devious, and cunning and-okay, I-I'm beginning to see why you two are hitting it off so well. But come on! Shouldn't you always take your husband's side on these matters? I would never befriend some guy who irritated you!"

"Then explain Gibby," Sam said.

"Ha, ha," Freddie snapped.

"Listen, Fredgut," Sam said, stepping closer to him. "I will be friends with whoever I want to be friends with. And you can stop being so dramatic and get over it. Kapeesh?"

"But-"

"_Kapeesh_?"

"I-Fine," Freddie conceded.

"Thank you," Sam said, satisfied. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to my _friend_."

…


	320. Chapter 320

"So," Carly said brightly, coming up to Freddie, who was standing off in a corner during her Christmas party that weekend. "You having fun?"

"Tons of fun," Freddie said dully.

"What's up?" Carly frowned. "Why aren't you hanging out with Sam?"

"Because Sam's busy with her new friend," Freddie mumbled, glancing over across the room, where Sam and Laura were laughing it up as they drowned their glasses of eggnog.

"Oh," Carly said knowingly. "Sam told me you had some weird grudge against her."

"It's not a weird grudge-Oh, never mind," Freddie sighed, looking down at his shoes.

"Look, if we're being completely honest here, Freddie, I don't exactly like that woman either," Carly said.

Freddie jerked his head up. "You don't?" he asked excitedly.

"No, I mean, I know I just met her," Carly said. "But she seems a little…pushy. And not the kind of pushy that you can deal with, like with Sam."

"That's what I've been saying!" Freddie cried, throwing his arms around Carly.

"Hey now, I'm still not moping in a corner about it like _some _people," Carly said. "Besides, I don't have to like her. I'll probably never see her again after tonight. _You're _the one whose wife's friends with her. So if I were you, I'd start trying to warm up to Laura."

"But-But she's so…vicious," Freddie said.

"Hey, you got Sam to come around…eventually," Carly pointed out, patting his shoulder. "I'm sure you can at least get Laura to be civil with you."

She gave Freddie one last smile before heading over to talk with Andy.

Freddie sighed as he watched Laura head over to the kitchen table, where Carly had laid out the food. Reluctantly, he headed over to her.

"Um, hey there, Laura," Freddie said as the woman began to pile shrimp puffs onto her plate.

"Man, that shirt is _hideous_," Laura smirked. "Almost as bad as that lame Nut Nut tie you have.

"Hey! It's _Nug Nug _and-" Freddie began, but luckily he caught himself. He took a deep breath and plastered a fake smile onto his face. "Listen. I realize that you and I may have gotten off on the wrong foot. But clearly you and Sam have become good friends, which means I guess we'll be seeing a lot of each other. So maybe it would be best for everyone if we tried to start over fresh and act…cordial around each other. What do you say?"

He held out a hand to her. Laura studied it for a moment before she slowly began to extend her hand to Freddie's. But instead of shaking his hand, Laura suddenly slammed her entire plate of shrimp puffs into Freddie's chest, staining his shirt red with cocktail sauce.

"You-You-What was _that _for?" Freddie demanded, looking down at his ruined shirt.

"Because I felt like it," Laura shrugged simply. And with that she gave an evil smirk and headed off back to the party, leaving Freddie flabbergasted.

"Whoa baby," Sam said a second later, walking over to her husband. "Was your shirt hungry?"

"No! This was the work of your little friend-"

"Okay, nope, I'm not doing this again," Sam said firmly, rolling her eyes.

"Why do you refuse to believe me?"

"Because you sound ridiculous!" Sam hissed.

"No, I do _not_!"

"Look, you can go ask Andy if you can borrow one of his shirts or something," Sam said, rolling her eyes. "I'm gonna go get more eggnog. If I drink enough of the stuff maybe I'll be able to tolerate your whining."

She reached across to Freddie's shirt, scooped up some cocktail sauce with her finger and put it in her mouth before heading away.

…..

"We get to watch a movie about firefighters today," Jason said happily as Freddie walked up the preschool. "It's gonna be cool!"

"Yeah, I bet," Freddie smiled as him and Jason reached the door of the preschool. He knelt down and gave Jason a quick hug. "Have fun, okay?"

"Okay!" Jason nodded.

Freddie watched his son head inside with the other children before turning to head back to his car.

Unfortunately for him, though, the second he turned around, he was face-to-face with Laura.

"How you doing there?" Laura smirked.

"Okay, _what _is your problem with me?" Freddie demanded. "Do you just like picking on people or something?"

"Hmm, pretty much, yeah," Laura nodded.

"Well you know what?" Freddie said firmly. "I'm not going to stand for it anymore!" He crossed his arms across his chest. "You need to apologize for how you've been treating me, and neither of us are going anywhere until you do."

Laura scoffed. "You've got to be kidding me. I'm not going to apologize to you."

"Well then you aren't going to be going anywhere," Freddie said, stepping in front of her.

"Listen, you're about as intimidating as a bag of sunflower seeds," Laura snapped. "Now get out of my way."

And with that, she pushed Freddie down to the ground, hard.

"Hey!" came a voice suddenly from behind him. Freddie looked over his shoulder and saw Sam hurrying over.

"Sam?" Freddie frowned. "What are you doing here?"

"Jason forgot his lunch," Sam said quickly, narrowing her eyes at Laura. "Why'd you push him down?"

"He-He started it," Laura said. "He started being all weird again and he pushed me-"

"He did not start it," Sam snapped. "I saw you push him first. You _are _insane!"

"Yeah, well…" Laura began. "So what if I did push him? What are you going to do about it?"

"Not a smart move," Freddie said to himself, grinning.

"Let me get one thing clear," Sam said in a deadly quiet voice. "You _ever _lay another hand on my husband, and I'll make you pay. Understand?"

Both women continued to glare at each other, neither one looked willing to back down. Finally, after nearly a minute of complete silence, Laura stepped away, giving the couple one last dirty look before heading back to her car.

"You see?" Freddie said, scrambling to his feet. "I told you that she was psycho! I told you-"

"Can it, Benson," Sam said, turning to go back to her car.

"I'll can it," Freddie said, knowing that rubbing in the fact that he had been right would most likely result in physical pain for him.


	321. Chapter 321

"Okay," Sam sighed, rubbing Jason's face with a damp towel. "What did we learn this morning, Jason?"

"You can't try and make a mask out of syrup," Jason recited.

"Good," Sam said. "Now go eat the rest of your breakfast while I-"

Just then Emma let out a loud cry from her high chair and a second later, Emma did as well.

"Guys, come on, what's wrong?" Sam said, hurrying over and scooping the twins up in her arms. "I just fed you. Why are you crying?"

Suddenly Max came running through the kitchen, knocking into the table and spilling over a glass or orange juice in the process.

"Oh come on!" Sam moaned.

"Morning, baby," Freddie said brightly, coming into the kitchen and giving his wife a quick kiss. "Ooo, you made waffles."

"What took you so long to get dressed?" Sam demanded. "I've been down here by myself for the past hour!"

"Oh, sorry, but I had to talk my mom through setting up her new Pearpad she got yesterday," Freddie explained. "And you know how she is with technology. Um, Jason? Why's your face all sticky?"

"He tried to be an alien by covering himself up with pancake syrup," Sam replied. "Jason, tell daddy where you got that idea from."

"From _Galaxy Wars_!" Jason said proudly.

"So I'm guessing my _Galaxy Wars _DVD's are mysteriously going to go missing," Freddie said. "Again."

"Yup," Sam said, handing him the twins. "Alright, well, I did my time. You're in charge now."

"Huh? Where are you going?" Freddie asked.

"Just to the store to pick something up for lunch," Sam shrugged. "I'll be back in a little bit. Have fun, Fredwad. The twins are extra fussy and Jason is now all hopped up on sugar."

"Eh, I'm sure she's exaggerating," Freddie said as Sam headed out the front door. "You guys don't seem that bad. I'm sure she just-"

He was cut off as both the girls began to wail.

"Hey, don't cry for daddy, girls," Freddie said, gently bouncing them up and down on his lap. "What's wrong? You can't be hungry, mommy just fed you. And you don't need changed, so what's wrong?"

"Daddy? Can I do a summersault off the table?" Jason asked, bouncing over to his father. "Please, please, please?"

"What? No!" Freddie said firmly.

"Why not?"

"Because you'll get hurt," Freddie said, still comforting the crying twins.

"Why will I get hurt?"

"Because you don't know how to do a summersault properly," Freddie replied.

"Why not?"

"Okay, Jason, we're not playing this game," Freddie sighed. "No summersaulting off the table. I mean it."

"I'm going to go summersault off the couch then!" Jason said excitedly, running into the living room.

"Huh? Wait, no!" Freddie cried, scrambling to his feet, his ears beginning to hurt from the infants' cries. "Jason! Get back here! Okay Sam…hurry back."

…

"Hey, I'm back," Sam said almost two hours later as she walked into the house.

"Shhh!" Freddie hissed. "The twins _just _stopped crying."

"They didn't stop this whole time?" Sam frowned. "Wow, that must've sucked."

"No, it was a walk in the park!" Freddie snapped indignantly. "Where were you? You just abandoned me for two hours!"

"I did not abandon you," Sam smirked, rolling her eyes. "I told you, I went to the store."

"What could you have bought that took you two hours?" Freddie asked.

Sam handed him a small bag. "I got some pork rinds."

"Pork rinds?" Freddie repeated. "I could've gotten these in about five minutes!"

"There was a line at the cashier," Sam said simply. "So where's Jason?"

"He finally crashed from all that syrup he ate this morning," Freddie told her. "He's upstairs sleeping it off right now, which of course means he won't be tired tonight at his bedtime."

"Eh, it's a Saturday, no big deal," Sam shrugged. She leaned up and gave her husband a long kiss. "Thanks for watching them, baby."

Freddie gave her a strange look.

"What?" Sam asked.

"Are you okay?" Freddie frowned.

"Yeah," Sam nodded. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"You're being sort of…pleasant," Freddie said slowly.

Sam chuckled. "Is that a crime now?"

"No," Freddie said. "But it's…weird."

"Well I'm sorry for being pleasant," Sam grinned, leaning up to give him another kiss. "Hey…since the kids are all napping now…what do you say we go upstairs to our room and take a _nap?_ You know…the _fun _kind of nap?"

"Really?" Freddie smiled. "Wow…you're being _real _pleasant now."

"You want to keep questioning that?" Sam asked.

"Nope," Freddie said, scooping his wife into her arms and kissing her passionately.


	322. Chapter 322

"Don't you love how our kids are the same age and can have play dates like this?" Gibby asked Freddie as the two men sat on the Benson's couch, watching Emma, Ashton and Quincy crawl around and play with their toys. "Hey, you know what we should do? We should start a daycare business!"

"_How _could we start a daycare business?" Freddie frowned. "We both work."

"I could change my hours around so I only have to go into work a night," Gibby suggested.

"Okay, _what _is your job?" Freddie demanded.

"Don't worry about that," Gibby said. "So you in?"

"I'm gonna have to pass," Freddie said, rolling his eyes.

"You know," Gibby said, shaking his head. "I'm getting real tired of everyone spitting on my dreams."

"No one's spitting on your dreams, Gib," Freddie sighed. "It's just-"

"Hey you guys," Carly said brightly, letting herself into the home with Clarissa. "Oh, look Clarissa! All your friends are here."

"You see," Gibby said. "If we were running a business right now, we could be charging her."

"You're going to charge me to let my daughter play with your kids?" Carly frowned.

"No one's charging anyone," Freddie said, rolling his eyes. "Gibby's just being…Gibby."

"Ah," Carly nodded, setting Clarissa down with the other three babies. "Well…you guys notice anything?"

She spun around in front of Gibby and Freddie.

"Um…new haircut?" Freddie guessed lamely.

"No!" Carly replied.

"Okay…did you lose your job?" Gibby asked.

"_Why _would I be happy if I lost my job?" Carly asked, exasperated.

"Don't ask me," Gibby shrugged.

"What are we noticing, Carls?" Freddie asked.

"I am finally back in my pre-Clarissa pants," Carly said happily. "It took a year, but I finally lost every single ounce of my baby weight!"

"Wait, I thought Clarissa was born in September," Gibby pointed out. "Which means she was born more than a year ago. So actually it took you one year and…one, two, three…four months!"

"Thank you, Gibby!" Carly snapped. "You're lucky you're in front of your son right now or I'd throw something at you!"

"Why?" Gibby asked, oblivious.

"Hey, is Sam coming in behind you?" Freddie asked.

"Huh?" Carly frowned.

"You guys just came back from the mall, didn't you?"

"Um, no," Carly said. "I was just with Andy, helping him paint in the pet shop."

"Then where's Sam?" Freddie questioned.

"How should I know?" Carly shrugged.

"Well she said she was going shopping with you," Freddie told her.

"You probably heard her wrong," Carly said simply. "She probably went to the mall by herself."

"Or she lied to you," Gibby said.

"Okay, do you _have _a filter?" Carly snapped at him.

"Whoa…why would she be lying?" Freddie asked Gibby.

"Freddie, Sam's not lying," Carly sighed. "And Gibby, stop filling Freddie's head with stupid ideas!"

"You know," Freddie said thoughtfully. "A couple of weeks ago, Sam spent like, two hours at the grocery store and only came back with a bag of pork rinds. And then last week she said she was going to help her mom with something, but her mom called here looking for here! Every week at this exact time she just disappears for two hours and she always comes back all happy and pleasant!"

"Okay!" Carly said, thumping the back of Freddie's head. "I know where this is going!"

"Ow!" Freddie winced. "What? Where am I going with this?"

"You know exactly where you're going!" Carly said. "And you're ridiculous!"

"Carly, I don't think Sam's out having an affair," Freddie said, rolling his eyes.

Carly blinked. "Oh. Okay…Well, good. I thought you were going to completely over react about this whole thing and go crazy trying to figure out what Sam's doing."

"Oh, I'm still going to try and figure that out," Freddie said.

"Yes!" Gibby cheered, high-fiving his friend.

"What? Why?" Carly sputtered. "You just said you didn't think she was having an affair! What difference does it make where she goes then?"

"It's bothering me!" Freddie exclaimed.

"What? Do you need to know your wife's whereabouts at all hours of the day?" Carly frowned.

"Come on, if Andy went somewhere every week and you had no idea what he was doing, wouldn't you be just a tiny bit curious?" Freddie pointed out.

"Don't drag me into this," Carly said. "You're just being-"

"Hey!" Sam said brightly, walking through the door. "Oh cool, everyone's here."

"Um, baby?" Freddie said. "I thought you were going to the mall with Carly."

"Huh? Oh, no," Sam replied. "I said I was going to the mall _without_ Carly."

"But-But then why didn't you just say you were going to the mall?" Freddie asked.

"I dunno, I thought you'd just like that extra bit of information," Sam smiled, leaning down to give him a quick kiss. "Hey Carly? Can you help me with something in the kitchen?"

"Sure, anything to get away from these weirdos," Carly said, following her best friend.

"Oh, so she'll tell Carly where she jets off to, but she won't tell her own husband," Freddie said, shaking his head. "How nice."

"Hey, cheer up," Gibby said. "You know what would make you feel better? Running a daycare service with-"

"Gibby!"


	323. Chapter 323

"Morning, baby," Freddie said brightly, setting a tray of pancakes and bacon in front of his wife as she sat up in the couple's bed.

"Um…why'd you make me breakfast in bed?" Sam yawned.

"Just because," Freddie smiled, sitting down next to her. "I thought it would make you happy."

"Oh…well, thanks," Sam said, picking up a fork. "Smells good."

"That's because I bought to good bacon," Freddie told her. "With the extra fat."

"Aw, I love the extra fat!" Sam grinned, giving him a quick kiss.

"And I've already got the twins changed and fed," Freddie continued. "Plus Jason's already eaten his breakfast and is now fully entertained watching some dinosaur show downstairs."

"Wow," Sam chuckled. "You've been busy this morning." She looked at the alarm clock on her bedside table. "Whoa! It's almost noon! I haven't slept in this late since probably before Jason was born. Why didn't you wake me up?"

"I figured you deserved to sleep in," Freddie shrugged.

"You're the best," Sam grinned. "Now what do you want?"

"Nothing," Freddie said simply. "I just want you to relax."

"Well that's real sweet, baby," Sam said, stuffing her last piece of bacon into her mouth. "But I've got to get going. Thanks for the breakfast."

"Wait…" Freddie frowned. "Where are you going?"

"Out," Sam replied. "I have to pick up a few things."

"Oh, I'll handle that," Freddie said quickly. "Just tell me what you need."

"No, that's okay," Sam told him, throwing on a sweatshirt. "You've done enough this morning."

"No, I-I insist," Freddie said. "Come on, you do stuff around here all week while I'm just sitting around at work."

"Freddie, it's fine, I'll go," Sam said. "Hang out with the kids. Hey, Jason's been wanting to play with some of your model trains. Why don't you build one with him?"

"Are you encouraging me to do a 'nerdy activity' with our son?" Freddie asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh come on, it will be kind of cute," Sam replied.

"But-But-"

"I'll see you in a couple of hours," Sam said, giving him a fleeting kiss.

Freddie stared after her. _Something's up_, he thought to himself. _And I'm __**going **__to figure out what it is. _

He pulled his Pearphone out of his pocket and quickly dialed Gibby's number.

"Hello?" Gibby answered.

"Hey Gib, any chance that you could come over and watch the kids for me?" Freddie asked. "I need to run out…"

….

"Okay," Freddie sighed as he turned into what must've been the tenth parking lot that hour. "She's not at the mall, Bushwell Plaza, Carly's, the grocery store, the prison, the doctor, the Rib Shack, none of the buffets within a twenty mile radius or the zoo…where the heck else would Sam go?"

He parked his car and moaned. This was getting frustrating. _Where _was Sam?

"Think, Benson," Freddie said to himself. "Wherever Sam is going is obviously top secret…she comes back all happy and in a good mood…did she join a cult or something? Nah, they'd never let her into one of those things."  
Freddie looked around the parking lot her had just pulled into. All he could see in the shopping plaza was a dry cleaner, a bookstore, and an orthodontist; none of them seemed likely candidates for Sam's secret hideaway. Freddie was just about to drive back home in defeat when suddenly, he caught sight of his wife's car parked just a few spaces away from him.

"Ah-hah!" he exclaimed triumphantly. "Found you, Sam! But…what the heck are you doing _here_?"

He craned his neck, looking around the plaza once again, and he spotted a small office.

"What's that?" Freddie frowned, squinting to read the writing on the glass window. "Dr. Kinsley's Plastic Surgery Consulting Center? _What? _Sam-Sam's gonna get plastic surgery?"

Freddie was shocked. Sam was never one to care obsessively about her appearance. Sure, she wore make-up sometimes and _did _enjoy the occasional shopping trip with Carly for new outfits, but she had never even _talked _about having any sort of plastic surgery. And what did she even need it for? Freddie thought Sam was absolutely breath taking! She just had that natural beauty that most women would kill for.

Freddie shook his head. This was crazy. He didn't want his wife to change anything about her. He hadn't planned on confronting Sam about this. He had just wanted to know where she was going for his own peace of mind, but now…now he knew he needed to really talk to her.

…..

"Hey, hey," Sam said brightly an hour later, letting herself back into her home. "Mama picked up donuts for everyone!"

"Um, hi Sam," Freddie said heavily, getting up from the couch.

"Where is everyone?" Sam frowned, looking around the empty house.

"I dropped the kids off with Spencer," Freddie said.

"Why?" Sam asked.

"Because," Freddie said, taking a deep breath. "I think we need to talk."

"What's wrong?" Sam asked, concerned. "Is-Is everyone okay?"

"Everyone's fine," Freddie said.

"Then what's up?"

Freddie sighed. "Okay…Sam? I think you are, without a doubt, the most beautiful woman who ever walked the face of this planet."

Sam raised an eyebrow. "Um…thank you?"

"And obviously, I don't want to tell you what to do with yourself or your body," Freddie continued. "I've known you for most of my life; if you want to do something, I know you're going to do it."

"What are you going on about?" Sam asked slowly.

"Look, baby, I-I don't know when you started thinking about this," Freddie said. "Or why. But-But I just don't understand. Why didn't you at least _talk _to me about this?"

"About _what_?" Sam exclaimed.

Freddie ran his fingers through his hair. "Okay…I-I followed you today."

Sam's eyes widened. "You did _what_?"

"Well I wanted to know what the heck you were doing every Saturday!" Freddie defended. "You would never tell me. You just kept giving me the same old 'I'm running to the store' or 'I have to pick something up'."

"So _what_?" Sam snapped. "I don't need your permission to be doing this, you know!"

"I know that, Sam," Freddie said. "But I just want to know why you think you need to be doing this to yourself. And have you even researched the side effects?"

"Side effects?" Sam repeated, sounding confused.

"You can permanently scar yourself!" Freddie said. "Or you can go into whatever operation you're looking into and have a bad reaction to the anesthesia!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Sam frowned. "What are you-"

"Since when was this even something you were _considering_?" Freddie asked weakly. "I-I just never would've thought…you never seemed like the type of person to be so concerned with how they look on the outside that you'd actually go and have surgery done. You never-"

"Freddie!" Sam said loudly. "What the chiz are you talking about?"

"About this whole plastic surgery thing!" Freddie cried. "What do you think?"

To his surprise, Sam began to laugh.

"Sam, this isn't funny," Freddie said seriously. "This is something that is going to effect you for the rest of your life!"

"Dude," Sam said, calming herself down. "Why on _earth _do you think I'm getting plastic surgery?"

"Because I saw your car parked in front of the consultation office," Freddie explained. "But really, Sam, I think you need to really think this through. I don't think you need to be doing this to yourself. I don't know if it's because you've had three kids or you're going through some pre-midlife crisis or what, but-"

"Freddie," Sam said, putting her hands on his shoulders. "Listen to me. _I am not getting plastic surgery_!"

Freddie blinked. "Huh?"

"Come on, why the heck would I get plastic surgery?" Sam said, rolling her eyes. "I'm _clearly _the attractive one in this relationship."

"Well…yeah," Freddie agreed. "But then why were you at that office today? And where have you been _going _all these weeks?"

"Why are you freaking out?" Sam moaned. "Who cares where I was going? I wasn't going to any plastic surgeon, so what difference does it make, huh?"

"Because it's eating away at me!" Freddie exclaimed dramatically. "Just _tell _me already, _please_!

Sam put her hands on her hips. "Have you _really _been obsessing about this every time I leave?"

"Yes!"

"Fine, I'll tell you!" Sam snapped. "You happy?"

"Thrilled," Freddie said.

"Okay," Sam sighed. "Yes, I was parked in front of that plastic surgeon's office today, but I didn't _go _there. I went to…to a place on the other side of that plaza."

"Where?" Freddie asked.

Sam looked down at her feet and mumbled something Freddie couldn't make out.

"What?" Freddie frowned.

"The gym!" Sam cried. "I joined the stupid gym, okay?"

"The gym?" Freddie repeated. "_That's _where you've been going?"

"Yes," Sam moaned, collapsing onto the couch.

"What-What-That's-Why didn't you just _tell _me you joined a gym?" Freddie asked, flabbergasted. "I wouldn't have stopped you."

"Well excuse _me _for wanting to have _one thing _in my life that I could keep to myself," Sam retorted.

"The gym…" Freddie said again. "Since when-when did you become a fan of the gym? You hate exerting energy!"

"I know," Sam sighed. "But…Carly talked me into going with her one day while Jason was at preschool, so we dropped Clarissa and the twins off with Ella and we went. And-And I _liked _it. All my stress just disappeared and I felt all energized and happy."

"That's because exercise releases endorphins," Freddie explained. "What make you happy. It's a biological process-"

"Not the time," Sam said firmly. "But after that, I-I kind of wanted to go back. So I signed up for a membership and I've been going for the past few weeks and it's been…nice. I mean, I love the kids more than anything, but spending all day five days a week with them here is a lot of stress! They're monsters sometimes!"

"I-I still don't get why you kept this so secret," Freddie said slowly. "I think it's great that you joined a gym. It will do wonders for your health."

"I _told _you, I just wanted something for _me_," Sam said. "You know, something that I could do on my own for two hours a week without someone being on my case about it."

"Huh?"

"Come on," Sam sighed. "I know we're married and all and blah, blah, blah, but don't you just kind of want that tiny, little chunk of _you _time where you can do whatever you want without me or the kids there?"

Freddie pondered this. Maybe she did have a point…He loved his family more than anything, but he did sometimes want to just take even five _minutes _to go off and just be by himself.

"Okay," Freddie said finally. "I-I can kind of see where you're coming from with this. And I'm sorry I made such a huge deal about this. I should've just let you have your time. You deserve it."

"Thank you," Sam said satisfied. "And you know what? How about we do this? I can have my two hours every Saturday to do what I want to do with myself. Whether it's go to the gym or sleep in the car or throw spitballs in the park…And you can have two hours every _Sunday_ to do what you want to do. You don't have to tell me what it is."

"Really?" Freddie said. "You'd do that?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah."

"Well…okay," Freddie agreed. "I'm down for that."

"Good," Sam said, opening the box of donuts in her hand. "Now be a good nub and fetch me some whipped cream and fudge sauce for these donuts. I just worked out for two hours. That means I can eat twice as much food today."


End file.
